Web Conferencing Software

What is Web Conferencing?

Web conferencing is a communication channel that uses the Internet. It may be conducted between a number of people, typically each with a computer terminal of his or her own. Web conferencing cuts across geographical boundaries because it relies on the Internet for the transmission of data.

There are other forms of conferencing that rely on the Internet. There are the chat-based conferences, for example, and there are more sophisticated forms of communication such as video conferencing. However, when we speak about web conferencing, we refer to only text-based communication that is carried out through web browsers. Despite this demarcation, there are various providers of other forms of communication services that label those services as web conferencing. As such, the real definition of web conferencing is becoming hazier as more and more products are streaming into the world market.

Web conferencing is also different on the basis of the purposes that it achieves. Other forms of communication might be used primarily by family and friends or for social networking purposes, but web conferencing is almost exclusively used for business purposes. Companies that need to communicate with different people in different regions use web conferencing as one of their most important tools of communication.

Basically, a web conference has a leader, called as the administrator. The work of the administrator is to keep the conference on track. People can ask questions to the administrator, who will then publish the question on the conference for an open discussion or might choose to answer the question privately to the asker. If the question is put for open discussion, anyone in the conference is entitled to participate in the discussion.

Certain communication modes are conducted completely online through browsers and their respective servers, known as webinars. However, in webinars, the response from all members of the conference is restricted. In most cases, webinars are close to webcasts, where a particular communicator will webcast his or her message and the others will be merely an audience.

What is Web Conferencing Software?

In most cases, web conferencing is completely conducted with the help of the browser. These are considered to be the more user-friendly kinds of web conferences because the communicators just have to log into the website to begin conferencing. There is no need to download and install anything to begin this kind of communication.

However, there are also the web conferencing software applications that have become popular. These software tools help people in conferencing over the Internet. Despite the presence of browser-based tools, these software tools have become popular for web conferencing because of the additional features that they provide to the users. Some of these additional features that the web conferencing software can provide to users include:-

* Support for audio

* Support for video

* Chat enablement

* Possibility to connect desktops

* Ability to upload PPT and PDF extension files and other documents.

These features are not available with the web conferencing that is enabled through browsers. Since the utilities provided by the software tools are definitely higher, people use these for their communication purposes. Most of these website conferencing software tools are compatible with all three major operating systems of the world - Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. Some web conferencing software applications that work exclusively with certain operating systems include:-

* Genesys Meeting Center (only for Microsoft Windows)

* WebTrain (only for Microsoft Windows)

* iLinc (only for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X)

* TurboMeeting (only for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X)

The major popular web conferencing tools that work with all operating systems include:-

* Adobe Acrobat Connect

* Elluminate

* Cisco Unified Meeting Place

* Dimdim

* Glance

* IBM Lotus Sametime

* IBM Lotus Sametime Unyte

* Microsoft Live Meeting

* omNovia Secure Conference

* Pixion PictureTalk

* ShowMyPC

* WebEx

* WebHuddle

* Zoho

Features Present in Web Conferencing Software

Modern web conferencing software is no longer a merely text based service. With growing demands, the nature of these software applications has also changed drastically. Some of the features that have made its place in recent web conferencing software applications include:-

1. Video compatibility - It is possible to add video streams right into the web conferencing interface and let the other persons in the conference view it as streaming video. This video can be streamed into the conference from a number of tools such as digital cameras and webcams to name just two.

2. Slideshows - Slideshows are very important in business web conferencing; they act as explanatory tools when a point is to be illustrated. Slideshows on web conferences work in the same manner as they in physical conferences. These slideshows are uploaded as PPT presentations which can be immediately viewable on the computers of all the other communicators also. Just as how slideshows can be demonstrated with a pointer in a physical conference, the mouse can be used on one computer and will demonstrate on all other computers.

3. Recording Features - Complete web conferences can be recorded on all the computers that are connected to the conference. These can be stored on various retrieval media for later use. Such conference recording features are only available on particular web conferencing software applications.

4. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) - This is a very common feature in modern conferencing tools. This feature allows people to coordinate their conference with real time voice conversation. For VoIP conferences, hardware such as headphones with a microphone and speakers are required. The audio conference allows all speakers to speak with each other and the software interface indicates which speaker is speaking at any particular time.

5. Whiteboard - The whiteboard feature is present in some applications. This is a kind of a rough board where quick notes can be taken or even a particular point can be illustrated. The whiteboard is blank white when the conference begins and can be erased at any time. Some applications allow for capturing the whiteboard images and saving them for later use. Whiteboards can be annotated with other reference markings.

6. Web Tours - These features are useful when a person with a website wants to show the website to other people in the conference. This is very similar to a virtual web tour that is provided by some websites to entice people to become their members. These web tours will include several aspects of the website navigation including screen captures, click results, etc.

7. Desktop Sharing - This is a very useful feature which allows people to show their desktop as it is to other people in the conference. When this feature is on, the other people in the conference will be able to see everything that is on the presenter's screen, including the bottom pane that has the active applications bar. Some of these web conferencing software applications allow people within the conference to manipulate the desktop of the presenter using their mouse.

8. Private Chat - This feature allows any two participants of the conference to have a private conversation with each other without this conversation being transmitted in the main conference window. A unique window opens up for such private messages. Though they may be able to see each other through their own webcams, audio is not provided with such private message features and it is usually restricted to only text-based chat.

By observing these features, it can be seen how web conferencing is no longer just text-based communication and that almost all kinds of communicational features are included in the conference.

Selecting a Web Conferencing Software Application

People find it difficult to select a suitable web conferencing software tool that would match their needs because of the great variety that is present in this field. Though a lot of features have crept into the web conferencing genre today, it is important for people to analyze their needs and decide accordingly. The following are some of the main considerations to make when looking for web conferencing applications.

1. Ability to Customize - Though there are a lot of feature available with these software applications, the user may not require all of them. Each of these features may add to the cost of the entire package. Hence, customization and selecting according to particular needs is important. The customization must also be applicable within the program interface. The interface must have certain customizable aspects which make it more user-friendly and suited to the purpose of the business.

2. Compatibility with Operating Systems - This is a very important point because there are web conferencing software applications that do not work with all kinds of operating systems. It is necessary to check that the software being considered for purchase will be compatible with the operating system that the user's computer has. At the same time, since there will be several people who will be participating in the web conference, it is crucial to check that the software will run on all the operating systems of the participants.

3. Compatibility with Browsers - This point is not as much valid in recent times as it was in the earlier days (read early nineties) in which web conferencing was introduced. It is important to check that the software will be able to run on the existing browsers. The browsers will need to have Java installed on them so that the communication is enabled.

4. Compatibility with Other Software - In most cases, especially in business web conferencing, it is often important for the communicators to pass some specific kinds of information that have been created on other software applications. Examples are DOC files made with Microsoft Word, PPT files made with Microsoft PowerPoint and PDF files made with Adobe Acrobat. It is very important to be able to send these files from one computer to the others in the conference. Hence, it is necessary to check that the software has the ability to do this.

5. Pricing - There is a huge variation in the pricing of these products from various web conferencing software websites, which is mainly because of the additional features that some of these tools provide and the others don't. This is one area where compromises need to be made, to forfeit some expensive features and retain only the features that they would need.

Benefits of Web Conferencing Software

1. The basic purpose of the web conferencing software tools is to enable people to communicate with each other without any geographical boundaries or restrictions. Since these conferences work in the real time, they work as good as a real live conference. With a feature such as the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), it is possible to have a real time audio chat with the participants of the conference, which makes the conference more real and more useful to everyone involved.

2. Web conferences are mostly used for business purposes. Discussions on various aspects of the business are possible through these conferences, especially by using features such as whiteboards through which illustrations and demonstrations can be made. The fact that these conferences can use features such as slideshows and other kinds of file extensions is also of importance.

3. Modern web conferencing software tools are full of features that can allow people to conference with each other in real time using all kinds of communication - text based, audio and video. This is oftentimes a better form of communication than physical conferences because of the closeness of each person to communicate through the web-based feature.

4. The ability to record conferences that some of these software applications provide is also of note. These conferences can be played back later and in the case of a dispute, they can be of immeasurable importance.

5. Web conferencing software becomes the most economical form of communication for business establishments. Conducting a live program incurs a lot of costs for the space, for the hospitality of the people present, etc. However, when a web conference is held using these software applications, the expenses on all these points are reduced. This also provides for more constructive time to work and the communication can be kept at a very professional level.

Web conferencing software has come a long way from its early days. It has become more serviceable and better for the affordability. Businesses are considering these applications as their premier choices for their communication needs.