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Web Conferencing Software and Tools

Due to the advancement in technology, web conferencing is way better that the conventional video and audio conferencing, and the experience is that of having a conference or a meeting in the conference hall of your office. There are facilities such as white boards available on your screen in web conferencing so that one can illustrate the ideas and explain them, as they would in a usual meeting.

However, when it comes to the tools used in web conferencing, then the budget becomes most important, as it is the deciding factor for every tool that one plans to use. Web conferencing software is of course the most important thing. Without this, the web conference cannot happen at all. So it is important to choose it wisely. If business web conferencing is the goal, wherein the message has to be sent across to large number of people, then the best software available is Macromedia Breeze. It allows as many as 2,500 participants in the conference. However, its not free ware and one needs to pay for this. But it’s worth the price as it provides with sessions recording and embedded quizzes. If the number of people is small, say up to 15 then one can also use Adobe Acrobat Connect which also provides white board facility.

Here are reviews of some popular Web Conferencing software:

WebEx MeetMeNow

WebEx is one of the leading and oldest web conferencing software developers in the market. Featured with audio and video conferencing MeetMeNow supports Voice Over IP (VoIP) and teleconferencing. It is a simple tool to use integrated with text chat, desktop sharing, session recording and many others.

Link: http://meetmenow.webex.com


Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional

Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional is a complete web conference solution featured with: virtual classes, live online meetings, group collaboration, sharing wide range of content, Microsoft PowerPoint slides, Adobe Flash content, Recording sessions, application sharing, live screen-sharing, audio, and multi-user text chat.

Link: http://www.adobe.com/products/connect/

WebEx GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting has the support of extensive experience and the trust of Webex, which is one of the oldest players in the Web Conferencing market. Featured with almost every online meeting capability GoToMeeting is a simple tool to use for you.

Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/?Portal=www.gotomeeting.com


Convoq

Convoq is a Flash-based online meeting system with is featured with rich media experiences that also include: text chat, VoIP audio, video sharing, Desktop sharing, MS PowerPoint presentations, session record and playback. Now, remote desktop control capability and whiteboarding have been added to it.

Link: http://www.convoq.com/


Spreed

Spreed is also a web service which allows you to perform every general remote presentation and distance conference practices. Spreed has now become free for up to three participants in a conference. Spreed integrates whiteboard, chat, video conferencing, screen sharing and file transfer.

Link: http://spreed.com/

iVocalize

iVocalize is an interactive web conference software with distributed workforce management, e-learning classrooms, web seminars and presentation sharing to an global audience. Features include synchronized web browsing with all other common features of Web Conferencing tools.

Link: http://www.ivocalize.com/


InstantPresenter

InstantPresenter is one of the best online live presentation systems available today. Providing an effective upload and deliver plan in live PowerPoint presentations, InstantPresenter is a very impressive tool available on the Web. Their new service integrates audio-video stream from the presenter to all the participants in the meeting.

Link: http://www.instantpresenter.com/

Besides these you can also checkout some good web conferencing systems like: Persony, eBLVD, HotConference, FlashMeeting, Convenos, MegaMeeting, Virtex C3 Communicator, e-Boardroom, Space2Meet, Groove, Collanos, Linktivity, CloudMeeting, AliceStreet, Wave 3, Be Intouch, aveComm, SmileTiger, WebHuddle, DimDim, Elluminate vRoom, VSee, ooVoo, Zoho Meeting.

Now Enjoy Web Meetings On Your Phone

Real life meetings have become a kind of time consuming and expensive ways to conduct training, presentations or discussions. Online Meetings have become more efficient in every business organization, be it big or small. Each business organization needs to maintain links with its contacts, and employees working in various branches across the world. So basically what exactly happens in web meetings is that people of a particular organization from all across the globe, fix up on a certain time, and come online at that point of time. So how about making your idea do more for you?

Make your web conferences more efficient and get your plans and issues discussed just over the phone. Since you can be present with all other members, web meetings act as a good platform for debates and discussions just on your phone, which you can take to greater details. These days there are so many facilities such as that of white boards, which allow the participants to illustrate and explain their ideas. Thus, with the advancement of technology, web meetings have become so easy, convenient and effective, that they are almost the same as having meetings in your office seminar room or conference hall, and now all these are coming to your mobile phone. You almost feel the experience of sitting in a real time meeting.

However, we use to think that the prerequisite to any web meeting is obviously a computer and an internet connection. Though internet connection can now be accessed anywhere, thanks to wi-fi zones and other similar facilities, there can be a slight amount of difficulty in finding a computer, especially when you are running late and your web meeting is about to begin. It is for these situations, that now the prerequisite of computers has been effectively removed by Phonetopp, to provide the facility of web meetings on your phone itself.

Phonetopp is a company that is based on the idea of “leave your laptop behind”. The aim is to provide effective web meeting services on a person’s phone, so that there are no worries of carrying a laptop around all the time. The company understands the importance of web meetings, both planned and impromptu, and so, they have developed this concept as they realise that business can’t wait. On their website, they have mentioned that through their dedicated mobile platform, they would enable productivity improvements and would deliver auxiliary collaboration services in order to immediately and instantly connect people and information seamlessly through their smart phone.

Like any other thing that you would do for business expansion, this is also a type of investment in itself. It is a comparatively new phenomenon, but one that has great benefits. So, in the long term, it would definitely turn out to be highly useful. However, one obviously needs to decide on his own whether he needs it or not.

8 tips on how to reduce the cost of Web Meetings

Web Meetings are primarily preferred to real life meetings due to their cost effectiveness. So optimizing your way to use web conferences can help you save more.

So here are some tips for you to reduce the cost of your online meetings:

1. Take Free Trials: The first and the foremost way of saving costs, which actually acts more like a precaution, is taking free trials of software from websites. Good and reputed software development companies offer free trials on their websites so that you can pick up the web meeting software of your choice, and use and evaluate it for a certain period of time, before actually buying it. This helps a lot as you don’t waste your money on buying the software, only to realize that you bought the wrong one.

2. Customize your Tools: Another way of reducing costs is buying customized software. The reason behind this is pretty simple. When you go to a company and ask for a web meeting software, most would provide you with one that is of best quality consisting of supersonic features. But you have to decide whether you need so many features or not.
For instance, they may be giving you facilities such as white boards, sessions recording etc. and will be charging extra for these features. However, if you don’t need these features, then you should obviously go for software without these features by paying less and saving more.

3. Plan your Whole Conference: Before you think you are ready for a web meeting, be sure that you know what you are going to do and how. Carefully plan what sessions you are going to have, what topics you are going to present and in which sequences. Be also prepared to provide a space to others comments.

A General Web Conference Format
Introductions                                6 min
Overview/problem set-up            10 min
Interaction/polling questions      2 min
Solution to problem                     10 min
Q & A session                              5 min
Details, Demo & “sizzle”              10 min
Company Overview                      5 min
Final Q & A                                   5 min
Buffer Time                                   7 min (for 8 steps)
TOTAL                                          60 min

4. To the Point: Talk whatever you need and direct about the topics. Try to avoid going off the topic and debates. Make the discussions and other’s comments recorded and take out the solutions in later time.

5. Avoid Introductions: Don’t get into unnecessary introductions and welcome ceremonies. Introduction to the topics and among the participants can be easily done by chats, instant messages or mails, before you start web meetings.

6. Make it simple: Don’t make it complex unnecessarily so that members can understand fast and can comment easily. Do the research prior to the meeting so that you can make things much simple and open to people. Make slides with exact information and arrange them in the most proficient way.

7. Have a Special Moderator: You will be busy to presentation, discussions, managing comments, and reporting decisions. But in the mean time there may be many things which need to be taken care of. Have someone who has a good understanding the Software and hardware you are using so that no time is wasted in those management issues. Let that Web Conference expert handle all the attention needed to conduct the online meeting.

8. Don’t go for making decisions: It has been a common to every meeting that we gather lots of thoughts and comments but very few decisions. Let the online meeting be the same. While you are getting into much debate, you should keep one thing in mind that if you have the comments and thoughts of everyone then you can make out a decision out of them easily.

So from now while you are thinking of conducting a meeting online be sure that you are really saving the cost through these processes. Otherwise at the last you may think that what advantage you are availing out of your web conferences. At one time you may also find out that you are not really saving any cost by conducting a meeting online rather than real time meetings.

What is Webex MediaTone?

Online meetings and web conferences have become highly popular these days due to their high utility and feasibility. They are especially useful in global business organizations and in corporate houses where there is a requirement of constant connectivity between various branches or offices around the world. To make this connectivity possible and effective, one of the highly efficient software that is available on the market is Webex MeetMeNow.

Webex MeetMeNow is an online meeting software which has the capability of holding up to 15 attendees per meeting. The best feature of this software is the fact that it can hold impromptu meetings as well. It also has MS Office integrated with it, so that online meetings can be conveniently started right from those applications itself.

Webex Mediatone is actually a part of this entire MeetMeNow software. It is basically a network that also acts as an information sharing and transfer agent during online meetings. The data that flows is safe and secure, and the performance of this network is highly effective. That is the reason why most business organizations trust this software the most when it comes to safe and secure data exchange. There is no delay, and this is a global network that connects data centres all across the world.

Now most people wonder as to why should they specifically go for Webex MediaTone and why not just go in for conventional data transfer over the internet. Well the answer to that is pretty simple. The internet does not guarantee safety and security of your data, which means that there is no fixed path between the host and the presenter. In regular data transfers, one may allow the data to be sent as different packets to different routes, which would then get fragmented in a way, and then later on would get reassembled. However, when it comes to real time collaborative services, issues of performance and security come in and one looks for the most effective and best tool.

Webex MediaTone provides highly superior features and removes all problems related to the security of data. Additionally, it helps in minimizing transport time and reducing latency. Basically, interruptions are eliminated, irrespective of the fact that the participants are spread over the entire globe. It is for these reasons that Webex MediaTone is trusted above all for both the most confidential and the most urgent type of data. Prior to leaving the host computer, the images and documents get compressed and encrypted. It is only when the encryption is done, that the data is allowed to enter the Webex MediaTone network.

Overall, it is a wise choice to go for Webex MediaTone. It may turn out to be a little expensive, but is definitely worth the cost.

Usage of Web Conferencing Tools

Web conferencing these days have become highly popular in global organizations and corporate or business houses across the world. With technological advances in the past few decades, we are now powered with high-end systems and enhanced audio and video devices which are also compatible over the web. Most people will agree that because of these tools, connectivity has become easier and simpler to the various branches or offices across the world. So, if there is a decision taken up at the head office somewhere in one country of the world, and it needs further discussion among other branches, whether they are on a different floor of the same building or across the world, then this can be done feasibly through web conferencing.

Due to the advancement in electronics and communication systems, web conferencing is a far better technique than the conventional video and audio conferencing, and the experience is that of having a conference or a meeting in an office face-to-face. There are tools such as white boards available on the computer screen in a web conference so that one can illustrate the ideas and explain them, as they would in a usual meeting.

In terms of the chat options, there are various tools available to choose from. For instance, one can either choose to send their message through typing the text, or use audio media such as microphones and web cams to speak and get their message across. This entirely depends on the type of equipment available and the budget that a particular organization is willing to spend on its web conferencing infrastructure. For those global organizations, who might need regular web conferencing due to the requirement of constant connectivity with their various branches in the world, it is believed that a one time investment should be made, so that good equipment is bought in one go, and its utility is thus served for a very long time. This saves from the trouble of borrowing the equipment every now and then.

In terms of the web cams, there is a wide variety of options available with cameras ranging from $20 to $150. Usually, cameras which have a resolution of 640 X 480 should be taken, with a frame rate of 30 per second. These are considered to be ideal for any good web conference. However, if the purpose is not a business conference, then cheaper options are also available with low resolution and frame rate such as Frontech Digicam which has a frame rate of 20 per second, and is often used to record the expressions of the participants in the web conference.

A reliable internet service provider with a minimum data transfer speed of 512 kbps along with an unlimited data transfer bandwidth is required. As without a proper internet connection, the whole web conference may collapse. Primarily these setups satisfy your basic criteria for conducting meetings online.




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