Looking For An Affordable Web Conferencing System

Posted by Thiago Prado

Introduction

If the need for web conferencing system becomes inevitable, you need to have one fast, right? Wrong! Investing on the tool that may make or break the future of your business require more than your impulse. You need to know what your particular communication need is, what system will work for you best, how much will such system cost, and how reliable and secured such system would be. Knowing all these will lead you to the right decision when looking for an affordable web conferencing system.

What you need defines it all

Affordable Web Conferencing

Look for a particular system that you need. You may know this already but it needs to be reiterated so that you don’t waste your money on an unsuitable system.

There are several vendors and hundreds of different web conferencing tools online; searching for one that you need may be very confusing. Determine if what you need falls under the following categories:

• Instant messaging
• Screen sharing
• Webcasting
• Screencasting
• Remote PC access
• Private Chat room
• Micro-blogging
• Presentation creation and delivery
• Online meetings and presentations
• Live costumer support system
• Other services

If you need to revised more web conferencing features.

Any web conferencing vendors fall under one of these categories. Once you have determined what you need, you can now look for a particular service provider from the specific category you have chosen.

Security features

Going through the details about the security features of your possible vendor must be your main priority. Hackers and other unauthorized users may tap into your network and steal confidential documents from your server. Check with your vendor the types of security features they have.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has set up a standard on web conferencing security: Secure Socket Layer (SSL), non-persistent data flow and intrusion control. SSL limits data access to intended recipients and prohibits unauthorized access to data.  Non-persistent data flow constantly transfers your data from one host to another to avoid detection from unauthorized users.

Intrusion control can detect and shut down unauthorized users from accessing your data. These standards are voluntarily adopted by the web conferencing hosting companies and manufacturers.

Other useful features

Depending on your needs you can choose from vendors that offer a small meeting hosting service or a conference with 1000 participants. Video conferencing feature, multilingual support, flash presentation, and file sharing (document files, PDF, 3D models, CAD drawings etc) should be considered as well.

Some vendors offer a 30-day free trial period which is ideal if you still don’t know exactly how your chosen system will work.  Gotomeeting is one of the best web conferencing software in the market and in fact they have a 30 days risk free-trial. Enjoy this opportunity and try without commitment.

What are the costs for Web conferencing Service

Flying in and accommodating clients for meeting or gathering your staff offsite for a seminar can be very problematic and very expensive. But that doesn’t meant that you are free to spend your money on any web conferencing system you can find. You still have to make sure that you can get the best services from every penny you spend.

Web conferencing is either sold as a service or is sold with server side solution. The former is controlled by the vendor from their web server. The latter allows you to host your own web conferencing using your own server. The service can be paid per minute, per named user, per port or per month. Gotomeeting has an option of $39 per month after the 30 days risk free-trial.

There are varying features that are being offered by different vendors. Be smart in choosing what you really need by keeping in mind the factors mentioned above.

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Making the web conferencing a hit

Posted by Thiago Prado

Web conferencing is starting to replace fact-to-face meetings.  Web conference aims to make employees more productive at the same provide significant improvement on how the company runs.

There are several things to remember to ensure that web conferencing was done or conducted effectively and is a success.  Preparation is important for a successful web conference.  According to Resource Center, it is never to early to prepare for the conference.  A month before the web conference, it is important to determine if it is indeed necessary and design who will be participating in the conference and rough outline of the topic to be discussed.

Web Conferencing RoomTwo to three weeks before the scheduled conference, invitations to the participants should already be sent out.  A week before the conference will just be for polishing of the details planned couple of weeks earlier.

A week before the actual date of the conference, it is important to conduct a dry-run or trial run.  This would help or eliminate any possibility of technical issues.

Check the participants’ bandwidth.  It is important to know if anybody from the participants would have any problem about the video or audio.  It there is somebody from the group whose bandwidth is not enough to support the conference, then advice the group member to call and coordinate with their internet service provider.

Testing the equipment before the conference is very important.  Check the web cameras if they are working properly with the web conferencing programs.  Also, check the sound system. See if the microphones are giving out feedbacks that may deafen the other participants. Make sure that all the attendees have the right tools needed for the conference.

Aside from the web cams and sound system, also check for the camera angles.  It is important, and professional, that your whole head will be shown in the camera, not just the neck or the top of the head.  Also double check the lighting on the camera. If telephone is needed in the web conference, using headsets is more effective than the phone.

Also test the software you are going to use in the presentation. There are test or free trials of the software available.  Try using these software to be familiar with its features and food.

If the person involved in the meeting is located in a different country, it is important to double- check the time zone.  Also try to use more muted colors like blue or gray.  Bright colors and patterned clothing doe not really match with transmission.

Using clear and thorough instructions can also help the participants to have an enjoyable session.  Since web conferences come with lots of features, it is important to use the feature that will enhance the quality of the presentation or demonstration.  Familiarize yourself with the features before the meeting.

To use time efficiently, set an agenda.  Agenda setting will help the moderator and the participant’s to know the expectations from the conference and address those expectations.  Agenda setting is a great way of managing time.  Starting and ending the meeting on time is also a way of valuing time.

The day after the conference, send out thank you notes to the participants who have attended the session.  A week after the conference, ask the participants to provide any feedback to improve the flow and the conference itself.  Through this, we can ensure that the participants had the greatest web conferencing experience.

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Things to Consider When Selecting Web Conferencing Hosting Company

Posted by Thiago Prado

Although business owners and companies know what they are doing, most know too little about the details, types, features of web conferencing. So when choosing a provider, the things that matters are often overlooked.

The following are important information that will help you choose the web conferencing hosting provider that fits to your needs.

Video Conferencing Hosting Provider1. Understand the difference between the different kinds of hosting services.

As the web hosting industry evolved and became more specialized to answer different business needs, it is important to understand how providers differ to make the right decision.

Shared Hosting is a service where all the clients of the host can use the server. It is like sharing a very large conference room with other clients. That means that if multiple clients use the server at the same time, the performance of the site may be affected. The good thing, however, is that this service is often cheap.

Dedicated Hosting is basically leasing a server from the host where you are the only client who can use it, unlike shared hosting. The level of technical support depends on the price you pay; but still, this is the best option for large businesses and industries who wish to have an uninterrupted online communication and large size data storage.

2. Do not place budget your top priority.

Saving money is good but make sure that the money you save from selecting a cheaper hosting company can answer your service requirements. Remember the old saying “you get what you pay for”? A cheaper hosting company may not offer features that are important to your business. Connection speed can also become an issue. Over-prioritizing on the price can bring you to lots of problems later on and maybe, can cost you more.

3. Don’t get blinded with the brand.

Big and familiar names in the industry may have reliable services but that doesn’t mean they are stable. When choosing your hosting company, open up yourself to all available companies that can provide your needs.

4. Prioritize on security.

During web conferencing, you send, receive and store confidential information about your business that you don’t want others to know. If the hosting company is not well-equipped with standard security features, spammers, hackers and online criminals can access freely to your information. A good hosting company has Secure Socket Layer (SSL), non-persistent data flow and intrusion control features. These security standards are set by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to protect the users and the data from authorized access.

5. Understand the payment methods and make sure that you know how much do the maintenance and technical support cost.

The different maintenance and technical support services should be properly outlined. Know which services are free and paid.

6. Take note of your needs.

Ending up with wrong hosting company is not only annoying but also expensive. Before purchasing a service, make sure that you know what are the features they offer and if these features fit to your need. It is important to list down all the features you need and find a host that provide these features.

Web conferencing are reliable and economical but make sure that you choose the host carefully so that you can enjoy and maximize the benefits of this technology.

Take the advantage of this incredible inovation and enjoy GotoMeeting 30 days risk free trial.

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Maximizing your Video Conferencing Facilities

Posted by Thiago Prado

As more people are using video conferencing to do conduct brainstorming, meetings and trainings so too are the number of video conferencing facilities all across the country.

Some of these video conferencing facilities can be found in hotels and universities. You have the option to use 3 ISDN lines to connect to another party even if it is possible to do so using just one or two. The reason why three are used though is to enhance the audio and visual quality that is assuming that whoever you are talking to can accept all three.

The video conferencing facilities in some cases are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week and charge on an hourly basis.

web-conferencing-facilitiesThe rates vary depending on who will be renting the place so if you are a student, it going to be much cheaper than the one that a corporation has to pay. Weekday rates are also much cheaper than during weekends.

With the price you pay, you also get a technician to make sure that everything is running smoothly. This person will come in handy should you be interacting with more than three sites simultaneously as he or she will make sure that there is a bridge connection.

People who will be renting a video conferencing facility should reserve early so no one else will take their scheduled time. To avoid paying for the slot allotted should there be a cancellation, you are advised to inform them.

To maximize the time in any video conferencing facility, someone should be designated as moderator so the lecture or the objectives of the meeting are not interrupted.

The setup of video conferencing facilities varies at each location. You will have the basics like a camera, microphone, screen but the processor or codec available depends on what they have chosen to buy and serve to the public.

If you are worried that people outside will hear what is happening inside, no need to worry because most of these facilities are soundproof.

For those who are happy with the video conferencing facility they have rented, you can ask the administration if there is a discount should this be used on a regular basis. Some give this generously while others don’t.

As for payment for the use of video conferencing facilities, the bill will only be given to you after the conference has been concluded. This is because although they know how long you will be using it, there are times that you may have to extend beyond this time which they can honor as long as no one else will be using it.

Given that there are a lot of video conferencing facilities around, what should the basis be for choosing one venue over another one? Aside from price, you should check what kind of equipment they use, if this is compatible with the version that the party is using, if you are able to send and receive data as well as the ability to record the meeting so this can be later reviewed.

If the video conferencing facility is up to standards, then you can see how things work out and decide whether or not to use them again in the future. If you are not content, look in the directory or surf online because there is sure to be another venue that can offer something better so you can maximize the time you have during your video conference.

Enjoy this opportunity and get GotoMeeting 30 days risk free trial.

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What is Web Conferencing?

Posted by Thiago Prado

A few years ago, people having conversations and meetings while they are in different locations means having the conversation over the phone.  But today, people can communicate, even conduct live meetings and presentation even if they are half a world away.  All you need is a computer, internet access and a downloaded web-based application to communicate effectively over the internet.  This technology is called web conferencing.

video conferencing system

So, what exactly is web conferencing?

With web conferencing, participants can share audio, video, content or combination of these in real time.  This enables people to attend meetings or presentations when they can’t attend them physically.  Attendees or participants of web conferencing can have a downloaded application on their computer or they can just access a website or URL to join the group having the meeting or presentation.

Web conferencing enables us to share presentations, documents, videos and multimedia applications.  Is also enables us to save money on the costs associated with high bandwidth.  You can meet whenever from wherever, as long as you have a personal computer/ laptop and internet access.

Since web conferencing allows users to have business meetings, trainings and conduct presentations and demonstration, it is a requirement that attendees have high-speed internet connection in all user and web sites.  Presiding over a session can be passed among the users or the attendees, so that another user can act as the presenter or demonstrator.

Some web conferencing systems or providers include several features in their systems like texting, VoIP (voice over internet protocol) and full- motion video.  Audio streaming was also added as an additional feature since web conferencing started in the early 1990s.  With audio streaming, attendees can listen to the audio as they view the presentations.

Messaging or sending messages also became more efficient. The leaders can entertain live questions or conduct answer sessions.  Attendees can send private messages to the leader, who can answer trough private messages or may publish the message so the entire team or attendees can view the message.

There are attendance rosters which allow the leader and the attendees to view who is currently involved in the conference.  There is also a tool for recording.  Recording allows for the synching voice and visuals into a permanent record which can be shared with others on a later date.

Virtual Meeting

Whiteboard also allows the leader or the attendees to highlight items in the presentation or can be used to make notes.  There are also tools for polls and surveys, allowing the leader to ask questions with multiple choices addressed to the attendees.

Screen sharing is also another feature of web conferencing.   With screen sharing or desktop sharing participants can view the screen or whatever is on the screen of the leader.  Some screen sharing applications also allow remote desktop control which means participants can take control or manipulate the leader’s desktop or screen. This feature is seldom used.

Of course, there are web conferencing vendors or providers that provide these services of different basis.  Some web conferencing providers charge a nominal monthly fee while others may charge for every time the software was used.

Readying up your computer or your personal stuff to be used with web conferencing is really not that complicated.  New computers normally would have installed software in them that is necessary for web conferencing, if none, the installation process is relatively easy to accomplish.

Web conferencing provides a great way and venue for short and straightforward business related exchanges like meetings, demonstrations, orientation or even product roll-outs.  Web conferencing made it possible for us to have non- physical communication for business meetings and affairs.  Technology certainly makes life easier.

Take the advantage of this incredible inovation and enjoy GotoMeeting 30 days risk free trial.

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