With all the communications technology available (video-conferencing, VoIP, e-mail, social media, etc.), you would think a significant chunk of business travel could be eliminated because the same results could, theoretically, be achieved without having to fly/drive hundreds or thousands of miles.

It seems, however, that we’re traveling just as much even though it sucks up time and money, and it’s not very environmentally friendly.

It may be that when it comes to it, personal communications (aka meeting someone in person) is a lot more powerful than digital communications, even if you’re in constant contact with someone via e-mail, Twitter, etc.

The fact is meeting someone once changes the entire dynamic of a personal relationship, which is why business travel is still thriving amid difficult economic times.

What do you think? Can technology replace business travel?

Coming back from Finland today, I was pleasantly surprised – no, make that very surprised – to discover how Helsinki International Airport has enthusiastically embraced the idea of offering free Internet access to passengers.

On top of that, there are designated places with power outlets to use a laptop. It’s a far cry from North American airports where Boingo is happy to give you access for $9.95/day, and power outlets are few and far between.

One topic that has been avoided is Nokia’s struggles in North America. In the third-quarter, Nokia’s sales dropped 31% from a year ago, which is not terribly surprising given the company’s low profile, particularly in the fast-growing smartphone market.

Nokia’s biggest problem has been the fact it simply hasn’t had compelling devices at a time when there’s a lot of excitement about the iPhone, Blackberry Storm/Bold, the Palm Pre and Google’s Android devices. As a result, it has been hard for Nokia to get North American carriers excited about offering and promoting its products.

While Nokia may be reluctant to talk about its North American struggles, they do concede it has been a difficult market. In an interview today, Nokia’s Patrick Mercanton said that North American carriers have realized over time “they can live without us, so it’s taking time to get back in there”.

At the same time, he said North American carriers have also kept Nokia in a “low-end ghetto”, which has damaged how the Nokia brand is perceived by consumers.

Maybe the N900 will get Nokia back in the North American game, although it’s probably going to take more than one device and a lot more time for a turnaround to happen.

For more on what the N900 could mean for Nokia, check out GigaOm.

- Nov. 13: The auction for the metro Ethernet networking business is scheduled to take place, although there are reports it could be delayed to give potential bidders more time to prepare offers.

- Nov. 16: The company’s third-quarter results will be unveiled – not that it matters much but it will provide some more insight into how the business has deteriorated as customers scatter to rivals.

- Nov. 20: The auction of the GSM business happens.

Of course, the flip side is it’s easier than ever to catch people given the growing number of tools that can identify how original content has been re-used, copied and modified. For example, Idee’s TinEye image recognition tool can be used to identify photos that have been used without authorization.

Another tool to catch cheaters is video given so much activity is being documented. A great case in point is a University of Mexico soccer players, Elizabeth Lambert, who was caught on video punching and then pulling the hair of a Brigham Young University opponent. Lambert was suspended after the video of her transgressions went viral on the Web.

The exception, however, is News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch who has been leading the charge recently about introducing paywalls – something already done at the Wall St. Journal.

Now, Murdoch has raised the idea of not letting News Corp.’s Web sites be indexed by Google. In an interview with Sky News political editor David Speers, Murdoch suggests that while Google drives a lot of traffic to News Corp. sites, he’d rather have fewer people visiting but have those people pay for content.

“They shouldn’t have had it free all the time. I think we’ve been asleep,” he said after Speers asked him about the fact free online content has been around for years. “It costs us a lot of moeny to put together good newspapers and good content. [Consumers] are very happy to buy a newspaper, and I think when they read it elsewhere, they are going to have to pay.”

There are two schools of thought about Murdoch’s thoughts: He’s either one of the few people bold enough – and powerful enough – in the newspaper business to start charging people for content, or he’s a digital Don Quixote, tilting at windmills – and Google – in a chivalrous but misguided mission to bring fiscal sanity back to the newspaper business.

As someone who increasingly sees paywalls as the only plausible way for newspapers to generate enough revenue to stay relevant and viable, I admire Murdoch for embracing a tactic that many people considered to be undoable.

Like Quixote, Murdoch’s quest may bring him great melancholy and test his faith but he appears to be a man on mission.

Update: Corey Doctorow rips into Murdoch, suggesting Murdoch is lying about his threat to stop Google from indexing News Corp. sites.

My resolve to avoid business travel if at all possible disappeared a couple of weeks ago when Nokia invited me to attend its “The Way We Live Next 3.0″ conference at its global headquarters in Espoo, Finland, which is located just outside Helsinki.

The two-day conference features a number of Nokia senior executives, who will provide insight about the company’s strategic direction and how it’s “connecting and building the communities of the future”.

I’m looking forward to to meeting Oskar Korkman, head of “opportunity identification” for Nokia’s consumer and consumer insights unit. Korkman is responsible for “consumer insights, and supports the business in translating consumer understanding into business decision-making.”

I’m hoping he can provide some insight into what consumers are demanding in terms of hardware and software, including how the fast-growing smartphone market is going to evolve.

To be honest, I’ve had very little experience with Nokia smartphones, which is not that surprising given Nokia’s low profile in North American compared with the iPhone and Blackberry. I played with a Nokia smartphone several months ago that looked really slick but I found the UI and usability to be too complicated and somewhat frustrating.

It will be interesting to learn more about Nokia’s smartphones plans given the market is exploding, and smartphones have higher profit margins for hardware makers and carriers.

I’m also hoping to take in the sights of Helsinki and maybe catch a hockey game.

In response to B.L. Ochman’s post in AdAge about the 10 things social media can’t do, here’s a quick summary of nine things that social media can do:

1. Improve customer service – It wasn’t that long ago that customer service involved calling a 1-800 number (ultra-frustrating) or perhaps writing a letter, which, if you were really lucky, generated a response. Today, customers can talk publicly about a company’s product and service. And if a company is smart/savvy, they can quickly respond, and turn a negative into a positive or, at least, a neutral.

2. Build stronger relationships with existing customers – Everyone likes to feel the love, including customers who constantly want to be shown they’ve selected the right product, service, supplier, vendor, and that their loyalty is appreciated and recognized. Social media helps companies meet the needs of customers – whether it turning a complaint into a solution or listening to their feedback to make improvements.

3. Attract new customers – If you’ve got an active social media strategy that provides value, it’s another way that potential customers can discover and learn more about what you do and offer. On a growing basis, consumers are turning to social media for information and recommendations so it’s important to be where consumers are.

4. Generate feedback/ideas on how to improve existing products and services, and inspire new products and services – There’s nothing like getting real-time feedback about you’re doing right or wrong, or could be doing better or differently. Consumers are no qualms about telling anybody and everybody what they think, and much of it can be constructive.

5. Build and enhance your brand – Plain and simple, social media is another marketing tool that can be used to drive awareness about your brand – whether you’re a long-time entity such as Ford or a start-up with no marketing budget but a kick-ass service.

6. Connect with industry peers – One of the reasons that conferences and meet-ups are still alive and well in a digital age is that connecting with people is an inherent part of who we are and have we behave. We have a need and desire to connect with other people, and social media is another vehicle to make that happen.

7. Communicate with employees, suppliers and investors – Often lost in the shuffle is the fact that in addition to having conversations with consumers, social media also lets companies connect with other constituents such as employees, suppliers and investors. It provides them with information about what’s happening and what things mean.

8. Do research – One of social media’s low-profile “killer apps” is the ability to quickly and efficiently conduct real-time research.

9. Do good – Social media has been embraced as a tool to support, promote and drive good causes, charitable activities and philanthropic efforts.