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

Lauri Jones asked:




In case you are still not aware of the benefits of web conferencing services, you should probably gather information about it. This service has turned very popular in the past few years since it has turned out to be a very popular means of transferring information through online seminars. These web-based seminars can be held on several topics in which you are either interested in or your work deals with. Several people today are selecting internet conference service over a telephone or mobile connection due to the several advantages offered. Here are a few merits of a conference service:

With web conferencing, it is pretty easy to set up a meeting with several people at a time. With just a simple click of a button, you can schedule a meeting and thus talk to many people, share files with them and make other attendees join the meeting. You can communicate with both your voice and text.

1) Features: With internet conferencing you can host an online conference, or a video conference through the internet. The web conference software enables you to easily organize a webinar by installing an easy software. Thus, you can now enjoy the accessibility of Internet web-based seminar and meetings. The advanced internet conferencing has gone several steps further offering a web conference software that can be easily installed.

Whether you want to be stay in touch with your partners, employees and clients, you can easily make it possible with internet conferencing. So, download the software, click on the install button and and log in to your PC to participate in a web-seminar. Moreover, internet conferencing operates on any operating system such as Linux, Mac and Windows.

2) Quality Audio: The flexible and full featured web conferencing generally contains features such as instant messaging tasks, voice chat and web video conference with multiple participants. The best part of the conference service is the top quality audio offered by the software. While organizing a web conference you can include unlimited number of attendees. You can use headsets and microphones for internet-based conferencing.

3) Deliver Presentation: You can even deliver presentations and share applications and other documents with your participants. A participant can control your computer, sitting in a remote place, in case you allow him access to your computer.

Now, while you are planning to select a service, make sure that the above mentioned services are included in the product features. With all the above features you can easily select the best online conferencing sofware in accordance with your needs and preferences. Besides, you can even check the price of the service and decide about the affordability. Generally, most of the web conferencing services today are of similar quality due to the fierce competition, however, the features vary. Thus, have a good look at the given features and the rates before you make the final selection. You can even take a test through the trail period to know more about their quality. So, get the best conference service at the most cost effective price.

Vincent

Vikas S asked:




Webinars and Webcasts are terms that come under the umbrella term “Web Conferencing”. At most times any terms like “web event,” “webcast,” “webinar,” and “web conference” are used interchangeably. But they do have clear distinctions which become especially important in dealing with vendors who sell different types of web conferencing services. Making distinctions will help you choose a service that best suits your requirements.

As such, both terms can be encompassed under web conferencing. But the contexts with which they are used and the technology involved differ distinctly.

A webcast is a web based broadcast of something. It can be a video, an audio stream or even a power point presentation which is dispersed to a large audience through internet. That way, even the videos in YouTube can be called web casts. Other examples could be the tutorials used for online training, an important fashion show being broadcasted on the web and the like. It is a valuable and interesting tool for marketing or promoting something. Instead of making a drab written piece your promotion material, you can incorporate the same thing into a web cast and make it interesting for the audience. However it is a one-way flow of information and does not allow the audience to participate. They are merely spectators here. Their opinions and doubts cannot be expressed and does not reach the propagator.

With a webinars, things get interactive. It is a seminar aided by the web. It attempts to produce effects similar to a live seminar. In its simplest form, a seminar is streamed in the through internet. Audience participates, ask questions and give opinions. To draw more audience into participation, polls, surveys and ratings can be incorporated. Some platforms also allow live chat which is effectively contributes to the success of a webinars. Although they are mainly used for propaganda, it is very educative and connects the audience with the business in an effective way.

In understanding the difference between the two, we should be able to judge the kind of technology and equipment that may be needed for both conferencing services, which clearly is different from each other. So in dealing with a vendor who may sell a composite web conferencing package without making a distinction, knowing the difference between the two comes handy. Also, you can put them into best use for the purpose you are using it.

Erin

Dan Richmond asked:




If you want to make money in an online business, then you need to find a product or service that is fresh, up-to-date and that hasn’t been beaten to death with hundreds of copy-cat affiliates. Web and video conferencing are relatively new applications, and becoming a reseller of online conferencing services could be a good way to start up or add to an already existing online business. Let’s take a look at the prospects for this type of online enterprise.

First of all, web and video conferencing is an up-and-coming field of activity. Business is becoming increasingly globalized and many companies now have staff or clients located in distant locations, sometimes in other countries or on other continents. Online meetings are being used by some of the leading enterprises, but there are many more organizations that have not even begun to take advantage of web or video conferencing.

This is a huge market waiting to be tapped, and with the increasing penetration of broadband use both in the workplace and at home, the market grows larger with each passing month.

Just as there are relatively few companies using web and video conferencing, there are comparatively few resellers or affiliate sellers of these services to compete with. If you would like to get into this business then you should do an online search for web conferencing resellers or affiliates, and choose a program that you can effectively handle.

Typically, affiliate programs for these kinds of services are easy to enter. In many cases all you have to do is sign up and get an affiliate code or url and paste it onto your website and you are in business. However, if you want to be an effective affiliate for web and video conferencing, or for that matter, any other product or service, the best way to sell it is by using it yourself and really knowing what it is all about. Only then can you truly recommend the product in a convincing way.

A step above an affiliate is to become a reseller. Usually this requires a comprehensive training in the web and video conferencing system and there may also be an entry fee attached to becoming a reseller. Whereas affiliates simply refer potential clients to the conferencing service, Resellers are responsible for signing up the clients themselves. The advantage though, is that a reseller is likely to get a higher percentage of the signup and monthly subscription fees paid to the conferencing service by his or her referred clients.

If you are successful as a reseller then you will earn a residual income for as long as the people signed-up by you subscribe to the conferencing service.

Whether you decide to become an affiliate or a reseller, the key to cashing in on the coming boom in online conferencing is to study the market, know the product thoroughly and then place it before your web visitors or mailing list audience in a compelling and convincing manner. Another key factor to success is to make a timely move, a product or service that is “new” today will be commonplace tomorrow.

Joy

Tom Cruz asked:




If you want to get started with online meetings, there are many different types of web
conferencing services you can purchase to help meet your needs. These include such
services as Webinar, Gotomeeting, Webex, the GlobalTalk and more. What you need to
look at when choosing the service you want is not only the price, but the type of
equipment that is required and how many people you can have at one meeting. You really
do need to look for a service you can use with any browser.

If you are in a business where you need to be in constant communication with people and
partners in other locations, services for web conferencing can save you thousands of
dollars. You can be in touch with people all over the world in real time. Such services
allow you to conduct meetings and conferences with groups of people online. The
participants can view presentations, give feedback and interact with one another through
chat rooms, video conferencing and interactive boards. Sharing desktops is another
feature you can employ with such a service and you can still give power point
presentations, just as you would in a face-to-face meeting.

When you engage this type of service for your business, you have a conference room in
cyberspace from which you can communicate with employees and customers. This is the
perfect way to provide training or to make presentations to groups of people you
otherwise would have to travel to connect with. In order to compete in the modern world
of business, services that give you web conferencing capabilities are essential. You can
book a web conference on a minutes notice and you can record it for follow up or to
review the feedback of the participants. When problems develop, now you have the tool
at your fingertips to allow you to handle the problem from your office.

Ben

Rangoo Srinivas asked:




Web conferencing enables people from different locations to meet on the Internet and share information and discuss ideas. In this set up teams can work together viewing the same things on their computer screens at the same time adding the power of visuals to an otherwise conference call. Web conferencing saves time and expenses on travel and gets the work done faster or helps to offer better customer service. The web conferencing tools enable the participants to interact with each other by sharing documents and applications through online collaboration.

Web conferencing is increasingly becoming commonplace worldwide as it helps in reducing travel related costs and saves time. The other advantage is that the marketing reach is vast and beyond geographic restrictions. Web conferencing services enable the host to conduct powerful multimedia presentations during interactive meetings.

The requirements for an effective web conference are a computer with Windows 95/98/2000/XP, MAC OSX or Linux with minimum1.2GHz or a faster processor, at least 256 MB RAM, Internet connectivity of 240kpbs or faster and a browser such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, Safari, etc. with Flash Player 7 plug-in.

Web conferencing helps business owners and managements to perform the following without traveling and meeting in person:

- Conduct hands free presentations online using PowerPoint with synchronized scrolling, hold group meetings of teams, share statistics or images, discuss strategies and provide customer service
- Conduct training for teams and workforce
- Demonstrate applications aided by real time audio and video
- Hold staff meetings to discuss budget, view and share spreadsheets and documents together to plan strategies
- Recording and playback the web conference proceedings

Various web conferencing solutions are available that are flexible, reliable and easy to use. Reservations for the web conference are made online or over telephone, extra features, like, recording or transcription, question and answers and feedback make sure to ensure the success of the call. Usually participants dial designated number and are placed them into the conference by an operator. Automated conferences without the need of an operator are also possible.

An in-house conference call system has become a strategic requirement to be competitive in the fast paced global business scenario. The web conferencing expenses can be reduced significantly by owning the Audio conference bridge as outsourcing the web conference service can be expensive or inconvenient and not secure.

There are many features provided by web conferencing companies. Some of the main features are desktop and application sharing, remote control, multiple presenters, power point and document sharing.

Today it is easy for anyone with a broadband Internet connection and a browser to participate in or host a web conference, a webinar or a web and video conference using affordable web conferencing software. A computer with multimedia facilities and Internet connection is all that is required for web conferencing.

There are many web conferencing companies providing more efficient as well as cost effective ways to meet, train and market products to remote customers and partners. They provide web conferencing as well as video conferencing solutions to small, mid sized business as well as world’s leading enterprises.

Ruben

Tom Cruz asked:




Interactive web conferencing uses the speed and the outreach of the Internet to connect all people who have a high-speed Internet connect anywhere around the world. These days, traveling is increasingly cost-prohibitive and the efficient use of time is more important than ever. And rising up to the challenge of needing to meet business demands for solutions to this quandry, online interactive web conferencing programs are interactive because they allow you to see each other’s desktops (and sometimes faces), hear each other in real-time, draw or move objects around together, chat, or upload documents with meeting attendees.

What features and what level of interactivity you desire in your conferencing program is completely for you to decide based upon your business’ needs. Generally speaking, the more a program costs, the more features you can draw upon and the more user-friendly it is. You get what you pay for. Some web conferencing services are even free to use; for instance, theSkype VoIP program or a chat client. It’s after you begin adding features like increasing the number of users or the ability to have desktops viewed and interacted with that you begin having costs and increasing costs involved.

For instance if you work with Gotomeeting you’ll need to pay about $500 per year, and you get to host an unlimited number of web conferences. But with the far more elaborate Microsoft Office Live Meeting, you might have to pay that much money just for one web conference. The more interactive your web conferencing solution is, the more it costs you. But, today, even most small businesses would find it saves them money over travel and time costs for meeting in person.

What you can find in interactive web conferencing providers includes:

* File transfer.
* No need for the meeting’s participants to download any software.
* Sharing of documents.
* Common white board: all participants can draw upon a virtual white board that is seen by all others in real-time.
* Desktop or screen sharing.
* Video chat.
* Instant messaging.

Now, you may say, why can’t we simply e-mail documents and use free instant messenger services in order to meet these needs? The answer is, we are intuitive beings who need interaction and interconnection. The more important and complex a particular matter is, the more important it is to meet about it. Live meetings provide a clarity and intuitively-grasped communication that builds much more trust than the (by comparison) primitive e-mailing and IMing. And, online web conferencing is much more impressive to your clients!

When you are selecting your web conferencing provider and program, you’ll also want to think about technical matters like how many people the program supports at one time, how secure it is, and whether or not the program is supported by all participants’ platforms (such as Linux AND Mac AND Windows, for instance).

Again, don’t underestimate the vital importance of interactive web conferencing. In today’s business climate, this wondrous technology is just going to keep getting less expensive and better, for it is going to become more and more the norm for conducting business with those who live or work at a distance.

David