Is internet web conferencing something as great as marketers say it is? Here you will have the chance to read about a number of disadvantages and advantages of internet web conferencing.
The main advantage is that anyone can use internet web conferencing software to communicate with others. While you only have audio with a phone conference, a conference through the internet allows you to feel like you’re in the same room with the people you’re talking to.
Using modern internet technology, people can talk to each other using live video software. In our current age, people can talk and see each other even if they’re thousands of miles apart.
You can interpret their facial expressions and body language just like they would in a normal face to face conversation. You can put a face on the person you’re talking to even if they’re far away from you.
A great problem when you do an audio conference is that you’re not able to put a face to the voice you’re hearing. Not unless you already know him in person. That’s why with audio conferences you need to tell people who you are, but they might have a problem knowing who is talking if they can’t see you.
You no longer have this problem if you’re using internet web conferencing. You don’t need to spend time letting others know who is talking, you can just talk and they will know who speaks to them.
Another form of doing internet conferencing is the use of stored video. What I mean by that is that people need to show other people a video in some cases, to make them understand their point better. Internet meetings allow for such videos to be presented.
You can show others any video you want them to watch during your presentation. Some web conferencing services also provide the option to record the entire conference so you can simply ask it to other colleagues or clients who cannot attend the video conference.
But, the video part isn’t the only thing great about internet conferences. If you’re in an audio conference, you need a quiet room to be sure that everyone understands what is being said.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Internet Web Conferencing Software ? Advantages of Having Video in Web Based Conferencing Services
How to Use Integrated Audio Conference Calling to Enhance Your Video - Web Conference Meetings
There are two technologies that are making a revolution in intra-organizational communications: They are telephone conferencing and web conferencing. Using either web or telephone conferencing, companies and non-profit organizations are now able to hold many more meetings than ever before. The newest web conferencing systems incorporate both online and telephone conferencing and this will surely speed up the growth of virtual conferencing.
Most online conferencing systems allow participants to see one another using web cams and monitors, and to speak and hear one another via Voice over Internet Protocol (VOiP) using a headset or a microphone and speakers.
But what happens if one of the would-be participants does not have the right kind of headset or microphone? And what happens if one of the would-be participants does not have a high speed Internet connection or is away from his/her computer? In previous conferencing set-ups, the person who didn’t have the right equipment might miss the audio or even the whole conference entirely.
This particular problem has now been overcome by integrating telephone conferencing along with web conferencing. For example, if participants do not have the right kind of headset or microphone, in addition to everyone being able to watch the conference online, a teleconference can be used that will allow all participants to hear and talk to each other via standard telephone connections. With some systems, the call-in number and security code for the conference call are even posted within the video/web conference meeting room.
Similarly, when a company holds a combined telephone and web conference, an employee or staff member can take part in the audio portion using the telephone conference connection even if they are away from their computer or away from a broadband Internet connection.
The combined service will make it easier for companies that are already accustomed to telephone conference calling but have not yet made the jump to online web conferencing.
Online web conferencing adds many more features to a normal telephone conference call such as Powerpoint presentations, instant polling and surveys, application sharing and real time notepads for online brainstorming, but some organizations may be holding back from going to web conferencing due to the possibility of leaving behind some of their participants. The new combined teleconferencing and web conferencing systems solve this particular problem and will probably help to accelerate the already rapid growth of web conferencing around the world.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Internet Video Conferencing Software ? Advantages of Using Video Conference Software
While the number of video conferencing software that can be found online is huge, finding the best versions available isn’t that easy. There are a number of options that you should take into consideration when you’re looking for such a software.
If the number of persons you need to do a video conference with is small, than a normal software for Internet video conferencing will be enough. There are a number of options out there, with prices that vary quite a bit.
If you have a home business, you have video conferencing software that will fit your needs. The same goes if your business doesn’t have that many employees or clients to conference with. All you need in this case is software and a webcam. Your webcam is connected to your computer, which lets the others using the software see you, while you see them through their own webcam. Most of these video conferencing software such as MS communicator will have audio capability, but some of them will let you type the words instead, with the other person seeing what you write in real time.
If you have a home business, video conferencing software is perfect to solve all your needs, to save money and make the needed contacts with other people. There are software versions both for Windows and Mac, so you can talk to as many people as possible.
Do I have to pay for software?
Even if you don’t have that much money to spend on software, you can probably find a free software for conferencing. In many cases, companies that produce video conferencing software will offer free versions for download, hoping that you will like it and decide to pay the price for the full version.
So, you can use these free versions to test different versions of software, get a feel of what they have to offer and later even decide to pay for one of them. Other companies that are new in the market will want as many new clients as possible, so they might be inclined to negotiate prices or even give away their services without asking for money in return.
But, if you want the absolute best video conferencing software, finding it for free isn’t an option. You will need to pay for it, but the price can be huge, up to thousands of dollars.
If you want the absolute best video software that can be found, you might end up paying up to $10,000 for it.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Smarter Interactive: Interactive Video - Web Conferencing
Since 2002, Smarter Interactive is an excellent and experienced professional audio visual integration company who is specialized in the designing solutions for communications, easy collaboration, and video or web conferencing. Through the perfect utility of advanced technology, Smarter Interactive helps you in getting increase your corporate efficiency with the help of video web conferencing. Smarter Interactive is the leading supplier of Smart Interactive and serves the nation for easy conferencing by reducing the travel costs. In short Smarter Interactive is the master piece of an organization’s communications. Easy Communication Process with Web & Video Conferencing:With the help of Smarter Interactive you can make an easy way of communication for your organization by conducting a video web conferencing or online group meeting of your employees and distant experts. Smarter Interactive provides you with web conferencing software as well as video conferencing software for your online group meeting and interactive video conferencing solutions. Along with the video conferencing solutions, the collaborative workers in sectors who need to share and communicate important information to colleagues in the same room or building gets benefited a lot. They do not have to move or roam around for anything. Even the time saves and thus the working energy!Interactive web conferencing also saves the cost of travels and in turn also increases the efficiency of employees. The timings of travel gets invest into the work that itself is a good sign. More time to work increases more efficiency and more productivity for your organization. With the simple web conferencing software, you can utilize time and have quick learning for the organization’s efficiency.Whether it is for the purpose of meeting, training, briefing or teaching, web conferencing solutions really helps in conducting a group meeting online. The Staffordshire Police are also believing and trusting collaborative and Interactive web conferencing as their key to success. Video and web conferencing is also very useful for online education services and learning. Smarter Interactive provides Digital notice board solutions and video conferencing to many schools and Pharmaceuticals. The smart products of Smarter Interactive like the web conferencing software and video conferencing solution are supporting millions of organizations including local authorities, hospitals, education entities and Pharmaceuticals around the globe. Save time, save energy plus save money with the Smarter Interactive products and Web conferencing software. Smarter Interactive is the cost effective and successful way for building up collaboration and communication between your employees with web and video conferencing.
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.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Tips for Using Video - Web Conferencing to Train, Manage and Support Your Sales Team
If you have a large sales force, spread out over wide distances, or if you have a small staff in various locations, then video and web conferencing is an ideal way to train, manage and support your team. In case you are wondering what online conferencing has to do with managing and training a sales force, here are a few ways to utilize this new technology.
1. Hold Virtual Online Sales Meetings
Instead of calling all your representatives to one physical point, you can set up a web conference and meet with them online. Your sales people only need a computer and a broadband connection to the Internet and they will be able to take part in the online sales meeting. The newest conferencing systems have a real time notepad allowing online brainstorming.
2. Hold Meetings More Frequently
Whenever your organization holds a physical meeting, then you have to pay a cost in terms of travel as well as in time lost from normal work. For this reason meetings have to be scheduled carefully and not too frequently. When the meetings are held online, the “opportunity costs” of your meetings are reduced because no one has to leave his or her location in order to attend. This should make it possible to hold your sales meetings more frequently, and take advantage of improved communication with lower costs.
3. Show Your Staff How to use Video Conferencing to Sell to and Support Customers
As you get more accustomed to online conferencing with your staff, you can use these meetings to train your staff in online conferencing skills so that they in turn can reach their contacts, clients and customers using the same online conferencing technology. Your sales people can meet a contact “face to face” online, demonstrate products and even perform after-sales service without leaving their offices once they become familiar with online conferencing. Your regularly scheduled online meetings offer a great opportunity to impart these skills to your staff.
4. Get Valuable Feedback From Your Team With Online Conferencing
Meetings do not have be a one-way street where only the organizer or presenter gives information or instructions to the attendees. Rather, online conferencing makes it possible for the executives to get valuable feedback from the field. For example, you can take a poll of your organization or get information via an online survey using the new instant polling and survey features of the newer web conferencing systems.
5. Inspire Your Team With Guest Speakers and Special Presentations
Once you have your online conferencing system set up, you can announce and hold meetings whenever you like. Use this channel of communication to educate and inspire your staff with the best speakers in your particular field of activity. Your guest presenters do not even have to come into your office, they too can participate online which will save you a lot of money in transportation and lodging costs.
Once you get the hang of online conferencing you will probably be able to add to this list and come up with even more ideas on training and supporting your sales team.