Earlier this week I had the chance to participate in a simulation of a landlord-tenant dispute involving a broken washer in the tenant's unit.  In the simulation the landlord was out of town, and the tenant needed the problem fixed asap.  The whole simulation was conducted online by the Virtual Mediation Lab:  http://www.virtualmediationlab.com/vml-mobile-mediation/example-of-online-mediation-tenant-v-landlord-dispute-acr-chicago-and-virtual-mediation-lab-16-min-video/

I have mixed feeling about online dispute resolution.  The convenience of conducting a mediation with parties in different cities is a plus, as is the convenience of scheduling when no one has to travel.  The parties get the benefit of airing their issues and concerns from the comfort of their own homes.  The use of the document viewer enabled all the parties to see the same invoice at the same time.  In this simulation, without the inclusion of the repair person on the iPhone, the dispute would not have been resolved.

However, I do think that there is a level of emotional connection and rapport that just is not the same when the parties are not in the same room.  The ability to reach out and shake the other person's hand or hug (if things have gone really well or during an especially emotional moment) is lost.  The lessened human connection reminded me of the experience of George Clooney and Anna Kendrick's characters in the movie Up in the Air.  

Online Mediation has its place, and for a relatively simple issue like an appliance repair it can work well.  For more complex issues  and situations where more emotions are triggered, my preference remains in person mediations.