If web conferencing is your thing, then there are a few things you need to know about what specifications are required in order to allow a successful web conferencing session to occur. From the littlest details to the major features that should be established for any web conferencing session to be successfully supported, one should make it a point to create a checklist of all necessary specifications to ensure that web conferencing set-up will be up and running satisfyingly.

One most important thing to remember is to check your Internet connection and see if this will be suitable for the type of web conferencing that you need to implement. If you wish to have just a plain and simple online chat web conference session, then an Internet connection speed of around 56k can suffice. Web conferencing that requires audio might require a faster connection; video and audio included in the package must need a much speedier connection.

A simple broadband connection can actually answer this need. Dial-up might not be able to support your preferences in a web conferencing session, so go and opt for broadband connection instead. Still, even basic web conferencing software applications can actually run in connections around 56k, though it is still recommended to get a faster connection.

Usually businesses that use web conferencing in their everyday work require delivering presentations through all three mediums: video, audio, and online chat. A collaborative discussion utilizing a running image without audio but just text chat can run on a 128kb speed of connection. Bandwidth should be able to answer your requirements for your web conferencing needs. Make sure that this will not curtail the current session, as it will be detrimental for a business to have an ongoing web conference session be cut off with numerous disruptions in your connection.

By having a fluctuating connection, your web conferencing software may pause and stutter, and cut off one of the speakers or chatters while there's a serious discussion on a particular project, a deliverable that need to be prioritized, an ongoing negotiation that would mean a good business deal, and so on. To have a real-time multimedia experience with your business transactions, you should be guaranteed that your Internet connection will support and safeguard your web conferencing experience.

Most web conferencing software applications, when set-up, allows purchase through a package for an Internet connection upgrade. Increasing the speed of your current Internet connection can be done while surfing for a web conferencing program of your choice with package deals including both in a single purchase. Also if you require constant file sharing through an existing network or online, this should be supported as well.

If more than one member of a conference session immediately starts accessing shared files, then your net connection must be able to support this. Some browser-based web conferencing can adjust to a simple dial-up connection, if you merely need a text chat conference running. A single browser can also support audio, but numerous conversations taking place at the same time may ruin your chances of better quality performance for your web conferencing sessions.  

The faster your net connection, the better your conferencing sessions will be. You can host numerous web conferencing sessions all at the same time. A T1 connection will definitely support an entire small organization's bandwidth when everyone gets online and attends a web conference session, regardless of whether they wish to utilize video and audio along with text chat, or just video and text chat, or audio and text chat.

VOIP in web conferencing can usually exist and endure longstanding sessions in speedier connections, so get that faster internet connection speed especially if you will be conducting web conferencing sessions most of the time and regularly, in particular when doing business.

Less technical problems in your net connection demand that you do not just depend on your existing connection – always consider the fact that you may need certain specifications in your web conferencing sessions that your current internet connection may not support.

All the more important is that you verify which features you need to use in your net connection before deciding whether you have to upgrade your existing one or not. Make sure your net connection supports your fundamental needs for web conferencing, and enjoy continuous conferencing without the major hassle.

The key to a successful web or video conferencing is through careful planning. If you’re fairly new to this technology and have little experience with web or video conferencing, all you have to remember is that online meetings are successfully possible when preparation and attention to detail before, during and after the session is mapped out and carefully planned.

A well-planned online conference ensures that the next one will be a smooth experience that will help your company accomplish its goals.

Below are some tips to help you manage a successful web conference:

Before the conference

Plan your conferences to only take about 1 to 2 hours. No person is ever comfortable with meetings that take up too much time. Longer meetings will leave your colleagues bored, restless and tired.

Be sure that you have prepared an agenda before you start the meeting. Have a list of questions and answers handy. This will ensure a smooth flow in the discussion and brainstorming. Outline the topics carefully. Determine what materials or visual aids you may need, and make sure that these are in order.

Coordinate with your IT department. For your web and videoconference to be a success, you would need to have the support of your IT people, specifically if you’re dealing with participants in different locations.

Make sure to be at all test sessions with your IT people so that you will be able to see if the videos, microphones and application are indeed working properly.  If you need to familiarize with the application, do so days before the session. Testing should at least take three days before the actual conference.  Any other graphic aids you will use during the meeting must also be tested. Make sure links and documents work, especially if you’re planning to send them out or share them to your colleagues.

When preparing for your visual presentation or graphic aids, a larger font is ideally better and clearer. Check the margins for each of your visual aid and estimate how it should transmit in the videoconference as side margins tend to be cut off in the actual transmission. Avoid too many words with your graphic aids, as they tend to look busy on the computer screen.

Send an advise to your team, to be in the venue a few minutes before the session begins. This is especially important if you need to brief them about materials and documents that you will need to present during the meeting. By also assembling earlier, you will be able to check for any last minute changes or glitches. Have your team go over the tools and application to avoid embarrassing moments while the meeting is in progress. Also send a reminder to the participants to ensure that the online meeting will start on time.

Here are other miscellaneous tips that may help you conduct online meetings successfully:

Dress appropriate for the meeting. Even if this is an online conference and you may be joining in the comforts of your home, you will still be facing your colleagues.

Steer clear of intensely colored and designed shirts or blouses, as this will be too distracting for the cameras.

Consequently, gestures during the meeting, like hand movements or finger tapping, may be distracting to other participants on the other side of the videoconference.

After the conference

The conference and brainstorming does not stop once the online connection is over. Extensions can still take place after the session. You can send follow-up emails or parcels containing documents, newsletters, surveys or even the printed versions of what took place during your session. When doing this, remember to attach your cover letters. Don’t forget to add a thank you note or congratulatory notes, as well. If there are photographs taken during the meeting, set up a website for this. Your colleagues can peruse through the pictures online.  You may even set up an online survey and feedback form.  Let your colleagues know of this online website before the conference is over.

Lastly, two things you have to remember: kick-off with a bang and end with something memorable. Opening conferences with a powerful video presentation, a captivating visual or a strong speech will stir up your participants and will get them more involved.  Then closing the session with a notable speaker or even an award presentation will send off participants on a positive note.

Online Meeting System

When browsing for a web or video conferencing tool, one of the things to consider, aside from your budget and need, is to know what technical requirements are needed in order to have a good, functioning conferencing service.

It is important to familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages before you decide on an online meeting system. Remember that this service will matter a lot to your business or personal dealings. Functionality, effectiveness and ease of use are three key elements you have to look for, this being a technical application. Moreover, the technical obstacles of using such a web or video conferencing application can leave a big mark in the outcome of your business dealings and relationships.  

The first thing to consider when deciding for an online meeting system is to determine if you wish to use a browser based system or if you would like to make use of a proprietary software.

Here is a comparison of both online meeting system tools:

Proprietary Software

There are a few original web conferencing systems using their own software and hardware specifications. This proprietary software can be bought and is readily available in the market.  To be able to use this, you will have to first install and configure this onto a computer.

Proprietary software, as defined, has restrictions set by its proprietor or owner.  Any changes or flexibility you will need when using this kind of a system has to be dependent on the owners, who have legal control over the software. Also, any additional feature you may need may then require additional extensions in your budget, so be sure to take note of that.

Proprietary software providers usually employ a fully staffed support system. As a service provider, they must ideally do a good job of providing support and documentation to their customers.

Browser Based System

A browser-based system, on the other hand, is not limited. There is no additional software needed to be installed or deployed before one is able to use it. As such, it offers more flexibility.

So, what edge does a browser based conferencing system specifically have over a proprietary software system?

Whether your business colleagues or personal contacts are using PCs or Mac, a browser based system runs on all operating systems and can function in all web browsers. Connecting to any user with any kind of web browser while holding a meeting together, without having to worry about the technicalities, can effectively bring about smooth transitions and business dealings.

When you use a browser based system you will have no need to download or install software. Downloading and installation could become quite a hassle for some people, particularly when they are not familiar with the application. In a browser based system, installation is through the service provider’s system and all you have to do is to log online, go to their website and then use the service.

Because it can be used for all types of system, it is therefore accessible to users anywhere. Once you’ve provided your contacts with the URL codes and passwords, they can just easily log online and join the conference at their convenience.  Hence, a person who is not so skilled with using a computer can easily follow the simple procedure.

A browser-based system also eliminates problems with firewalls. While firewalls installed in many offices and home computers are security measures used for blocking off hackers, this can pose a problem for your contacts in an online conference. Some firewalls regard other proprietary software as threats and may therefore block its access. But a browser-based system is not at all affected by it.

In the end, what you should seek for in a web conferencing system is the option to maximize its use, while being user-friendly. This is your gateway and access to a successful business or personal transaction online, it should be able to provide you with what you need. Technical obstacles do pose a lot of limitations and may consequently hurt the business transaction or relationship, so picking out a system that eliminates this problem, through a browser based system, is the better choice.

In the age of the internet, and as more and more people are learning to use it to connect to each other, the need to find a reliable and effective way to do this has become a necessity. Because the Internet makes it possible for people to connect, and even collaborate between a large or small distance, people now look for ways to do so interactively. Users prefer to interact online, where there isn’t exactly a face to face encounter, but feels the same nonetheless. Web conferencing seems to be the solution that can do all these and more.

Yes, there is more to virtual interaction in web conferencing.  Various vendors of web conferencing applications offer different choices for all kinds of need whether it business or personal. Not all Web conferencing products offer the same thing and there is no one product that can promise to do everything well.  The trick is to understand what the most important factor you need to consider before introducing this technology into your lifestyle.

To help you understand this technology better, let us tackle its five most important aspects. Web conferencing is best capable to handle various requirements such as:

holding training sessions and even classes

Host Meetings

Web conferencing primarily benefits many companies because the service offers something that face to face conferencing cannot: it can host meetings at any time and any place, for a very minimal cost. The central idea to this technology is convenience and cost-effectiveness. It is easy to prepare and organize conferences because everything can be done with just a click of the mouse. Meetings can take place at the participants’ convenience. The hassle of logistical preparation is reduced.

Broadcasting and Voice Communication

Web conferencing appeals because it can deliver voice interaction, on top of collaboration or online sharing. This technology, called voice over Internet protocol or VoIP, connects voice and data using the same application as your web conferencing technology. VoIP is a flexible and more cost-effective option than traditional phone calls.  With the introduction of broadband technology in most companies and even homes, VoIP is indeed going to be the way of communication in the years to come.

Increased productivity

Some web conferencing applications make it possible for small-scale business to have a larger turn-over and proficiency rate, almost similar to a medium-scaled organization, simply because the application allows them to be more productive. Because it eliminates all the hassle of having to get organized offline, there is more time to produce results when working with projects. The application also allows for collaboration and online sharing that it is possible to derive results and make decisions even while one participant is on the other side of globe.

Support and customer service task

Web conferencing is an effective way to keep track of services and projects that aid in project management. It is not just for interaction because some applications make it possible to store and even access databases at different locations. This kind of feature makes it possible for meetings and documentation to take place online, as opposed to getting together to do the projects personally. Your customers and clients can also conveniently hook you up on the Internet and you can do your transaction or close deals from there.

Training Sessions

One of the biggest factors to why web conferencing is used by more and more companies is the fact that it can hold training courses and online education programs for employees. Although the best medium for instruction is still in an offline, face to face setting, there’s a lot that an online training program can do. Since 2001, companies that make web conferencing products have incorporated a feature that will allow, not only for meetings of small groups, but big training sessions as well, much like how you would expect trainings to take place. The application would then allow for:

Multiple training sessions

Question and Answer with the training instructor

On the spot test

Performance assessment

As previously mentioned, web conferencing tools vary depending on your needs and requirements. Some vendors even allow going beyond the technical concerns and offer in the package the tools to help you build your own specialized content to fully facilitate your programs.  Evaluating what use your company will have because web conferencing can maximize this tool in helping you move forward in this age of Internet.

Internet technology has rapidly made its way to everyone’s home and at present, right into the boardroom as well. There is no denying the fact that meetings play a significant role in the hasty world of business. A company meeting does not only needs a lot of tedious preparations but can incur high expenses as well. Air cost, taxi fares, hotel fees and the stress of traveling can all be eliminated. How? Web conference is the answer to one’s woes with traditional face- to- face meetings.

Web conferencing has its origin way back in the 1960’s. Even before the World Wide Web has been in existence, PLATO was created. PLATO is a Computer-based Education Research Laboratory (CERL) which was first used by students of University of Illinois.

The main concept of the system is to support hundreds upon hundreds of users at a time through one terminal connecting to a mainframe computer. Structured around this basic idea, PLATO gone great improvements through the years with added features like instant messaging and file sharing. As technology prospers, it subsequently created descendants that were commercially sold integrating the present features of a web conference.

In recent years, more companies make us of web conferencing as means of communication for off-site employees and for home based freelancers. And since offices can be located in all parts of the globe, a virtual meeting is one quick solution for restrictions regarding location and time. An increasing number of companies use web conferencing. In 2004, audio conferencing alone boomed into a multi-billion industry almost overnight.

Aside from a corporate meeting, web conference can also be an efficient tool for sales meeting, trainings, seminars, product launches and demonstrations. It is evident that nothing can persuade consumers better than see- to- believe demos and receiving instant answers to on the spot queries.

Web conferencing uses the power of the internet to connect to other participants, wherever they may be.  It enables unlimited users to be logged on simultaneously and communicate with each other in real-time. Web conferencing is also known as computer conferencing. One of the first software of this technology initializes conferences through postings or text messaging on virtual message boards. At present, web conferencing uses synchronized and live discussions in addition to forum and bulletin boards.

Most people referred video conferencing as web conferencing. In reality, they are two completely different concepts. Web conferencing offers more features other than seeing and talking to the other person on the other end on a screen. In a web conference, participants can exchange word documents, spreadsheets or presentation. Message boards and co- browsing also makes it even more interactive and effective.  

Web conferencing provides dynamic and user- friendly interface. With the integration of JavaScript, intensive HTML/ XML/ ASP, Flash animation and other software, it is still set to improve. Faster bandwidths and developed HyperText Transfer Protocol enhance the virtual conferencing experience with speedy connection and ample virtual space.  All these technologies contribute to the efficiency and interactivity of web conferencing.

One can initiate web conference by purchasing web conferencing software or commissioning a hosting service provider. Hosting services already bundled the use of licensed software together with server space. They can charge on per minute, per user or per meeting fee.

Private companies need not worry about sensitive information that might disseminate through web conferencing. Programs do include encryption and security options that can keep highly classified data safe. A personal login name and a unique password are required for all participants for them to gain access to the conference. TLS and SSL encryption is commonly used to protect delicate company information. A firewall can also effectively safeguard a meeting against obtrusive and uninvited users.

The simplicity of this technology is just appealing. Web conferencing can surely be used even by start up companies. For one, it doesn’t need ultra high- tech gadgets. A basic computer (with a video capture card), a microphone and a web camera are three of primary things one should. Of course, every user should have an internet access to connect with the rest of the participants. A telephone can be a back- up tool when audio conferencing is not provided online.

Web conference is a breakthrough technology that every company should at least give a try. Most software and web conference hosting providers can provide free trials that one can take advantage of. Try one and explore what web conference has to offer to increase the productivity of your company.