At the end of last year, we took a look at ViVu when they raised $3 million in Series A funding, and given all the hype around their web-based product, we thought we’d check in and see what they’ve been doing since.

In November, people were calling ViVu the “WebEx and GoToMeeting killer,” and while those other two services—both good—haven’t been eradicated, ViVu is still gaining steam. The Wall Street Journal dubbed ViVu’s interactive video-as-a-service (iVaaS) “videoconferencing for the masses,” and other have dubbed it a “participative event platform.”

Without having to download or install any software, ViVu provides chat by audio and video, desktop sharing, and the ability to create and share slideshows. Customers pay either a subscription fee or a per use fee, depending on the user’s needs, but where ViVu’s iVaaS platform has really received credit is its ability to allow thousands of users to interact from anywhere on the internet through a webinar, and turn that into a truly interactive event.  They’ve also received praise for a sleek interface: ViVu dashboard is easily customizable, and conference participants can easily select and scale screens depending on who is speaking.

The ease of interaction ViVu provides is no doubt why some are looking at it as a new element in online collaboration. Online collaboration suites are going to be an emerging software sector this year, and ViVu’s ability to combine conferencing with file sharing and social networking streams is big. We’re excited to see what they can do in 2010.