Web Conferencing Tools

Different types of web conferencing software are available in the market. You can select any too depending on your requirement. Each tool has got its own features. Some tools are available as freeware and for others you will have to pay. If you are going to use the web conference tools for recreational purpose then you can select a free tool. If you are looking for a web conferencing tool for business purpose then you can purchase any model depending on your needs.

Some of the popular web conferencing software include Microsoft Live Meeting, GoToMeeting, Central Desktop. Adobe Acrobat Connect, Ready Talk, Yugma and Glance. There are many other conferencing tools too. You can select any one of the tools from these. Selection should be based on certain factors. The type of chat required, like text chat, voice chat and video chat. Other factors include pricing, browser compatibility, application sharing, file sharing, session recording and the number of individual windows allowed.

Adobe Acrobat Connect is a popular web conferencing tool. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. At a time, it is possible to do video conferencing with 15 peoples. It also provides whiteboarding capabilities. Another tool is the Acrobat Connect professional. It is actually the rebranded version of Macromedia Breeze. With the help of this tool you can do web conferencing with 2,500 people maximum. It also supports various other features like session recording and embedded quizzes. But, it is not a freeware.

Another web conferencing software is Central Desktop. It has got a number of features. It includes wiki style editing, tracking of project status, and document archiving. By using this tool you can conduct web meetings with 10 attendees maximum. It supports almost all browsers. But in order to conduct the web meeting you require Java Runtime v1.1 or higher. It is also integrated with popular Instant Messaging networks like MSN messenger, Yahoo messenger, AIM and ICQ.

Dimdim is another web conferencing tool and it is available in four versions. They are free hosted version, hosted enterprise version, open source community version which is free and onsite enterprise edition. In order to use the video conferencing feature you have to install flash player only. Some of the features included in Dimdim include application sharing, presentation, session recording, annotations, video chat, desktop sharing and video chat. The free version offered by them does not have too much features. Most of the features listed in the free version are demo ones. So, it would be better to purchase any of the premium editions.

Glance is another tool. But it does not contain any extra features. There will be a live desktop screen alone. It is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux. Some popular free web conferencing tools include Google talk, Yahoo messenger, MSN messenger and ICQ. GoToMeeting is a web conferencing tool which supports Windows only. It does not support Linux or Mac operating system. Some of the features in it include chat, screen sharing and attendee permission. It is also possible to record the meeting sessions. Microsoft Live Meeting supports features like video sharing, VoIP, audience feedback, file sharing and video recording

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The Benefits Of Conference Calling For Businesses

Whether your business is large or small, conference calling is a solution that you have likely used at some time or another for its time saving and relationship building advantages. While you may just think of a call with multiple participants when you hear the word conference call, there are actually quite a few different conference calling solutions available to you. It’s up to you to select the option that best meets your needs.

Among these, the primary types of conference calls are:

- Audio conference calling
- Video conference calling
- Web conference calling

From these primary types of conference call, there is also the possibility to mix and match among them to customize your solution.

Audio conferencing solutions are the oldest among the main three. These can include three phone lines bridged together to create complex outsourced services. It can also mean the lower cost solution of a two-party call, where a speaker phone is utilized in order to let everyone around a table participate in the call with the party on the other end.

This is the type of conference call in which the most people have participated. They can be very effective despite their limitations. This limitation is the same as with any other telephone. For one thing, it means that you can only hear what the person is trying to say, but not actually see it. Also, if anyone is too far from the microphone, or the phone isn’t of very good quality, or even if a person doesn’t speak up enough, then it makes communication difficult. Furthermore, if the phone call is long distance, then at least one of the parties will need to pay the long distance bill – unless an 800, 877, 888, or other toll free number is available.

With video conferencing, you can use a hosted solution to give that added level of professionalism and convenience. Though phone lines, multiple parties are bridged, providing both image and audio. It is the next best thing to actually having the other party in the room. Video conferencing does, however, require you and the other party to have specialized systems and support. These can be very challenging to set up and to use. However, when you compare the costs and lost productivity of video conferencing with that of actual travel, you will find that this is a very cost effective solution.

Web conferencing work their very best when using computer desktop applications that are the same on both ends. They are fantastic options for showing products such as software to customers, or to share spreadsheets and other applications among the different parties involved in the conference call.

Selecting from among these many conference call solutions will hopefully help you to provide the best communication solution with the party with whom you are communicating. In many situations, an audio conference call will do just fine, but when added demonstrations or a visual element is needed, then you can upgrade to video or web conferencing.

It is important to remember that no matter which conference call solution you select, you are choosing it in order to meet your business objectives and those of your company. It’s best to choose the option that meets your needs instead of going with the solution that provides you with more than what you need. It will only be wasteful in the long run if you do otherwise.

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