Conferencing Web – software conference tools

Jay Moncliff asked:




Many firms today are looking to cut costs wherever they can. Annual meetings, trainings, product launches, employee meetings and other similar corporate events are traditionally expensive propositions. Web conferencing services can reduce the costs of these meetings and gatherings drastically.

A web conference allows groups of individuals in different locations to have online meetings and discussions via the world wide web. Large corporations, small businesses, families and educational institutions are all taking advantage of this new form of communication. However, most web conferencing is currently done in the business sector.

By reducing the amount of face-to-face meetings, companies are able to reduce travel expenses, meeting costs and overhead. Web conferencing provides the same business to business or business to client interaction at a fraction of the cost.

Utilizing web conferencing services reduces lateness and absenteeism to company meetings, since the meetings are easier and quicker to attend. Employees can view the web cast at a common location or at their own personal computers, depending on how the conference is configured. Additionally, materials and information can be shared equally, making participation more uniform and useful.

Companies that specialize in providing web conferencing services abound on the internet. There is a software and application for almost every size business, and prices vary as widely as the sophistication of the software. Most companies charge per minute, per person, or on a flat rate basis, so be sure to review the rate structure as it pertains to your business.

Some of the companies that provide web conferencing services limit themselves to Windows and Internet Explorer, but others are expanding into Firefox and some of the other browsers. Webex works with the Internet Explorer browser and Windows and is one of the most popular web conferencing services out there. You may also want to check out other providers who charge a flat monthly fee like eBoardroom Suite at about $250 per month if you are planning on heavy utilization.

Microsoft Office LiveMeeting offers any user visiting its website a free 2 week trial. You can have your first web meeting on them. The trial includes meetings with up to 10 attendees for the first 14 days, the ability to embed a web page into your meetings and have all of the participants view it, application sharing and live polling capabilities. After the free trial, you may decide to purchase the software or go with another carrier. With their full software you can even choose to record or archive your meeting.

Whatever software you choose, investigate costs carefully. Price plans vary widely, so decide how you’ll be using the software in advance and choose a plan that will allow you the most access at the least cost. Since some plans charge per participant and others charge per minute, preplanning and choosing the correct plan can make web conferencing services a bargain!

Judith

Lucas Mattioneli asked:




The economy of United States is shrinking month after month since the housing market collapsed in the end of 2006. The unemployment ratings are skyrocketing and the sales are very low for most of the markets.

Some companies can’t afford to have their employees to be traveling overseas or even inside the United States for business meetings or presentations anymore. They are looking for a good solution for this issue and the best way to get away with it is to adhere to the web conferencing technology.

Web Conferencing allows business to have their meeting online with no hassle and easy to conduct. The price is inexpensive and the technology used is up-to-date and don’t require extra hardware.

To conduct or attend to a online meeting the only required equipment is a computer with audio and a webcam. The software connect all the users and give them the ability to share screen and documents safety and flawlessly.

The big names of this industry are Citrix GoToMeeting and Webex MeetMeNow, and they have been around for a while. With a small advantage GoToMeeting is getting more and more of the market share for web conferencing tools, specially for big business with its software GoToWebinar that allows the businesses to increase their reach with unlimited webinars.

Another great tool for web conferencing and online meeting is FUZE Meeting. The software feature desktop share, high definition content, iPhone and blackberry interaction, plus it works with the major operation systems in the market, Windows, Mac and Linux.

However the best feature is that download is not required to use the software. It is everything web-based and fully functional.

All of those big names have the similar prices for basic use, many of them allow 15 attendees simultaneously and the features are all about the same. FUZE Meeting has a slight cheaper price than GoToMeeting and Webex.

By far GoToMeeting is the most used software for web conferencing in the market, specially for presentations of new products online. Only this month I have participated in 5 different webinars and all of them were from GoToMeeting customers.

Money and energy conservation are two benefits that has brought to people by modern technology. And they empower people to expand their business making it easier to them access technology and have a better communication in this competitive world.

Not only that but web conferencing softwares has allowed a better communication in many other areas such as education, medicine, science, army and some other areas. Online education has grow an massive 350% since 2000. Everyone has the benefit to get an online degree with the comfort of their homes.

Imagine how much more accomplishments scientists can have with the ability to communicate with other scientists all over the world. It’s amazing how easy it becomes to share documents and organize meetings with these tools.

Just make sure to choose the best software that meets your needs and enjoy it the most. All of the big brands offer a period of free trial before you buy it. So, get all of them and take advantage to learn more and pick the best one.

Ralph

Keith Thompson asked:




A web conferencing service can be a tremendous boost in many areas of your business, most notably in reduced travel, expense, lost productivity, lost time and increased one on one time with your clients. This is a seemingly unexpected benefit, but nevertheless true. You can schedule and make time for clients, prospects and employees in ways you never had the time or opportunity to before.

From the very beginnings of the Internet, business people used bulletin boards and forums to communicate messages and information quickly. These were the first crude forms of web conferencing. They paved the way to the feature laden platforms we have at our disposal today.

The usual way a web conference is held today is by the people using screen sharing software – which allows each member to see the computer screens of each other member. This can be accomplished with either videos or with PowerPoint presentations, allowing companies to play rich media to their clients.

This type of technology is of great benefit by obviating the need for employees to physically travel and meet with clients and prospects. Using VOIP (voice over internet protocol), you are able to present nearly whatever message you desire, in the format and with the all the impact of a full multimedia suite at your disposal.

You’ll not only save a great deal of money on travel, hotels, food and expenses, but you’ll also increase productivity by having the employee around more. No lost time for traveling. Think of all the things they can get done that there wasn’t time for before!

By employing web conferencing, businesses can take the boardroom virtual, and meeting can be set up and conducted on a moment’s notice, whereas before it would take a great deal of planning and expense. What’s more, the global reach of the Web offers some much more possibility than your finite travel budget did in the way of client acquisition. You literally can now reach around the world with access to the Internet.

If your business hasn’t yet discovered all that can be accomplished with interactive web conferencing, take some time to look into it. Perhaps the best of these companies is GoTo Meeting. Give them a try. You’ll be glad you did!

Dean

Robert Harnischmacher asked:




The market for web conferencing software solutions is growing rapidly, with a compound growth rate in the double digits. Past conferencing solutions have been developed around specific needs such as training, meetings, support, or marketing. The latest web conferencing software solutions combine all possible uses into one platform for real-time collaboration and online meetings, a cost benefit for SMB companies. The market is filled with web conferencing software solutions and may be difficult to navigate.

Software review

The website now provides visibility and comparison of a wide variety of online meeting tools. In addition to the best known conferencing solutions, the website has added comparisons and reviews of further additional solutions, including Citrix GoToMeeting, WebEx MeetMeNow, Adobe Connect, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, Netviewer one2meet, BeamYourScreen, Convenos Meeting Center, Elluminate vRoom, FastViewer, LogMeIn Free, Microsoft NetMeeting, Windows Meeting Space, spreed.com, TeamViewer, Vyew, and Yugma. In vendor-independent reviews, these web conferencing software solutions have been assessed and rated on the number and scope of features, user-friendliness, speed of meeting setup, ease of software installation, cost transparency, security, and system requirements.

Basic functionality

For SMB companies, the number and functionality of various web conferencing solutions can make it hard to assess and make decisions based on your needs. You should look for a few basic functionalities when evaluating solutions. The platform should allow you to deliver straight presentations but should also allow the meeting organizer to share the desktop, applications, and documents with other participants. You’ll also want to look for the ability to engage in text chat and use a shared whiteboard to encourage real-time collaboration. Your solution should have basic security, including the ability to open the meeting to anyone who has the meeting number or restrict entrance to the meeting by password. Another great function to look for is integration with Outlook – this way, meetings are added to participants’ calendars with one click. Think about your potential web conferencing software solution this way: you’ll want to have the ability to run an online meeting as if all the participants were in the same room.

Advanced functionality

If you’re looking for a more advanced web conferencing solution, examine the possibility of integrated audio conferencing or VoIP audio, which allows for multiple speakers and the ability to use all functions with voice. Other functions include video conferencing and file sharing, which are additional tools that encourage online, real-time collaboration. For online meetings as well as seminars and training, integrated feedback and polling allows the presenter to ask questions about content or obtain feedback from the participants. Finally, you may want to look for a web conferencing solution that archives and records events – with this feature, you have an accurate record of the meeting, absent participants can have access to the meeting, and seminars or training sessions can be offered more than once.

The benefits of a web conferencing software solution for SMB companies are numerous. Because there are so many choices, we offer you the knowledge you need to make the right web conferencing choice.

Dawn

Jes B asked:




Online conferencing is currently en vogue among entrepreneurs, both in the online business and in the brick-and-mortar business. Not only does this make business meetings speedier, it also saves the companies money on travel fare and accommodations. Also, video conferencing is a lot cheaper and more accessible to the public than video phone conferencing.

There are three kinds of online conferencing: audio, web and video.

Hardware

Obviously, in order for to anyone to avail of this, there are sets of hardware to get. Hardware sometimes depends on the kind of online conferencing that you would like to avail from online conferencing companies. Of course, there are the basics like a computer (pc or laptop with appropriate desktop applications like video card and sound card,) modem, speakers, cables, etc.

If you wish only to avail of audio conferencing, you can do with simply a microphone and a headset. However, for both web and video conferencing you will need a pc camera to transmit your videos.

Software

Software does not need to be a source of your headache. These days, software manufacturers for online conferencing are actually offering free trial software for a limited time. You can avail of their services by simply registering online. If however, you find the package not to your liking, or the service leaves a lot to be desired, you can simply switch from one manufacturer to another, no strings attached.

Also, this is gaining momentum in popularity, prices, rates and services of software manufacturers / providers are becoming more and more competitive. This is a boon to first time users who are seeking great online conference packages without the high costs.

Planning ahead for any type of online conferencing

Although, in theory, it is relatively easier, faster and cheaper to hold business conferences online, there should still be preparatory work prior to the actual conference. The conferencing mode is only an avenue for communication – it is not the essence of the conference.

Business meetings do have a lot of preparatory work in presentation and the setting up of information that should be shared with the participants of the conference. Aside form that, if the participants are communicating via portals in different time zones, it is also essential to agree on what time the conference should be held. Preferably, one who is more versed with the online conferencing software package should act as moderator. This is to ensure that talks go as smoothly as possible and data is shared accordingly.

Ronald

Itoko Nemoto asked:




In these economic times, companies of all sizes struggle with the balance of maintaining a manageable overhead without sacrificing productivity. One of the tools used for productivity that is becoming increasingly indispensable is online Web Conferencing.

As with most other productivity tools that are software based, the cost ranges anywhere from your free downloadable solutions to ones that incur thousands of dollars a year in monthly fees.

The question then arises, “If I’m going to be spending money for a Web Conferencing solution, which is going to give me the best ‘bang for the buck’?”

In comes VIA3 with its full featured Web Conferencing solution that rivals many of the other solutions currently out there. So how does VIA3 compare with the others? To skip the criteria list below and go straight to a comparison chart click the link at the end of the article

What Comparisons Do I Look At?

Making a decision on which Web Conferencing product provides the best solution for your needs has become more difficult today because there are so many options available now. Here are what experts in the industry refer to as the most important things to consider when choosing a Web Conferencing product.

* Security – If sensitive information is going to be discussed, it’s a no brainer that this is a crucial thing to consider.

o VIA3 utilizes full AES 128-bit encryption which ensures all voice, video, and data are 100% secure. VIA3 has been certified to meet Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 Level 1. VIA3 is the only currently in the market right now that offers this end-to-end security.

* Audio and Video Quality – If members can’t be seen or heard…what’s the point?

o VIA3 offers clear CD quality sound and crisp video imaging.

* Ease of Installation and Use – How much time and money is wasted when a Web Conferencing product takes longer to install and learn how to operate than an actual meeting?

o VIA3 is a single download solution for their entire suite of features. Most other products require multiple downloads of different modules and network add-ons to achieve the same full feature delivery of VIA3’s all-inclusive software.

* Customer Support Services - Ok, so we all know that our in-house tech gurus aren’t always available. If you need help right before an important meeting with the product, how quickly and how knowledgeable is the support staff for the product? (freeware is generally exempt from this criteria as most freeware doesn’t come with any support…)

o VIA3’s offers support through numerous ways. Not only are they available domestically, but they can be reached by phone, email, and even instantaneously through the instant messaging feature built into the VIA3 product.

* Depth of Features - The reason why depth of features isn’t at the top of list is because more often than not, it’s what most companies use as their major selling point. Sometimes this gets overwhelming because you end up getting sold on features you don’t even need. So the features to look for are the ones that immediately solve your problem. After that, you then look for the ones that can directly improve productivity within your organization.

o Since VIA3 includes everything in a single download, one never has to worry about the scalability of the product. If you don’t need the feature, you just don’t use it. However, if ever you need a feature (i.e. Instant messaging or workspaces for real-time sharing of files) it’s there. Again, this is all included by default whereas other products require extra downloads and configuration to expand the product features for your needs.

* Price - This point of comparison actually falls in different priority levels for different people. The important thing to consider is if you are maximizing the dollar spent (if any) for the product.

o VIA3 offers all the features that WebEx and GoToMeeting offer and more for HALF the price.

So with these criteria in mind, you can see how VIA3 measures up to a couple of the biggest players in Web Conferencing arena right now: Cisco’s Web Ex and Citrix’s GoToMeeting. Go to the link at the end for an apples-to-apples comparison chart.

Teresa