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Things You Can Do to Get the Most Out of Your Web Conferences

May 28th, 2010

There’s a good chance that the next time you attend a class or seminar it will be online. Webinars are fast becoming the go to means for disseminating information to large groups of people quickly. Attendees love it because they can attend from the comfort of the home or office. Businesses are big on it because they can reach employees or prospective clients no matter where they are, and save big while doing so.

Attending a Web Conference

The quality or success of a web conference will be evaluated differently depending on the person. While the overall success is largely determined by the host, there are some things you can do to get the most out of your web meetings. Factors you can control that are needed for a web conference include:

Internet connection: High speed is preferable as it will enable faster downloads. It also enhances video and sound quality.
Speakers and microphone: A microphone is optional as it depends on the format of the particular conference. Speakers are essential.
Webcam: This depends on whether you are supposed to be seen in the web meeting. In many instances this is not necessary.

Making Your Contribution

contribute to a web meeting It’s true that the web conference is different from the standard meeting setting, but rules of good etiquette still apply. If you are expected to log in at a certain time, do so. Make note of any email reminders of the conference so you won’t miss the date.

If it is supposed to be an open discussion, prepare some quick points beforehand. Make notes during the session if you think it necessary. Take advantage of chat function during meeting to post questions without disrupting the presentation.

Avoid straying off topic. It might be a big money saver, but with web meetings time is still money. Using tools that enable collaboration and free flow of ideas will make for a more meaningful session. Some features you might want to look out for include:

Whiteboard
Text chat
Live video

As with face-to-face meetings, you typically get from a web conference what you are willing to put into it. Luckily, attending a web conference is not a technical issue, so you can concentrate on what is important. So before you attend your next webinar or web meeting, think about what you will contribute.

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Posted in How Tos, Web Seminars

Tags: teamwork web conference web meeting

Web Meetings, Do IT Know Best?

May 14th, 2010

IT departments have become a standard component of many businesses today, especially those that heavily utilize computer and communications technology. In charge of the company’s technology needs, the IT guy is the one you kermit learn more about web meetings call when for are your computer troubles.

In spite of their obvious technical know how, IT staff is sometimes at odds with the company’s decision makers. Not surprisingly most of these little squabbles revolve around money. IT department strive to bring the best products to the company but often overlooking the staggering price tag that comes along with a top of the tier product. With communications technology there are lots of grey areas where cost is concerned. Sometimes it makes sense to go all out, sometimes it doesn’t.

The Web Conferencing Dilemma

Deciding to use web conferencing is not much of a quandary these days. There is ample evidence that supports the idea that this one of the best routes a company can take for communications. However, with there being so many vendors out there, making a decision can be hard. Just remember that certain features are considered essential, such as:

Audio conferencing integration
Screen sharing or remote desktop
File transfer
Text chat

These are pretty much standard with most web conferencing solutions. Just keep in mind that the quality of these features varies depending on the provider.

The Clash over Web Meetings

The thing to remember is that IT staff usually knows what they are talking about. It is what they were hired for. Still, it never hurts to do your own research. A more informed buyer is a better buyer. With web meetings, higher cost does not always translate to quality. Start by defining the need of the company. Once you start out with a clear picture of what your company needs, choosing a conferencing solution becomes simplified.

Choose a solution that is scalable, that is, capable of growing as your company does. You’ll find that on this issue, you and the IT department will be on the same page.