SolveYourProblem
eLearning Series
Web Conferencing
How
to Choose the
Best Web Conferencing System
These days video conferencing (or web conferencing)
is a popular tool for communication on the web. Any organization,
whether large or small, can benefit from this tool because
a team can be organized to discuss salient business points
and communicate from anywhere in the world.
When considering this tool to help your enterprise, certain
guidelines have to first meet your needs. A way for determining
what your needs are, is to outline them and then check if there
are any web conferencing tools available in the market.
Some of the things to consider are:
Budget
While online video conferencing might cost a lot, compare
this with the costs of doing the conference offline, their
advantages and disadvantages. Choose a package that will provide
good service and maximize all your needs, as well as bring
a good return of investment.
Importance of video conferencing
Consider how necessary video is to you. Some web conferencing
meetings may not at all need web cameras but it may be of great
help in the future. Select a communication system that will
allow for web camera hook-ups and see if this is compatible
with your needs.
Make sure to test the service first and study the quality
of the images of the videos received by the viewers. Some systems
may sacrifice quality for speed and this may subtly give a
poor impression to its viewers, possibly your clients.
Location
Determine if there is a need to communicate originating from
one specific location or from various locations, when conferencing.
There are systems designed to connect to only certain numbers
of specific locations, like a head office to a branch office
(fixed system). There are also systems that will allow connections
from anywhere. This is the better type since convenience is
one of the advantages of web conferencing against offline meetings.
Technical capabilities
Determine if there is a need for a browser-based system, rather
than specific software. Based on your company’s technical capabilities,
some web conferencing systems let you install specific hardware
and come in a wide variety of features. But it is also possible
to choose one system that will run for all types of operating
system, where a specific installation is not necessary anymore.
Aside from that, select a system where it is easy for you
to keep things organized, as more and more people join your
conferences. Choose one that is easy to use and configure.
Do a test to check if connection is good and that it is user-friendly.
Often, one test is not enough to determine quality. There may
be conferences where a connection might fail. Determine what
to do about it and study whether fixing it is not complicated
process, one that can be easily taught to any of your participants.
Failure to connect can be frustrating, particularly from clients
who may be at the other end of conferencing.
Usually, internet speed affects connectivity. Check the bandwidth
package of your chosen conferencing service or choose a provider
who can provide the speed upgrade you need. Firewall limitations
Most offices have firewall security installed in their computers
as a protection from computer viruses and hackers. These firewalls
may potentially also block some conferencing systems. Select
a system that will be able to handle firewall protections and
not limit your video conferencing options.
Other features and add-ons
Determine if your conferences have the need for polls in the
future. Or whether or not your participants will likely share
online applications or possibly even show PowerPoint presentations.
Some web conferencing systems offer these for a fair price.
Prepare a list of what features you might possibly be using
in your conferences and shop for a system that can give you
all of these, or can adequately configure these into the system.
Remember that there are three essential web conferencing functions
that presenters may use:
- application sharing where the meeting’s host could share his
or her desktop to the rest of the attendees
- PowerPoint presentations or slide annotations
- the ability to pass the floor to someone else, in another
geographic location, when there is a collaboration of projects
and documents or spreadsheets
In choosing a web conferencing system, remember that no tool
is excellent at everything. There is a variety of options available;
some of it may be of use to you while the others aren’t. Using
these guides above will help you trim down your options and
choices. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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