In the summer of 1994, there were only two web conferencing products in the market and they were primitive at best. Offered as freeware packages, they were nevertheless adopted by some enterprising business minds who foresaw the need for it in the near future. Now, more than a decade later, web conferencing has branched out from under the freeware and shareware category of products.
Frequently seen as a technological breakthrough especially in the corporate world, web conferencing is an application used to hold group meetings or live presentations over the Internet. In its earlier days, web conferencing was synonymous to computer conferencing in that both refer to group discussions conducted within a message board via posted text messages.
Technology has always been known for its capacity to cut down distances. The telephone is a wonderful invention, without which we could not even dream of keeping in touch with our friends or loved ones regularly. One call and you can speak to anyone at any odd hour. But that this is just the beginning. The transitions in telephone technology are rapid and the uses even more so. One recent example is Web conferencing, which has greatly improved many people’s desire to communicate, especially in a business setting.
1f66
Question
I run a growing advertising company in the UK and I’m looking for some cheap ways of sharing ideas with other offices around the country, and also now that we are getting more national clients we need to be able to show them our progress without having to travel all the time. We’ve tried conference calls but if the client can’t see it then it is a waste of time. E-mail is okay, but it will sometimes be days before we get a response and then it’s only an “I’ll get to this as soon as I can” e-mail. Help!
Web conferencing is one of the newer trends to hit the global business market. The application is simple enough. It allows you to freely (or for a price) connect with the conference host and other participants via your computer desktop connected to the Internet. A most basic feature of web conferencing is screen sharing, which gives you the capability to view and manipulate to a certain extent the host’s computer. This essentially is what makes the whole thing conferencing via the web because everything is done wholly online, including file sharing, desktop sharing, co-browsing, and most importantly, member interaction.
It is worth bearing in mind that, when you are deciding which web conferencing application to utilize, none of the applications currently available will do everything well.
Each system has its own strengths and weaknesses and it is therefore important for you to identify what you hope to gain from your web conferencing application. The first step you should take is to draw up a list of essential features - decide what the most important aspects of web conferencing are to you and what you hope to gain from your system.
Some say that the events of September 11 served as a catalyst for the significant reduction of air travel as more and more people realize the un-safety of traveling by plane. Businesses for their part are also trying to find other ways of conducting important corporate meetings without having to leave the comforts, safety, and security of the office. They found their solution in audio web conferencing.