September 10, 2009
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Web conferencing: are we there yet?

Few Decades ago there was a time when our ancestors used to consider teleconference i.e. the telephone conference is simply fascinating. Well we came a long way since than to an age where teleconference got a broader meaning. Teleconference is now may contain one or all of these- Voice, Video & augmented reality etc. Especially because of the bandwidth efficiency and low costs that VoIP technology can provide in recent years most teleconferencing started to change into web conferencing.

web-conf Now through Web conferencing we conduct live meetings, training, or presentations; hack someone told me there is virtual dating via web conferencing :) . Web conferencing significantly benefiting small businesses but off course when users embrace it effectively the investment in the technology pays off. Technology categorically is a vital component for the success of any sort of business now days. Yet, even after you have spent the time, energy and budget to select the solutions that will most benefit you, there are challenges ahead. Web conferencing changing the way business operates, specifically how business users behave/communicate. As business operations become more and more geographically distributed, Web conferencing shows even more promise as an inexpensive solution for instant online collaboration as well as a highly effective alternative for costly meetings and travel. Question is web conferencing mature enough to use as a tool for improving the overall efficiency of your entire organization. Actually there is another big question- Which solution is right for your business?

Once small business viewed web conferencing as a tool to trim expensive corporate travel, but is it still the same? Defiantly not via web conferencing information can travel faster and efficiently, you can tap into people’s brainpower almost instantly, literally! The ideal web conferencing infrastructure should provide a convenient backbone for easy sharing of all types of data. An ideal Web conference should be where all parties can hear one another, and collaborate on a document at the same time that is visible to all parties.

The Web conference can be either through a hosted service or facilitated through conference client software. There are more than a dozen leading third-party hosted Web conferencing services available, which are quite simple to use, expense varies so does the features. Web conferencing can prove very valuable for business meetings, sales presentations, and training sessions. The meeting is live and in real time, and is designed to create the virtual equivalent of a face-to-face meeting, complete with the ability to share information in real time, and the ability of each participant to edit or mark up a document that is being shared between all participants. In addition to all participants being able to speak to one another, there may also be a message board included in the Web conferencing application.

Augmented reality based conferencing still on the research and development (R&D) phase, which off course won’t be the same in recent years. Until the technology becomes widely accepted, available, and explained –this will not be ready for business users so let’s just put that on the shelf.

So finally that’s where we are with our web conferencing, which is developing and improving every day and will go a long way. Quite frankly Web conferencing is mature enough to be an essential tool for any business. It’s now not a question whether business needs web conferencing, rather it’s time to find suitable web conferencing solution or software for your business. I will feature one web conferencing solution or software each Monday throughout this and next month to give a better perspective on the market.

 
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