Web Conferencing Tools
By: Stephan Uys
Different types of web conferencing tools are available in the market. You can select any too depending on your requirement. Each tool has got its own features. Some tools are available as freeware and for others you will have to pay. If you are going to use the web conference tools for recreational purpose then you can select a free tool. If you are looking for a web conferencing tool for business purpose then you can purchase any model depending on your needs.
Some of the popular web conferencing tools include Microsoft Live Meeting, GoToMeeting, Central Desktop. Adobe Acrobat Connect, Ready Talk , Yugma and Glance. There are many other conferencing tools too. You can select any one of the tools from these. Selection should be based on certain factors. The type of chat required, like text chat, voice chat and video chat. Other factors include pricing, browser compatibility, application sharing, file sharing, session recording and the number of individual windows allowed.
Adobe Acrobat Connect is a popular web conferencing tool. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. At a time, it is possible to do video conferencing with 15 peoples. It also provides whiteboarding capabilities. Another tool is the Acrobat Connect professional. It is actually the rebranded version of Macromedia Breeze. With the help of this tool you can do web conferencing with 2,500 people maximum. It also supports various other features like session recording and embedded quizzes. But, it is not a freeware.
Another web conferencing tool is Central Desktop. It has got a number of features. It includes wiki style editing, tracking of project status, and document archiving. By using this tool you can conduct web meetings with 10 attendees maximum. It supports almost all browsers. But in order to conduct the web meeting you require Java Runtime v1.1 or higher. It is also integrated with popular Instant Messaging networks like MSN messenger, Yahoo messenger, AIM and ICQ.
Dimdim is another web conferencing tool and it is available in four versions. They are free hosted version, hosted enterprise version, open source community version which is free and onsite enterprise edition. In order to use the video conferencing feature you have to install flash player only. Some of the features included in Dimdim include application sharing, presentation, session recording, annotations, video chat, desktop sharing and video chat. The free version offered by them does not have too much features. Most of the features listed in the free version are demo ones. So, it would be better to purchase any of the premium editions.
Glance is another tool. But it does not contain any extra features. There will be a live desktop screen alone. It is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux. Some popular free web conferencing tools include Google talk, Yahoo messenger, MSN messenger and ICQ. GoToMeeting is a web conferencing tool which supports Windows only. It does not support Linux or Mac operating system. Some of the features in it include chat, screen sharing and attendee permission. It is also possible to record the meeting sessions. Microsoft Live Meeting supports features like video sharing, VoIP, audience feedback, file sharing and video recording
About the author: Stephan highly recommend to visit the reviews found in http://www.webconferencingsoftware.org. Product Review URL: http://www.webconferencingsoftware.org/megameeting.php http://www.webconferencingsoftware.org/hearme.php These are the best web conferencing software reviews online.