7 Essential Tools For Web Conferencing


by Joseph Ducat - Date: 2007-01-19 - Word Count: 449 Share This!

Web conferencing is an increasingly popular technology among companies because it makes online business meetings across great distances very simple. If you are thinking about implementing web conferencing solutions in your office network, you may be curious about what exactly web conferencing has to offer. Here is an overview of the common functions available on web conferencing services and software.

Screen Sharing: This is a web conferencing feature that allows you to display your computer screen to all of the participants. When other users select the "shared screen" option, they can see a view of your monitor almost exactly as it appears in front of you, with only minor differences in formatting. This is vital for sharing important visual information.

Shared Presentation: This is just like giving a presentation to a roomful of people, except in this case, you launch the presentation to run simultaneously on the computer screens of all the participants. That way, even if you cannot get everybody to be in the same room, you can ensure that everyone involved is able to view the same presentation.

Whiteboard: A useful function for interactive online meetings, the virtual whiteboard can be called up in a separate window. You can write and draw freely on the whiteboard and the results will be shown to all participants. Everyone can take turns getting active permission to mark the whiteboard.

Co-browsing: A feature that lets you surf the Internet as a group. This is a good way of browsing through a client website, for example, to explain its features or to get feedback about the site's design and content.

Instant Messaging: A familiar technology to most Internet enthusiasts, instant messaging allows real-time text-only conversation between two or more people online. The text messages can often be supplemented by small icons, smileys, or limited graphics. Instant messaging offers a practical way to hold an interview, a press conference, a panel discussion, or a Q&A session. It is quite handy for keeping a record of discussion, since there is no need to transcribe anything, as all the responses are typed in directly by the participants.

VoIP: This stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It refers to a technology that allows voice calls to be made directly through the Internet instead of passing signals through traditional telephone lines. As a result, voice calls using VoIP are much less expensive than regular phone calls, especially when dealing with long distances.

Video Conferencing: Made possible by installing inexpensive webcams, video conferencing allows the web participants to communicate on a virtual face-to-face basis. The video is of relatively low quality and the image refresh will have a delay, but it is still a good way to add a more personal feel to online conversations.


Related Tags: voip, web conferencing, business software, online meeting, voice conferencing, screen sharing

Joseph Ducat is an accomplished writer who specializes in the latest in Alarm Security Systems. For more information regarding Tips To Protect Your Home From Burglars please drop by at http://www.gethomesecurity.info/

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