Web Conferencing: The Right Tool for the Job

Articles on Conferencing | Topics: conferencing, conference

by Ulysses Jimenez

In the 1960s, the imagination of the people had been tickled pink with the possibility of being able to beam themselves from one place to another in a fraction of a second. More than forty years later since the television debut of Star Trek and the Enterprise, we find ourselves nowhere near being able to teleport. Who could have predicted from then that by year 2000, we still have to drive ourselves to work instead of taking to the skies like George Jetson; that we still have to contend with escalating fuel prices, traffic and pollution. Whilst our hopes about teleportation have been relegated to mere products of minds that have suffered one too many sci-fi orgasms; a similar experience can be had with the available technology of today: web conferencing. Through web conferencing, people from different parts of the globe can meet and exchange ideas through audio and visual means in real time without ever having to leave the comfort of their office or homes. You may not be able to beam yourself to your company's mother office halfway across the globe, but you can bring their office to yours and yours to theirs.

There is great confusion as to what exactly constitutes web conferencing; is it simply being able to hold a conference call; or is it being able to communicate someone through a microphone and camera over the internet? Web conferencing is the utilization of the internet to conduct a meeting wherein the participants are geographically inaccessible to each other; instead, each participant connects to the other participants' computers through software specially developed to for holding web conferencing; the participants are able to see and hear each other, and can communicate with each other as they would in person; participants have access to each other's data; and all these exchanges on a multimedia platform occur in real time.

There are two kinds of web conferencing vendors: those that sell web conferencing as a service; and those that sell web conferencing as a product. The first kind allows their customers to use their web servers to hold their conferences; and they charge based on the amount of time their servers are used. The second kind of vendors licenses their software; companies may purchase the web conferencing software and then conduct their conferences online through their own servers using the vendor's software.

аQuote of the Day

If you carry this resolution you will send Britain’s Foreign Secretary naked into the conference chamber.

—Aneurin Bevan (1897–1960)

Businesses and individuals have embraced web conferencing because it is inexpensive; travel costs and travel time are greatly reduced; and the technology itself is easy to acquire and can be had at reasonable rates. Fierce competition among the vendors ensures that the prices will remain reasonable; and product innovations and improvements will be maintained at a high level. Apart from monetary savings, benefits beyond pecuniary estimation can be had as well. One general feedback from users of web conferencing is that they are able to collaborate with their colleagues on a new level; since their data can be shared with each other in real time and on a multimedia platform, the flow of ideas are more fluid. Users feel their colleagues are more accessible not just on a professional level but on a personal level as well; this helps foster strong camaraderie among employees within the same division, or employees from different departments in offices located in different parts of the world. Web conferencing enables companies to resolve issues, managerial or technical, faster and cheaper. Web conferencing also makes companies more accessible to their distributors, suppliers and customers; feedback is immediate and queries can be replied to as soon as practicable. Web conferencing has also been used to effectively strengthen the main resource of any company Ц its employees; training and refresher courses are more convenient and less costly.

Web conferencing is a relatively new technology and is currently unregulated; there is no international or national agency that directly governs activities that constitute web conferencing; neither are there any existing local, national or international legislation or treaties that establish standards for the technology, its uses, and its vendors. This temporary freedom from governmental interference explains the leaps and bounds web conferencing has been experiencing over the past years in terms of innovation which translates to lower costs both on the part of the vendors and their customers.

We strive to provide only the finest articles on our website. If there is a specific angle on conferencing that you would like us to cover, please contact us here.

Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Web Conferencing: The Right Tool for the Job" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by WebDesignConferencing.com.

Three Reasons to Wipe Your Computer's Internet History Files Clean
By Bates Stewart
Not only are our lives now completely reliant on computers, it seems like there is a seemingly endless flow of chores that we either should or have to do with the computers. Even your Internet browser is a victim of this....

The Web Designer's Toolbox
By Lamont Rasmussen
The Web Designer's Toolbox. When you're a web designer, there are lots of little programs that you'll gradually accumulate to make your life that little bit easier....

A Checklist on Web Conferencing
By Francis Zimmerman
These days, no business can stand without having connectivity that's through and through dependable and reliable. Web conferencing lets companies evolve in the technology that is available for their use, and helps businesses come up with solutions that pave the way to success....

Sharing an Internet Connection over a Wireless Network
By Sergio S. Parrish
Sharing an Internet Connection over a Wireless Network. Once you've got your wireless network set up, I've no doubt that one of the first things you'll want to do with it is share an Internet connection -- after all, that's why most home users put in a wireless network to begin with....

Podcasting for Profit for DJs
By Austin Miranda
There is a common idea between DJs these days; this is that the more music you have on hand for a gig, the better. This is not new, however....