“Once you’re logged on, you can launch a teleconference just by dialing out” to prospective attendees, she said.

Paltalk, a New York City-based company that offers voice and video chat services, is offering free unlimited video chat rooms to companies inconvenienced by the strike. Corporations interested in the service can contact the company by e-mailing [email protected].

During the strike, the company will provide chat rooms with free video conferencing for typing, talking, and viewing.

The firm said it has 3.9 million active chat room members and is the Internet’s largest voice and video chat community. “We’re painfully aware that many individuals are in a pre-holiday work crunch,” said Michael Levit, Paltalk’s chief marketing officer, in a statement. “We hope to help provide a solution to this transportation breakdown by helping companies to conduct their business virtually.”

Laplink Software is offering a two-week free trial of its Laplink Everywhere, a Web-based remote access program. The software can be downloaded. The firm said the program may be the best solution for commuters who rely on a PC and telephone at their regular jobs.