There are a host of blog posts that speak to the “how” of TinyChat. What I have not seen is a blog post that speaks about the “why” of  TinyChat. It is a huge business tool if used right. Here are a few ideas:

• Business Communities: Use the correct keywords for your community to create an embeddable chat page. Set a chat schedule of at least one chat per week. This helps make business communities sticky. Plus, chat is considered safe for newbies to Social Media. Not to mention the ability to chat with your webcam helps put a face to the voice-a very valuable feature for business communities as they evolve. The business benefit is more reasons to utilize the community and yet another channel to communicate.
• eStores: Many eStores already have a chat tool. But think about the ability to chat with peers about the products on the eStore. Having a list of buyers to chat with in order to make an educated purchase will drive sales like never before. It is one thing to talk to a store associate that is paid to speak to the customer, it is quite another to have a face to face conversation with willing peers. This will take planning and a Recognition Rewards program for the eStore staff. But the long term ramifications are huge is executed correctly. The business benefit is quicker decisions to the buy!
• More Effective Webinars & Podcasts: The premium fee is worth it with its screen share functionality. Simple and effective! This tool could shirt many users from WebEx and Skype to this one universal tool. Note: Only hardcore Skype users would actually pay for the differences.
• Peer Supported Customer Service: Simply create a page on your branded website where peers can help each other out, real time. Again, at the outset this will take planning on the part of the business and a recognition rewards program to empower members to help each other out. But the technology is easy enough to use it on a per need basis. The business benefit is reduced customer service costs.
• Authors: Having writers block? Invite your readers to help you brainstorm your way out of the writer’s block. Or, let it be an innovation opportunity for future writings.
• Product Innovation: Is your company at the key phase of a new product and you wanting real time beta feedback? Bingo!

These are just a few of the ideas I have, I could chirp all day about the different uses for this very innovative tool. I am happy to talk to your organization about how this and other Social Media tools can be utilized to recognized real benefits and ROI. For now, think about how Tinychat can be used to help your organization recognize its current business objectives. Expect to see me start using it regularly…please excuse me while I finally bend and get a webcam.