Web conferencing software can save you time and money with all the latest advancements in online conferencing service development. From saving money on travel to being able to call meetings at a moment’s notice, web conferencing services can help to eliminate errors and create plans more quickly and efficiently.

Use web video conferencing to follow every aspect of a project. Get your entire team involved in Internet conferencing by making sure they know how to apply the legal online meeting services. Find quality providers of web based conferencing online and through peer referrals. Begin using web conferencing in a number of ways to make your company more profitable.

1. Use web conferencing services to manage projects

2. Use a net meeting to save resources

3. Use web video conferencing to hold more timely meetings

Action Steps to Set Up a Web Conferencing Program
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Communicate better with e-conferencing

Rather that rely on lengthy and costly meetings and staff reports that often are late or incomplete, utilize the latest web conferencing software to keep managers and workers in the loop. You can get software that runs remotely and is updated in real time to run on desktop dashboards or through mobile units.

I recommend: The FAQ page for Web conferencing leader WebEx gives you a basic intro to online conference service capabilities. Unified Communications brings you news items as well as how to articles, technical information and links to definitions that will help you to use web conferencing tools.

Go live with online meeting services

With web-based systems you can make and send reports directly from a site while updating information as it comes to you live from vendors and clients. Integrate an Internet software system into your company to make quicker and more accurate decisions on the spot.

I recommend: Go to Web Hosters for articles and RSS feeds that will provide information and news that affects your ability to use the latest software and Internet products as well as find out what other companies in the industry are doing. Use the solutions found at AccuConference to successfully integrate web and video online meetings in your organization.

Stay in touch with web video conferencing

Keep up with your team so that you can contact clients and support staff to keep everyone equipped with the record keeping information they need to get the job done in a timely manner. Call meetings when you need them instead of letting the meeting times drive your needs.

I recommend: Get consultation services and video conference solutions in addition to news and information at IVCI. Get all your conferencing needs taken care of with the software programs from MegaMeeting.

Tips & Tactics on Net Meeting Best Practices

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Let your managers and other key employees try out the free demos of online conferencing service software before you make a final commitment.

Add Web conferencing to the list of small business tech trends you should get behind. Online conferencing can be as simple as setting up a Web-based chat room to as elaborate as high-definition video conferencing. But how can a net meeting help your business thrive? Web conferencing can help your business by:

1. Reducing travel expenses — particularly given today's gas prices
2. Minimizing time away from the office
3. Allowing participants from multiple sites to hold a net meeting in real time
4. Providing a convenient way to meet at a moment's notice, regardless of where your staff are located
5. Allowing for centralized employee training

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine your net meeting needs

Look at the nature of your business — do you have satellite offices or many salespeople out in the field? A need for emergency meetings at a moment's notice, or do you only need to confer occasionally? What's your budget for Web conferencing software, hosting and/or equipment?

I recommend: Online learning company Centra offers a cost/benefit analysis comparing conventional travel vs. online conferencing and other technology. Thinkofit offers personal consultations to help you hone your Web-based conferencing needs. The site also has a handy Web conferencing guide.

Comparison shop for Web conferencing services

Online directories allow prospective shoppers to compare the products and services offered by various online meeting service companies.

I recommend: ConferZone allows you to shop for online meeting service providers and supplies in one place (free registration required). Web Conferencing Central advertises itself as an affordable option for those new to online conferencing. Read cnet's review of six popular Web online meeting service providers. Check Business.com’s directory for listings of Web conference software vendors and Web conferencing services based on the popular WebEx platform.

Know what Web conference gadgets you need — or don't

Do you need an expensive video conferencing camera and feature-rich software at every workstation right off the bat? Investigate Web conference technology and determine what you can afford — and will actually use for a net meeting.

I recommend: Check out Sony's state-of-the-art Web and Web conference goodies. The user-friendliness of Apple's iSight and iChatAV software allows anyone from teen consumers to full-fledged businesses to get in on the live Web conferencing action. See video equipment vendors for net meeting or streaming media services for online conferencing at Business.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Have all participants do a pre-event check — a test run of the Web-based conferencing interface — to ensure their equipment is working properly at every site.
• •  To save time, email a preliminary meeting agenda and bios of participants so people aren't introducing themselves or asking redundant questions during the actual net meeting.
• •  Peruse the specs listed at Web conferencing software Web sites to see exactly what sorts of features are typically offered.
• •  Ask if your Web conferencing software provider or hosting service offers tutorials that your entire staff and any other meeting participants can use to become acquainted with Web-based conferencing technology.

Web conferencing services change with the times. And as the landscape surrounding web conferencing software continues to evolve, following technological and financial forces, you have to keep up with online meeting services to be able to make the best presentations and know what your competitors are doing. The online conferencing service industry should be followed closely so that you can remain competitive and land the big contracts.

Follow the trends that are affecting web video conferencing in a variety of ways. Read Internet conferencing publications that can keep you updated with news and information. Subscribe to white papers and web conferencing solution articles. Take advantage of web conference trade groups that keep members apprised of news and trends. Look for web conferencing news and trends in a number of ways.

1. Get email alerts and net meeting newsletters.

2. Find focused information to fit your web conferencing needs.

3. Subscribe to magazines for e-conferencing.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Accept emails from news sources on online meeting services

Set up a separate email account to get email alerts, RSS feeds and industry newsletters that will send you news as it happens, the latest trend pieces and information about what the major industry players are up to. Check this email daily so you don't miss out on important news.

I recommend: Keep up with all the latest updates and breaking news at Conferencing News. Communiqué Conferencing brings news articles of interest to web conferencing professionals to one site where you can get at it in one place.

Find web video conferencing news that focuses on technological breakthroughs

The field of web conferencing is inherently focused on technology. In order to offer the best web conferences to your employees and clients, you need to stay on top of the latest technology in the field.

I recommend: At Web Conferencing-Test.com you can find news that relates to the issues that are driving the industry. Get in-depth articles and news releases that cover the issues surrounding video conferencing at the Videoconferencing Insight Newsletter.

Read about the latest Internet conferencing news

Take time to read in-depth reports and magazines that cover the industry further than the headlines. Often the best information that can help drive your own business decisions comes from investigative reporting and research articles that take a deeper look into industry issues.

I recommend: Find updated news that tracks the latest trends at Kolabora. Check out the web conferencing news located at Alltop, which may be able to serve as a single source for all your information needs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Encourage your staff to read publications and websites that can bring even more news about online meeting services. Make it fun by giving a prize to the team member who comes up with the best news tidbit each month.

Web conferencing takes the place of face-to-face real meetings. With video conferencing and sharing documents and other files, these conferences can be just as productive as real meetings and have many benefits. People from all over the country or the world can meet to discuss work issues. Web conferencing language contains many technical terms so make sure you brush up on the language before embarking on your first web conference. Once you know what the jargon means, you will be ready to host web conferences for your company.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Video conferencing

Video conferencing takes web conference calls to a new level by adding pictures to the mix. You may now not only hear the other people at your conference but see them as well. You may also use this feature to share files and presentations with all participants in the conference.

I recommend: CSD offers general information on video conferencing, as well as applications for its use in web conferencing.

Webinar

Webinar refers to a web seminar. Similar to a meeting held in the real world, this is an online web conference meeting between people in different locations connected by computers and a software program. Once connected, the participants can talk to each other and share files and presentations.

I recommend: ASME offers more information about webinars in general, as well as some specifics on how they work as web conferences.

Document sharing

Document sharing refers to the ability to show documents to all participants in a web conference. The host typically shares his or her desktop but can give control to any participant who needs to share files or presentations with the group.

I recommend: AccuConference provides web conferencing with document-sharing features. It also provides a section on application sharing, which is similar to document sharing.

Codec, or coder-decoder

Codec, or coder-decoder, is the hardware that codes an outgoing signal and deciphers the code on the other end. A signal is created at one computer and then transformed into a digital signal that travels to the other participants of the web conference. The hardware on the other end reads the digital signal and changes it back to the original transmission.

I recommend: AT&T provides information about codec coding, including how it works in web conferencing.

Broadband

Broadband refers to a high-speed Internet connection by cable or DSL (digital line subscriber). In web conferencing, it is necessary for participants to use this kind of connection instead of dial up due to the large data files.

I recommend: Federal Communications Commission provides a detailed explanation of broadband and some of its uses.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transmitted on an information channel. Think of it in relation to a highway. Bandwidth is the width of the highway, or how many lanes the highway contains. In web conferencing, it is important to have a large bandwidth due to the exchange of large amounts of data.

I recommend: CNET offers an online test to see what your bandwidth is for upload and download speeds.