Meetings in the Virtual World--How Web Conferencing Can Save You
Time and Money
Face-to-face, across-the-table meetings are a basic part of
organizational life. Today, however, organizations, both for
profit and non-profit, are turning increasingly to Web
conferencing to provide online seminars (Webinars), training,
technical assistance, and old time conference meetings. How does
web conferencing work and what tools do you need to begin the
process yourself?
The field of Web conferencing software is growing at a
phenomenal pace. In the summer of 1994 there were two products
in the category--both primitive freeware packages. By 1996,
there were over 60 products that supported Web conferencing on
the market, and the proliferation continues at an astounding
rate. With the increased competition has come much higher
quality and more affordable prices.
This tremendous increase has been driven in part by
economics--no hotel bills, no airplane tickets, no lost
productivity sitting in airports--in short, no expensive travel
costs. A valuable saving of both time and money. Secondly,
convenience is a major player. All you need to conference
face-to-face with any other person in the world is a an
Internet-connected computer.
The largest single factor driving the demand for Web
conferencing, however, is often over looked. Unlike earlier
technologies that replaced personal meetings (telephone and
e-mail, for example), Web conferencing allows for layered
communication, combining visual, vocal, and the participatory.
Because of this layered nature, web conferencing can appeal to
different learning styles and offers organizations the ability
to much of what they could previously do only in face-to-face
meetings.
How does Web conferencing work? Participants join a conference
designed by the meeting leader or presenter. While in the
conference, participants can see the presenter's Power Point
slides, take Web tours, and interact using the whiteboard.
Additional interactive features allow participants to ask
questions and vote on certain topics.
Also becoming more common are application-sharing features that
allow presenters to provide one-on-one help, and some services
offer VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and video so that
speech and video are sent via Internet. It is now possible for a
large group of people to share data and graphics without having
to gather in the same physical location. The possibilities are
endless!
If your business has clients or offices in a variety of
locations across the country or around the world you probably
spend a fairly large amount of money each month on long distance
bills. With today's affordable Web conferencing technology, you
can consolidate all of your communication needs into one bill.
By having your own in-house dedicated server any company can
have complete control over its communication network, while
saving you money at the same time.
Certain key considerations must be taken into account when
choosing Web conferencing. Price--in this relatively young field
prices are all over the scale. And the most expensive product
may not be the one that best fits your individual needs.
Operating system support might be a determining factor,
depending on whether you are running Unix servers or Windows
servers. Macintosh users are more limited.
If you have limited access to your Web server, you should choose
a product that can be installed and administered easily, so
administrative capabilities is an additional consideration.
Another important factor is the personalization potential or the
ability to customize the product to fit your unique style and
business needs. Some products offer a great deal of flexibility,
while some conferencing systems, particularly freeware products,
come with full source code, allowing you to change anything you
would desire.
As of yet, there is no conferencing system that excels at
everything. There is no "one-size-fits-all" program that is the
"best" product choice for every situation. Take your time, do
the research, and make a careful analysis of your needs. This
will help you find the web conferencing product that is best
suited for your particular circumstance.