Diane Parker asked:




You may already have recognized the need for web conferencing within your organization. You have heard all about the many benefits and have decided it is the way forward for your company. Now all you have to do is decide which type of web conferencing would best suit your company’s needs.

A quick investigation into the types of web conferencing available will result in a myriad of information. For the uninitiated, unraveling what is available can be confusing and time-consuming.

Below you will find a quick guide to the types of web conferencing currently out there. Each organization will have its own individual requirements and it is important to be clear about what you hope to gain from web conferencing. For example, is it a fully interactive virtual meeting place that your organization needs, or do you require a document sharing system that will allow employees in different geographical locations to work together on projects? Once you understand how you want web conferencing to work for you, analyzing the types of web conferencing and how they could work for your organization will become much easier.

Web Meeting

With growths in international business and a growing trend towards home working, the need for a virtual meeting place is increasing. A web meeting is just what it says – a meeting that takes place over the Internet. This facility has the capabilities to hold real-time conversations and share documents. Web meetings can be fully interactive, allowing participants to converse in real time and for information to be exchanged between delegates.

Web meeting set-ups vary in terms of sophistication and a very rudimentary system can be set up using just a digital camera and a broadband connection.

The Webcast

As the name would suggest, a webcast is a type of broadcast similar in nature to a television broadcast except, of course, a webcast takes place over the Internet. The broadcasting nature of this facility means that there is little opportunity for the presenter and delegates to interact with each other and therefore its function is primarily as a presenting tool. The other main feature of a webcast is that it can be broadcast simultaneously to hundreds of recipients.

If your requirement is for a presenting tool that also offers the interactive features of a web meeting, then you should consider a webinar.

The Webinar

As the name suggests, the webinar is a facility that allows you to conduct a seminar over the web. Allowing a greater level of interaction than the webcast, a webinar enables the presenter to conduct question and answer-type sessions with delegates. However, you should remember that a webinar does not afford the same degree of interaction as a web meeting.

Other Uses For Web Conferencing

Online Presenting

Web conferencing can also be used for conduction online presentations. Online presenting is ideal for sales pitches, performance reporting or providing training for other members of your organization. Add on features include slide shows, web based conversing and audio/video streaming.

Online Collaboration

This is by far the most commonly used type of web conferencing and is the ideal solution for organizations who have multi-location sites yet require collaboration between their employees on projects and documents. Online collaboration has file sharing capabilities that updates changes and alterations to documents in real-time to avoid errors.

Juan

Lucas Mattioneli asked:




Today most organizations are starting to realize the importance of web meeting conferencing. This service not only saves time but also money and increases the productivity of its workers. This form of a meeting or conference enables people at different places to communicate with one another through audio as well as video.

It does not matter if you are conducting a meeting or launching a new product, using this method of conferencing for meetings is by far the most effective solution. The ability to have a face to face conversation despite being miles apart makes this method of conferencing for meetings very useful. This way, companies no longer have to keep their staff stationed at various locations throughout the country or world anymore. Any meetings both domestic and international can be done at one same location using this method of conferencing for meetings service. It is like killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

One of the main reasons why this method of conferencing for meetings is important would be the ability to conduct a real-time communication with the client. Through web meeting conferencing, conversations are made real-time and therefore there will not be the problem of delay or bad communications. This also increases efficiency as well as reduces cost.

Sales representative no longer have the need to travel to close deals as this method of conferencing for meetings lets him or her do it in the comfort of their office. Besides that, with the help of website conference meetings, a client can at anytime contact the sales rep regarding any newly launch product easily without having to go through the procedures of holding a meeting which would waste precious time.

The requirements to hold this method of conferencing for meetings is not very high. A basic video conference only requires a computer, webcam and internet connection to work. However, video conferences that support more people will require more software and will be harder to set up based on the complexity of the software and equipment needed.

Web meeting conferencing does not only benefit large companies but also individual people such as solo entrepreneurs. For example, an individual who does business online can now communicate with customers via an online conference as well. Furthermore, not all video conferences are business-oriented. A lot of individuals use video conferencing for communication purposes to keep in touch with one another which is more interactive compared to just emailing and chatting online.

All said, this method of conferencing for meetings is indeed a very effective service. With the elimination of travel expenses, a company will be able to save more money as well as time. Communication is the most important factor when it comes to business transactions therefore this method proves to be indispensable.

Then again, this method of conferencing for meetings does have its own setbacks such as the difference in time zone. What this means is that a person could be having a web meeting conferencing at 2pm but the other individual who is half way around the world would have to wake up at 6am for the conference. This could very well be the biggest setback encountered from conferencing over the internet. A small price to pay though considering the benefits this modern day method of communication provides.

Michael

Lucas Mattioneli asked:




You probably have heard of video conferencing before but what about webinar? What is this term exactly? Well to put it simply, it is basically a web conference that is directed towards an audience from its speaker. This method of conferencing is different from the other conferences because it is usually one-way and the audience will not be able to interact with the speaker during the conference. To put things simple it is just a seminar done on the web; hence that is how the word itself came about, using the combination of ‘website’ and ‘seminar’ put together.

Webinars are most often used for marketing purposes such as introducing a new product or service to a large audience online. What happens is that the speaker will be delivering information on his video and the audience will be able to watch it online.

A webinar is mostly done in real-time. So preparation before these sessions are held is just as important as the content. That’s because you need to make sure your audience are tuned in at the specific time when the webinars are being conducted. If they are late for it, then they could have missed the earlier part of the webinar.

During the conference session is being presented, audiences will be only watching it and unable to converse with the speaker. However, polls or a chat box would be available for the audience to submit their queries should there be any. After the whole entire session is over, the speaker will then check the questions and will reply them depending on the speaker themselves. There will also be surveys that are conducted in real-time so that the speaker will know what the audience’s response is as well.

After the live online seminar session is finish, the video of the conference would most likely be saved as a replay. That way, audiences who missed the live session the first time will be able to watch it again some other time. This also benefits the speaker since he only has to do the presentation one time and not have to repeat it again.

Webinars are also very effective because of the mass audience it is able to reach in a short period of time. Unlike live seminars where there is a limit to the number of people you can deliver your speech to, this form of online seminar conferencing has an unlimited number of audience. That is because webinars are channeled through the internet which has a vast audience.

There are many ways that this form of online seminar can be fully utilized. For example, a sales representative no longer has to travel all over the country just to give the same presentation countless of times. All he needs to do is to make a video and upload it to the internet. Besides that, webinars can also be used to demonstrate work or tutorials for customers.

Not only does webinars save time and money, it is also very efficient and affordable. A person does not need to spend a fortune to create his own webinar at all. Nowadays, there are many websites that offer free tutorial on how to create your own webinar easily. All it takes is a little time and you will have created a marketing tool targeting the whole world.

Louis

Tom Cruz asked:




A web conferencing solution is an application you can purchase to enable you to easily
hold conferences online. It enables you to hold conferences in cyberspace in much the
same manner that you would have a conference call via the telephone. However, these
solutions allow you to invite many people to your conference from remote locations
make presentations to them in the same way as you would if you were all meeting in an
actual conference room. With these solutions, you each person can give feedback, share
notes and work with each other through a multimedia design.

When you compare the cost of web conferencing software and applications to the travel
expense, the costs of renting a large conference room and the time away from the office,
you will see that there is no comparison. The amount of money businesses save through
this application is the reason that these solutions are now the way companies hold their
business meetings. Some of the features of the solution include a private meeting room.
real time voice communication, a chat room for the participants, interactive white-board
features and capabilities to share desktops among participants. You can do all the same
things as you can by meeting face to face with less costs.

There are so many different web conferencing applications available that you do need to
do your research to find one that is right for you and your business. Some of these
applications allow a limited number of participants, while others can accommodate
unlimited numbers. You usually pay an annual fee and you don’t need to hire a network
administrator to help you set things up. In fact you don’t have to install anything on your
computer and there is help available whenever you need it.

Herman

Liza Lewis asked:




With the advent of web communications, Webinar has become the best choice in distant business dealings. Most popularly in global business ventures, this online conferencing service work efficiently to bring the business associates together for a joint discussion or meeting. So, now you don’t have to travel overseas for a business conference, you just need to seat in front of your computer and smoothly can conduct the meeting instead.

Tips to conduct a smooth Webinar

• The most essential object for webinar conferencing is a computer with internet connection. As this process involves huge data transferring, you must avoid slow internet connection to stay away from communication peril of any sort. Also in terms of hardware assistance you need to have a good quality webcam and other supporting equipments as these will directly affect your conference procedure.

• Before getting started with the online conferencing process it is important to make a schedule and plan out the entire agenda that you want to share with your business associates or want to discuss about.

• To a live webinar you will be privileged to communicate in real time. During this type of web conferencing it is good to be on the same page of the whiteboard and discuss on the same topic to make the entire conference well managed and ideal for official correspondence.

• It is wise to get familiarized with the video conferencing procedure before coming to a formal web conference. You need to learn about some specific webinar etiquette to make the web conferencing process perfect in all aspect. In fact as much webinar you will conduct, the much you will get familiarized with the procedure.

• It is most unprofessional to get jumbled upon the web conferencing process when you are conducting the conference. So it is wise to invite all of your business associates early, preferably before a week or keeping at least 3 days in hand. You can personally invite the participants or can promote an advertisement to attract more people.

• Most essentially you need to make your webinar interesting so that your audience feels like listening to your speech. If your web conference is aimed at selling your business product or service, it should be your prime preference to make the entire webinar appealing enough to engage your audience and generate potential client in turn. This proficiency comes with your own dexterity that can only be learnt with profound practice.

• Being the conference host it is important to schedule a convenient timing for your global audience. If you consider only your local time schedules, things will be futile as others from different time zones will hardly pay any attention to your inconvenient scheduling.

So, a webinar conferencing is considered to be the most efficient way of interacting with global audience but it essentially involves a considerable period of time to arrange the entire above mentioned procedure. There are a number of webinar hosting companies that take complete care of your online conferencing system. By selecting the most competent service provider you can be rest assured about getting a well organized online conferencing that will enable you to save time and money in turn.

Kelly