Daily advances in technology are restructuring the way we live, work, learn and interact. The rapid development of synchronous online venues available to distance education has lead to a heightened need for theory & practice in the effective use of these collaborative learning live venues. This paper is directed to faculty members who are already teaching synchronously online or who would like to start teaching synchronously online. It provides best practices, ideas, tips and tricks, and insights to foster successful learning experiences online and ways to think about online synchronous teaching differently than as a mere replicate of traditional campus-based instructional activities.