The Conference Room on the Web
April 12th 2010 02:05
Web Conferencing Grows on the Web
Web conferencing takes the conference room onto the web. Instead of fighting schedules and geography, software brings absent people into a "web conference" through audio, video, phone, VoiP, email and even IM. Statistics show that telecommuting is up 39% from 2006 up 74% from 2005 (WorldatWork Telework Trendlines 2009), so conferencing with video and audio using web-based software makes sense. No install is necessary; all you need is a browser and an internet connection.
According to Frost & Sullivan a business and consulting firm, web-conferencing in Asia has seen an over-20% increase over the last two years, and estimates show 2009's increase approaches 30%. Gartner.com's statistics for Europe parallel these numbers, and according to the Cybermedia India Online Ltd. (CIOL) Bureau, Europe and Asia are still catching up with the United States in use of web-conferencing.
"The use of hosted web-conferencing solutions is becoming easier as the new solutions do not require client software downloads and can now be used in an on-demand manner." (www.ciol.com)
Software Applications vs. Web-Based
Some web-based conferences require a download of software. Although effective and full-featured, they often require the software to be loaded on multiple computers. Microsoft Live Meeting leads the list of these, and although it offers everything anyone would ever want, you have to purchase and download the software to use it on your computer.
Full-Featured Web-Based Software
Other software is entirely web-based, meaning no download is required. These web-based conferencing services are usually offered with one of two choices, or both: you can pay by the minute for web-conferences, or you can pay a monthly fee. Some require all members of the meeting to have an account, and others only require the person who calls the meeting to have an account. Some offer both audio and video, and others offer audio only with options for file-sharing and/or see-what's-on-this-screen visuals.
GoToMeeting.com
GoToMeeting.com is one of the leaders in web-conferencing. It has full audio and video features, offers the ability to call into the meeting from a phone, and doesn't require an account to join the meeting. Charge: $49/month with a one-month free trial.
Cisco WebEx
Cisco Webex is another choice for online meetings, offering a variety of ways to invite collaborators to join in: texting, chat, email, or IM. Invitees simply follow a link to the URL and follow prompts to join the meeting. WebEx offers a subscription for meetings of up to 25 people for $49/month.
ConferenceCall.com
ConferenceCall.com doesn't utilize its own software, but provides solutions like a consulting firm, and they charge for conferencing by the minute. When you click "Join a Meeting" on its website, you have the option to begin a WebEx web conference, a Office Live Meeting web conference, or a Unified Meeting web conference.
Web-Conferencing for the Future
More and more web-conferencing sites and services are being created all the time. Some are perfect for small groups and others work well for larger corporations. Objective reviews are available online. Check them out before you buy.
Web conferencing takes the conference room onto the web. Instead of fighting schedules and geography, software brings absent people into a "web conference" through audio, video, phone, VoiP, email and even IM. Statistics show that telecommuting is up 39% from 2006 up 74% from 2005 (WorldatWork Telework Trendlines 2009), so conferencing with video and audio using web-based software makes sense. No install is necessary; all you need is a browser and an internet connection.
According to Frost & Sullivan a business and consulting firm, web-conferencing in Asia has seen an over-20% increase over the last two years, and estimates show 2009's increase approaches 30%. Gartner.com's statistics for Europe parallel these numbers, and according to the Cybermedia India Online Ltd. (CIOL) Bureau, Europe and Asia are still catching up with the United States in use of web-conferencing.
"The use of hosted web-conferencing solutions is becoming easier as the new solutions do not require client software downloads and can now be used in an on-demand manner." (www.ciol.com)
Software Applications vs. Web-Based
Some web-based conferences require a download of software. Although effective and full-featured, they often require the software to be loaded on multiple computers. Microsoft Live Meeting leads the list of these, and although it offers everything anyone would ever want, you have to purchase and download the software to use it on your computer.
Full-Featured Web-Based Software
Other software is entirely web-based, meaning no download is required. These web-based conferencing services are usually offered with one of two choices, or both: you can pay by the minute for web-conferences, or you can pay a monthly fee. Some require all members of the meeting to have an account, and others only require the person who calls the meeting to have an account. Some offer both audio and video, and others offer audio only with options for file-sharing and/or see-what's-on-this-screen visuals.
GoToMeeting.com
GoToMeeting.com is one of the leaders in web-conferencing. It has full audio and video features, offers the ability to call into the meeting from a phone, and doesn't require an account to join the meeting. Charge: $49/month with a one-month free trial.
Cisco WebEx
Cisco Webex is another choice for online meetings, offering a variety of ways to invite collaborators to join in: texting, chat, email, or IM. Invitees simply follow a link to the URL and follow prompts to join the meeting. WebEx offers a subscription for meetings of up to 25 people for $49/month.
ConferenceCall.com
ConferenceCall.com doesn't utilize its own software, but provides solutions like a consulting firm, and they charge for conferencing by the minute. When you click "Join a Meeting" on its website, you have the option to begin a WebEx web conference, a Office Live Meeting web conference, or a Unified Meeting web conference.
Web-Conferencing for the Future
More and more web-conferencing sites and services are being created all the time. Some are perfect for small groups and others work well for larger corporations. Objective reviews are available online. Check them out before you buy.
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