A few years ago, people having conversations and meetings while they were in different locations meant having a conversation over the phone, maybe even a conference line. But today people can communicate, even conduct live meetings and presentations, even if they are half a world away. All that is required is a computer, internet access and Java or a downloaded web-based application to communicate effectively over the internet. This technology is called web conferencing.
So, what exactly is web conferencing?
With web conferencing, participants can share audio, video, content, web pages, or combination of these, in real time. This enables people to attend meetings or presentations online, saving time, energy, money and productivity that used to be lost to traveling for meetings. Attendees or participants of web conferencing may need to download an 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 people to share presentations, documents, videos and multimedia applications. It also enables them to save money on the costs associated with high bandwidth. Users can meet at any time from any place, as long as they have a personal computer/ laptop and internet access.
Since web conferencing allows users to have business meetings, trainings and conduct presentations and demonstrations, some web conferencing platforms require that presenters and attendees have high-speed internet connections, but a server based platform is compatible with dial-up and even satellite internet connections. This enables a much wider audience to participate in a web conference.
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 online as they view the presentations, thus saving the cost of a teleconference bridge and eliminating long distance charges for the participants.
Messaging or sending text messages also became more efficient. The leaders can entertain live questions or conduct question and answer sessions. Attendees can send private messages to the leader, who can answer through private messages or may publish the message so the entire team or all 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 or uploaded to a web site for on-demand viewing.
A whiteboard allows the leader or the attendees to highlight items in the presentation or it can be used to make notes or illustrate points or ideas. 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.
Another newer addition to the list of web conferencing features offered by some web conferencing providers is webcam. This allows the presenter, or anyone on the conference who has a webcam enabled, to be seen when they are speaking.
Of course, there are web conferencing vendors or providers that provide these services on different bases. Some web conferencing providers charge a nominal monthly fee while others may charge for every time the software was used. Prices for web conferencing hosting may vary widely so it is always wise to compare features and services before choosing the right provider for your web conference.
Preparing your computer or your presentation 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 not, the installation process is relatively easy to accomplish. Depending on your web conferencing provider you may need nothing more than the latest version of Java which is downloadable for free from Sun Java.
Web conferencing provides a great platform for straightforward business related exchanges like meetings, demonstrations, orientations or even product roll-outs. Web conferencing has made it possible to have a truly global business community by providing an immediate, ecologically responsible and cost effective means of instant communication.
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