Web Conferencing Software - Choosing Your Application

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.

By identifying what is most important to you, you can narrow down your field of selection to those vendors who are supplying a product that most closely matches your requirements. By immediately discarding those that do not match your criteria, you will find yourself considering a far more manageable number of applications.

Communication: Meetings, Webcasts and Webinars For example, if the key function you want your web conferencing application to perform is that of communication then you require an application that will allow you to exchange with others. An application that has the capability to host meetings, transmit webcasts and hold training seminars will be required.

Different web conferencing applications have different capabilities, some allowing you to invite hundreds of delegates to your seminar, others allowing a maximum of say, ten. Levels of interaction vary too so be very clear about what functions you will need your application to be able to perform.

Before investing in your new system you should thoroughly review exactly what each provider is offering to ensure it meets with your requirements.

Vendors:

Vendors of this type of application include:

* Centra

* Netbriefings

* Placeware

* Smiletiger

* Spartacom

Online Collaboration and Project management

Online collaboration software is particularly effective for project management. These applications allow users to share files and documents, to view files at the same time and update documents in real time. Previously, this level of collaboration could only be achieved by being physically present in the same location but online collaboration applications are extremely effective.

Vendors:

Vendors of this type of application include:

* Genesys

* Interwise

* Viditel

* WebEx

You need to consider too, whether or not your chosen application will be compatible with your existing software and operating platform. This information will be readily available from the application vendor. Also, do you have sufficient broadband capability to run your chosen application?

The cost, of course, is a major consideration when deciding upon your web conferencing application and will undoubtedly influence your ultimate decision. Applications range from the elementary (some can even be set up with a plug-in the likes of Yahoo Messenger) to the most sophisticated systems that will allow broadcasting to hundreds of delegates.

When deciding how much to spend, take into account how much money you are already spending in terms of time and money on travel. The chances are, if you choose your application sensibly, you will earn back its cost in a relatively short period of time.

Diane Parker is a freelance writer and technology enthusiast providing valuable information including: web conferencing software, choosing a web conferencing tool and internet conferencing.

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Web Conferencing Tool - Reduce Your Communication Costs

For most people in Business, meetings are a necessary evil. Stop for a moment and consider how much hosting or attending meetings cost your Business and you may be in for a surprise; precious time spent traveling to and from the meeting location, travel expenses, and in some cases the hire of the meeting facility. Now imagine you could attend that meeting without having to leave your office or Home. How much time and money would save over a week, a month or a year? It soon adds up.

The cost savings associated with web conferencing are well documented. Less time and money are spent on traveling, there is no need to hire meeting facilities and staff can focus on doing their jobs well instead of scheduling meetings.

Save On Traveling Expenses

Travel does not come cheap. Whether it's national or international or by air, land or sea there will always be a cost implication for your Business; air tickets, parking tolls, hotel accommodation - all these costs will affect your bottom line.

Web conferencing reduces the need for travel. Face to face meetings can be conducted via the web, from multiple geographic locations. Airport delays, flight cancellations, traffic jams on the freeway - all these irritations are not only affecting your blood pressure but are costing your company money, too. All that time wasted while you wait for your flight to be called or the jam to clear is money down the drain. Web conferencing cuts out not just the frustrations but also the financial price of wasting time.

Saving Time Equals Saving Money

It's not just travel delays that waste time and costs money. Time is spent organizing meetings and getting busy colleagues together in the same place on the same day can be a complicated task. Someone within your organization is having to spend time pulling it all together. This is time that could be better spent generating sales and income for your Business.

Web conferencing allows your workforce to work smarter. With web conferencing, a meeting that before may have taken a member of staff out the office for several days, can be concluded in a matter of hour, freeing up extra time. A few extra hours in the week to get the job done is something most employees would appreciate.

Work Smarter And Reduce Costs

Document sharing is one of the many facilities available through web conferencing. Documents can be viewed simultaneously by individuals, regardless of where they are located. Projects can be completed more quickly and more accurately. Documents can be updated in real time and colleagues can edit them together. In the absence of web conferencing, this form of collaboration would require an element of travel, costing the Business time and money.

There is a personal upside for employees who have their Business travel reduced, too. Less time spent traveling for work means they have more time at home with their families and staff who are happier in their Home lives are likely to be more productive during their working hours.

Diane Parker is a freelance writer and technology enthusiast providing valuable information including: web conferencing software, choosing a web conferencing tool and internet conferencing.

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Video Conferencing Basics

This article will provide you a brief introduction about what actually video conferencing is. By video conferecing we can connect with some other identity and also can see the video online in real time. It is now useful and very interesting technology and widly used worldwide.

What is Video Conferencing: Video conferencing is the integration of video, audio and peripherals to enable two or more people to communicate simultaneously over some type of telecommunications lines. By video conferencing you are transmitting synchronized images and verbal communications between two or more locations in lieu of them being in the same room.

Video conferencing ingredients: The main ingredients of successful video conferencing are video cameras, microphones, appropriate computer software and computer equipment and peripherals that will integrate with the transmission lines to relay the information.

How video conferencing works: The analog information recorded by the microphones and cameras is broken down into discreet units, translating it to ones and zeros. A Codec encodes the information to a digital signal that can then be transmitted to a codec at the other end, which will retranslate these digital signals back into analog video images and audio sounds.

In the earlier days, video conferencing was very much expensive than today. Some time back video conferencing was used by T1, ATM and ISDN lines. These all process were very costly for video conferencing. Since internet is very cheap and it is a very good medium for video conferencing. The TCP/IP connections of the Internet are much less expensive and can carry large quantities of information for video conferencing, including video packets for conferencing, relatively easily. Because of this, video conferencing has become much more prevalent in small Businesses and in desktop packages that can be set up with software for computer-to-computer networking.

The problem faced was in video conferencing was that when we convert analog to digital for transmission then it is the loss in clarity of image. The most important factor in video conferencing is the compression ratio. The higher the compression ratio, the more quickly the information is capable of being transmitted. In many cases, however, this also means some loss in clarity or audio/video quality.

Advantages of video conferencing: Using video conferencing you can communicate with whole groups of people at once either through networking a group of computers or by form of broadcast. This is a huge step forward for both companies and for schools. video conferencing is very useful for students in their studies. Students can enjoy learning this way much more than from a textbook. Informed people can talk to classes and help them learn, where otherwise they wouldn't be able to because of time and distance restrictions. This is also a bonus for children who have different learning styles. The more visual types who understand better when they can see what they're working with.

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New Service Utilizes Videoconferencing for Easy Access to London Academic Expertise

An innovative service, launched in March 2005 enables educational institutions and corporate organizations worldwide to access the immense pool of academic and professional expertise concentrated in London, UK via videoconferencing.
Today, many US and European universities resort to opening and maintaining campuses in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world, to enable their students access to the wealth of experiences and teaching resources that the city offers.
In Business, the advantages of professional and executive education are undermined by the significant travel and living costs combined with the prolonged absence of key employees from the work place.
According to the research conducted by the British Council, in fast developing economies like China and India the demand for highly experienced tutors and lecturers critically exceeds supply, affecting the realization of economic development to its full potential.
Teaching quality has also been a major concern. UNESCO states that "Faced with an unprecedented teacher shortage, some countries are now turning to low-paid, poorly trained teachers."
Addressing these issues, BridgesEducation (www.bridgeseducation.org) uses videoconferencing to deliver a wide range of lectures, seminars and programs designed and presented by hundreds of high-profile speakers from leading UK universities, research centers and companies.
This system not only ensures high academic standards, but also offers clear financial benefits. "It's a win-win situation," says Kemi Pearce from the Advisory Centre for Education, "We avoid costly travel, hotels and living expenses whilst we retain the energy and interactivity of live delivery."
Many in education have experienced videoconferencing in the past with different levels of success, resulting in hundreds of unused facilities on campuses around the world. But the technology has come a long way since it was introduced in the early 90s. Today it is not only much more affordable, reliable and interactive; it also offers features such as computer presentations, online broadcast and audience participation from multiple locations at one time.
Michelle Grant, development officer at BridgesEducation, is optimistic about global access to high quality tuition. "At present a few major centers offer a considerable proportion of academic and professional expertise. Now, with the help of technology, the location will become less and less relevant."
It may take time for traditional education providers to realize the power of technology to its full potential, but by using videoconferencing as its main method of delivery, BridgesEducation marks the beginning of a new era.
Stas Spector is a specialist in distance learning technology at the Advisory Centre for Education in London.

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