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[W227]Web Video Conference Software

by Mark Woodcock, Mar

For organizations that operate on a national or international level, it is often necessary to conduct business meetings with offices that are far away from each other. This can be accomplished by traveling to different locations to meet in person, but if something needs to be handled spur of the moment, this isn't necessarily the best solution. Web conferencing has become a standard in interoffice communications for businesses worldwide, allowing organizations to communicate in real time, without having to leave their offices. Web conferencing software offers a variety of ways in which meetings and presentations can be given and attended.

Web conferencing software is used to conduct meetings and presentations over the Internet. In the early days of the World Wide Web, web conferencing referred to using message boards in order to conduct group discussions. These discussion boards were not live, and often discussions took a lot of time to carry out. Now, web conferencing refers to live or "synchronous" gatherings via chat rooms, or using different types of software and hardware such as web cams. And more often, VOIP is being used in the place of chat rooms, which really gives a personal feeling to meetings. Web conferencing allows issues to be handled with immediacy.

In addition to chat rooms and VOIP, web conferencing software provides the capability to perform a multitude of functions, including slide presentations, sharing (and amending live) spreadsheets, annotations (the ability to highlight points displayed on a screen), text messaging, and file sharing. Some web conferencing software even records meetings and presentations for documentation and easy playback for reference. The trend in web conferencing today seems to be heading toward VOIP and web cam usage.

For organizations that want to use web conferencing software and technology in their business dealings, there are a few options. Often, web conferencing is sold as a service that is regulated by a vendor on a web server. The vendor can charge by the minute or for a fixed fee, depending on the situation. However, more and more vendors are beginning to license their web conferencing software, making it available for organizations to purchase and use on their own web servers.

Web conferencing has its roots in the early days of the Internet. Text chat capabilities have been around almost as long as the Internet itself. Instant messaging, or web-based chat capabilities, made the scene in the early 1990's. Later in the 1990's, peer-to-peer communication (relying on the bandwidth of the participants) allowed actual web conferencing to take place. There are many services and web conferencing software applications currently vying for business. This is due in part to a lack of standardization of web conferencing software and technology. Work is currently being done to establish a standard for web conferencing, which might include membership and authorization management, a means to maneuver media mixing, and a means for notice of conference related changes. These standards will help to guarantee the best possible service to users, and help to keep prices reasonable.

The use of web conferencing software seems to have become commonplace in the world of business today. It enables organizations to not only speak to one another in real time, but allows them to share and modify pertinent information in the form of graphics, spreadsheets, and slide presentations that use to require a plane ride or waiting for the mail to ship packets of materials and information. The synchronous (real-time) capabilities of web conferencing software make it easier for organizations to operate on a national or global scale, and help to facilitate the success of a business.

Web conference software is not complicated to use although it does perform a variety of complicated tasks. In fact, if you want to take the easiest route, you can use a web-based software that doesn't even require that you install anything. Businesses with many employees will probably find it more convenient to install their own software, but they probably have an IT department to take care of the details. Once you have access to web conference software, what can you do with it?

Video Conferencing

Web conference software allows you to communicate by video. This communication can be two-way, or you can split your screen for multi-user videos. For example, your screen can show six different people on it at once who are all able to take part in the discussion. The software also allow you to switch control of the video and audio display among participants so that everyone has a chance to be seen and heard, no matter how many are in attendance.

Desktop Sharing

This feature of web conference software allows everyone in your conference to see what is on your desktop and you can switch desktops so everyone can see what is on another person's. This is helpful if you are trying to explain something that is on the internet, as whatever your browser shows on your monitor will show up on everyone else's monitor too. Any files that you open on your desktop or applications that you run can also be seen in real time by conference attendees, which makes this a great training tool.

Document Sharing

You can also transfer files among conference participants. Send text files, images, PDF files, and videos. You can distribute a summary of the conference or notes for participants to follow. Attendees can also distribute files among themselves.

Collaboration

This is one of the most useful features of web conferencing software. With this, you or any participant can immediately update a file while it is open on your desktop. Everyone in the conference sees the same file and has the ability to alter it and everyone sees the changes in real time. This is particularly useful when two people are working together on a project. It allows more than one computer to put the project together at the same time so it speeds up productivity.

Whiteboard

The whiteboard is another common and useful feature of web conference software. It allows you to make notations on files as you give your presentation. It works in a similar way as a whiteboard on a wall or an overhead projector. The software also has the capability of taking screenshots and saving your notes as image files. This feature allows your presentations to be more dynamic and spontaneous.

As you can see, there are many productive things you can do with web conference software. It's no wonder it has become so popular in recent years. If you haven't used it yet, you probably will at some point. It isn't only for businesses anymore; this software has many other applications such as use in online classes and virtual seminars.

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Both Mark Woodcock & Andrew Long are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Mark Woodcock has sinced written about articles on various topics from Payday Loans, Online College and Education. Learn the essential information for picking the right conferencing software at . Mark Woodcock's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.

Andrew Long has sinced written about articles on various topics from . Andrew Long writes for many scientific and IT related media, which includes . This article can be used on a website as long as this resou. Andrew Long's top article . to your Favourites.