If you are trying to unleash the full potential of web conferencing, then investing in good web conferencing software is an option you must consider. Now there are free conference tools available such as the chat programs, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger that can double up as web conferencing resources for you, but they won’t provide you with the features that a dedicated web conferencing software application will give you. Here we will be taking a look at some of the features of such software applications.Video ConferencingOne of the hallmarks of web conferencing tools is that they allow for video conferencing. The free tools mentioned above will either not provide video features or, if they provide, they won’t give you superior quality. With good server based conferencing software solutions like Web Meet Live for example, the reception of the video quality is quite good. You can see the person you are conferencing with.VoIP Audio ConferencingYou could also use your web conferencing resources as an audio conferencing tool. Most web conferencing solutions will require you to use a telephone line, but then some like Web Meet Live won’t even need that. All you have to do is connect a microphone to your computer and you are set.Website, HTML Slides & File SharingFor people who are communicating from remote locations, this is an unbeatable option. Presenters and guests can share web pages, html slide show presentations, online streaming videos, as well as provide links to online documents. These could be files of different formats; they could be PDF files, word documents, presentation, spreadsheets or any other type of file that resides on the Internet. Web Meet Live allows you to do this through synchronized browsing. You can invite your guests to visit a website and theycan download files from there.Ability to Go PrivateAny good web conferencing tool should allow presenters and moderators to go for private conversations if needed. Thus, if two people participating in a conference need to communicate in private, they should be able to do so through private text chat.CompatibilityWeb conferencing software applications are being designed for all kinds of platforms today owing to their vast popularity. There are software applications that will work only on the windows operating systems, while there are also those that support MAC users as well. They may be server based or peer to peer. These are some features that you need to check into, as a server based system, like Web Meet Live, supports all connection speeds, including dial up and satellite users. Web Meet Live also runs on java, which is pre-installed on all MAC systems and on the majority of new PCs. So there is no huge download or installation for you or your web conference guests.SupportMany web conferencing software providers offer great support. But be sure you check this when considering a particular application so that you know you will always have the help when you need it. Give the company a call to see if they answer the telephone during normal business hours. If you cannot speak with someone to get your pre- sales questions answered in a timely manner, it’s a pretty good indication of the kind of support you’ll receive once you become a customer.Other FeaturesAdditional features you’ll want to consider when choosing a web conferencing software provider are whiteboard with annotation capabilities, polling, PPT and open office presentation sharing, as well as built in recording.Can you easily record your entire web meeting, including poll results, web pages, white board and screen sharing activity and upload to the web for on demand viewing? Many services allow you to record. But editing for on demand viewing can be challenging for those who may be a little technically challenged.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Video - Web Conferencing: How to Determine Which Features Will Benefit You the Most
Web and video conferencing technology is becoming more sophisticated with each passing day. A few years ago it was a novelty just to talk with someone online, and view his or her image at the same time. Today web conferences bring together entire companies in complex interaction that rivals live face-to-face meetings. How you might benefit from the latest developments in web conferencing depends on your particular needs. Here are a few points that you should consider.
1. Do you need to make a Powerpoint or other presentation during your conference?
If you answered “yes” to this question, then you will be glad to know that current web and video conferencing services allow the host of a conference to present a slide show or power point demonstration that will be visible on the screens of all the participants of a conference. Similarly, hosts can also open and show other document formats to their attendees. If you need this kind of capability, make sure that your conference provider can give this to you.
2. Do you require telephone conferencing integrated with your web/video conference?
Many organizations have found telephone conferencing to be an effective way to get work done. If you are already connecting with your members and staff via telephone conferences you can expand on this by choosing a web conferencing system that integrates telephone conferencing along with the online conference. The combined service will give you the ease of phone conferencing along with the enhanced visual and presentation features of online conferencing.
Some services allow the host to pay the long distance bill of all the participants (toll free conferencing), while others require each participant to cover their long distance fees.
3. Do all of your conference participants use the same type of computer?
If your participants are going to be using a variety of computers (PC, Mac, Linux) then you will benefit most by choosing a web conferencing system that works on any platform. While earlier conferencing systems required the downloading of complex software that would work only on specified operating systems, newer conferencing formats are delivered online and are browser based. They work on any operating system and if yours in an eclectic audience, then you will get best results with this type of conferencing.
4. Will it be necessary for one of your technicians to “take-over” and operate the computers of any of your participants?
If you wish to use conferencing as a service tool and want to avoid having to send out your service team on physical visits to clients, you can save a lot of travel time and cost by selecting a web and video conferencing system that allows the host of the conference to go online and actually take control of the computer of the client or conference participant. If you are looking at web conferencing as an after-sales service tool, then this particular feature will probably give you one of the most important benefits that you could wish for.
5. Do you want to conduct an online poll or survey during the conference?
If you have a large organization and want to make a quick and accurate poll of opinion or vote on a particular issue then the new polling capabilities of the most advanced web conferencing services will be an important feature for you.
Similarly, if you need to gather demographic information about your meeting participants, obtain valuable input, or quiz and test your participants, then the new online survey capabilities of current web conferencing systems will be an important feature to look for when choosing your conference format. Data from these types of online “surveys” can typically be saved and used for future use.
6. Do you want to brainstorm online, using a “whiteboard”?
Brainstorming is a great way to tap the ideas of a group and to come up with and select new ideas. If this is what you like to do when holding physical meetings, then you will probably want to be able to do the same thing in your virtual meetings as well. This is now possible in some of the more advanced web conferencing systems by using a “group notepad” that enables meeting participants to utilize a shared workspace. The results of these brainstorming sessions can typically be saved in a storage area.
Which of these features will benefit you the most? It all depends on your particular needs. However, one thing is sure: once you experience the convenience of online meetings, you will not want to go back to the era when every meeting required you to pack up your bags and get on an airplane.