There are a number of different options available to you when it comes to video conferencing today. For example, video conferencing can be undertaken through a conferencing service center. In addition, many businesses today now have own communications department or availabilities. In the end, many people maintain that having professional assistance with your video conferencing needs can be a very good idea. Through this article you are provided with an overview of these types of video conferencing services.

Video conferencing is also called video teleconferencing. Generally speaking it is a way of transmitting two-way information both visually and aurally between individuals in different locations. More often than not video conferencing is used for business related purposes.

When it comes to a professional video conferencing service, the provider supplies all the connections normally by a VOIP network. This type of service also supplies software and communication lines that would normally cost a lot of money to a business to maintain on its own. This particularly is the case when a small business or a freelancer is in need of video conferencing services. These professionals work to monitors the video conference closely to make certain that it is running as needed.

Through the teleconference, throughout the video conference, the video conference provider also has the ability of supplying a moderator for larger groups who are being brought together for the conference. The moderator will work to manage the video conference by handling passwords, connections, viewing, and even taking questions that might be raised through the process. Although there normally is an additional fee for the services of a moderator, the use of a moderator will assist in making certain that the video conference is smooth in its running and operation.

Over the past five years, video conferencing has been fundamental in connecting people worldwide who normally could not communicate so efficiently and effectively except by meeting in person. Video conferencing has resulted in a financial savings for businesses, other organizations and even families and individuals who desire this type of link up for personal communication purposes.

Most experts are now predicting the the use of video conferencing will become even more widespread over the course of the next five years. Indeed, analysts predict that within the decade, video conferencing will all but replace most face to face meetings involving individuals that are part of a business enterprise and who are located at disparate locations.

In addition to becoming far more commonplace in the next ten years, the costs associated with video conferencing are also expected to drop significantly. In short, video conferencing is projected to become far more affordable for businesses and individuals alike.

Free to $20/month

sightspeed
Free Trial?: Yes (15 days)
Price: $19.95/month - $695/month
Recording: Yes, video and voice.
Features: WebCam based. Multi-Party Video Conferencing, text messaging, unlimited PC-to-PC calling, and more.
Support: Live video or phone support 6am-6pm. Online knowledge base.

vyew
Free Trial?: Yes
Price: Ranges from $0 (ad supported) up to $19.95/month.
Recording: No
Features: Unlimited meetings up to 45 ppl. No special software required, desktop sharing, white-boards and more.
Support: Online user guide.

$20-$50/month

webex MeetMeNow
Free Trial? Yes (14 days)
Price: $49/month Save 20% on yearly purchase.
Recording: No
Features: Unlimited conferences up to 10 ppl. Private chat and more.
Support: Unlimited instructor led and self-paced training. Online ‘help’ section.

gotomeeting
Free Trial?: Yes (30 days)
Price: $49/month Save 20% on yearly purchase.
Recording: Audio recording.
Features: Unlimited conferences up to 15 ppl. Desktop sharing, white-boards, text chat, and more.
Support: Online and phone customer care. Unlimited software and service upgrades.

$50-$100/month

webex Meeting Center
Free Trial? Yes (14 days)
Price: $75/month per host. Also available as pay-per-use.
Recording: Yes
Features: Unlimited meetings up to 15 ppl. File transfer, text chat, share documents and more.
Support: Online user guide, free 24/7 phone support.

gotowebinar
Free Trial? Yes (30 days)
Price: $99/month Save 20% on yearly purchase.
Recording: Audio Recording.
Features: Unlimited webinars up to 1000 ppl. All the features of gotomeeting plus tracking of registrations, polling, surveys and more.
Support: Online support and 24/7 phone technical assistance.

Over $100/month

webex Event Center
Free Trial? Yes
Price: Request quote.
Recording: Yes, audio/video using flash or windows media file.
Features: Unlimited meetings up to 3000 ppl. Automated email management, streaming audio/video, powerpoint presentations, share documents, applications and more.
Support: Free training, online user guide, free 24/7 phone support.

A marketing plan is a road map detailing the “route” you’ll take to get your business noticed by potential clients. By following a properly crafted plan, you’ll know what to do, and why you’re doing it, while avoiding some of the mistakes that can cost you money and future growth. By using system video conferencing, you can provide your clients, associates, and employee’s with the tools they need to keep everyone informed and involved up to the minute- -updating on goods, services, and opening communication.

I started a business on a hunch, and didn’t truly know my market or competition. Had I done my research, I could have used lower cost materials, made less elaborate products, sold them in a different area, or skipped the venture all together. What I learned is that my opinion- -combined with my friend’s opinions, is not a strong enough basis to launch a business. When I discovered system video conferencing, my business had and obtained a new edge, where it had not had before.

When starting a business, you generally know where you want to end up, and you might have a vague idea of how to get there, but what if you get lost? A marketing plan is like a road map or corner gas station used as a reference tool to keep your marketing on track. If you run into “construction traffic”, a properly developed plan will offer options to keep you motivated, organized, and headed in the right direction. System video conferencing did this for my business. I was able to accommodate clients on a whole new level.

Ask your self these questions when considering using a system video conference.

Do you want a home based business with one or maybe two employees or a large firm with several hundred?

*How do you feel about travel ?

*How do you feel about making cold calls?

*How do you feel about the Internet?

*Can you type ?

*How fast do you want to grow?

*Do you have the resources to keep up with the growth?

This is another area where system video conferencing can come into play, making your business more than it is now and even more than what your competition has to offer. Your goals as a business entity will dictate how, and to whom, you market. When considering using as complex and bold a tool as a system video conference, think of how even the best marketing plan needs to be constantly evaluated and adjusted to keep business growth on track. The results of your efforts may not be bringing in the attention or revenue you require. The economy, business environment, competition, or technology may have changed necessitating a shift in your plan. Taking on this tool of system video conferencing can be a huge step in the productivity of your business. Making adjustment’s to a marketing plan is healthy. Even if you paid a mint for a professionally developed plan, you’ll want to review your status and results at least every six months to monitor effectiveness. When buying a plan, it’s important to ask that follow up support to be part of the package.

It’s easy to spend more than your annual revenue on marketing activities and supplies when you first start out. Make sure your budget is realistic before committing. Every dollar spent should have a tractable outcome – even if it takes several months or years to realize. Using a high tech system such as a system video conference, you will have to be willing to allocate a substantial part of your budget that will, in the long run pay for itself. By following a properly developed marketing plan, you’ll minimize the growing pains that often accompany a business start up. Revenue growth will be reasonably predictable and you’ll be laying a foundation for long term stability. Your business will run more efficiently because the next marketing steps will have been laid out in advance. More businesses are turning to system video conferencing, your business as well as mine, needs to get with this program. The initial expense is well worth the outcome and you will see this yourself by reaping the long term benefits of using system video conferencing.

To avoid the hassle of comparing web conferencing programs, one can visit sites that review applications and compare features. First off, knowing what you need is imperative to successfully getting into web-conferencing. Business executives can create a checklist of the features which are most important to them, thereby streamlining the process of choosing a product.

Clarify which kind of conferencing your business needs. If a business requires communicating in a single location, like a office conference chat requiring one server across the entire office, then simple web conferencing software is needed. If it entails being online and communicating across large distances, like executives from different offshore companies comducting conference calls, a more robust solution is needed. Regardless of whether they get online from some other system, members of the web conference meeting should be able to get in touch with each other. This is a major aspect to be considered, as it is one of the basic factors to be considered before setting up web conferencing.

Do you need video and audio? Does every workstation need a webcam, or would having a single working webcam across an entire room of group members suffice? Should video be sharp and audio distinctively clear? Or would an instant messaging system that only requires being installed and a working net connection suffice? These are things that also have to be finalized before looking for a web conferencing system to use.

Creating minutes or recordings of your meetings, whether by video, audio, or text logs should be decided upon, along with how these can be accessed by members. Auto saving is an integral part of web conferencing, and should be considered an important feature to look for in selecting web conferencing systems.

Overall, along with the cost, these are just some of the things that need to be determined before choosing which web conferencing software you wish to use in your business.

1) Lower costs and fewer travel related delays
2) Greater productivity since employees do not have to leave their offices to attend meetings
3) Greater employee satisfaction
4) Ease of use
5) The ability to train large numbers of employees efficiently
6) No need for expensive conference rooms or meeting space

There are a number of companies who specialize in helping employees and employers meet up no matter where they are physically located. Each company has its own unique take on the business of web conferencing, and it is important for companies to compare providers carefully.

Webinar
Communiqué Conferencing offers Webinar web conferencing services, and this service has a number of important benefits for large and small companies. Among the features and benefits of Webinar are:

1) Easy integration of audio and video conferencing
2) The ability for the audience to see the computer screen of the presenter. This feature is particularly useful for those hosting product demonstrations.
3) The ability to show animation
4) Webinar provides recording capabilities, making later playback easy for those who cannot attend the live meeting
5) Easy pre-registration and reporting features make it easy to keep track of meeting attendes
6) Easy management of question and answer sessions within the meeting
7) The ability to present polls and surveys to meeting attendees

Webex
Webex is one of the biggest and best known names in the world of web based conference services. The meeting management products offered by Webex afford companies many benefits and cutting edge features, including the ability to:

1) Create multimedia presentations through the use of integrated data, audio and video services. Webex provides a range of options to its clients, including toll-free teleconferencing and support for VoIP.
2) Share any desktop application or web browser. This makes it easy to incorporate animation and other special features into the demo or web conference.
3) Start meetings from any application with a single click from the desktop.
4) Make easy annotations to documents.
5) Record, edit and play back live audio and video presentations.

Go to Meeting
Gotomeeting is another household name in the world of web conferencing, and this unique product offers a number of great features and benefits for users at all levels. Some of the features included in this web conferencing product include:

1) Ease of use – Gotomeeting software is easy to use with its intuitive user interface. Little if any training is needed to get started.
2) Good value – this web conferencing software is a good value for the money.
3) Customers can host or attend as many meetings as they wish without incurring any additional charges.
4) Strong security – Gotomeeting provides the strongest standard security features to ensure the confidentiality of data presented during the web conference.
5) Integrated audio and video conferencing.

Instant Presenter
Last but certainly not least is a product called Instant Presenter. This web conferencing solution has a great deal to offer, including:

1) A completely web based web conferencing solution, with no special software to download or install.
2) Easy accessibility from any computer with a connection to the internet.
3) The ability to easily see which invitees have signed in to the meeting.
4) Automatic detection of webcams attached to the PC.
5) Seamless integration of existing VoIP services.
6) Instant conversion of PowerPoint presentations with a single mouse click.
7) Seamless sharing of screens.
8.) Easy whiteboard annotations.
9) The ability to collect feedback and comments in real time.
10) Integrated question and answer capabilities.
11) Recording and archiving capabilities.

by beconrad

As in the case of other software in the Office Suite, PowerPoint is supplied for Windows and Mac OS. It has reached its latest version, MS Office PowerPoint 2007. Today the PowerPoint is the most important and most popular format recognized for presentation purposes. Many major companies, corporations, etc., use PowerPoint as their presentation software.

The PowerPoint presentation is created in pages called slides, which can contain other objects like text, graphics, or even documents in other formats (even independent formats) using Microsoft’s OLE technology.

The PowerPoint was previously a copyrighted product of a software company, Forethought. Microsoft purchased the product and license for $14 million from them, and developed it as their own.

The PowerPoint documents support graphics, animation, slideshow, and text. The PowerPoint Viewer can be used to view the finished PowerPoint presentations. The extension PPT (PowerPoint Template) is an editable presentation file, whereas PPS is for only the show. PPS can also be edited using the PowerPoint application, however, it is optimized for the viewing. So, the PPS files will be less size than the corresponding PPT file.

The Attributes of PPS:

MIME Type: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (used to recognize the format when sent across as attachment in an email). application/vnd.ms-powerpoint

Program ID: Used to identify uniquely, the program for the file extension within the Windows Registry, which is a database of all data and applications in the system. PowerPoint.SlideShow.8
PowerPointViewer.SlideShow.11
soffice6.pps

Properties of the Presentations:

PowerPoint Presentations support Microsoft OLE technology, as do the other applications out there. They can hence include any type of object within their body. Also, the VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) will help make the presentations have the ability to process data, and behave almost like application programs. VBA comes packaged with higher versions of MS Office Suite. There are templates provided by Microsoft supplied with the application, which can be used to create slides. The templates can define the placement of text and other objects. Some templates even give the power of adding statistical diagrams like pyramid, bar graph, Venn diagram, and many others.

The animations supplied by the PowerPoint are of two types: slide animations and transitional animations. There are subtle, moderate, and exciting animations available preset in the application. Besides this, the custom animations can be done for the entry, emphasis, and exit of the objects in a slide. We can also animate the text’s movement. Custom animation can be created by choosing Slideshow from the menu and choosing Custom animation. The animation can be applied to all slides or select few. The transitional animations help decide how the transition from one slide to the next is done.

Besides these, there are many other features supported in PowerPoint presentations. The PowerPoint presentation format, as it has almost become the standard format for presentation, is recognized by also the other platforms like the Mac software, OpenOffice.org software etc.

Today’s PowerPoint Show is an XML based open format. It is downloadable from the Internet from Microsoft website. XML, the Extensible Markup Language is tomorrow’s format description scheme. It can well enhance the reach and popularity of the PPS documents.

As telecommuting positions and those that require extensive travel are becoming more common, conference calling technology provides an inexpensive and convenient means of facilitating voice-based communication with co-workers and clients. Additionally, as multinational corporations expand their operations on a world wide basis, conference calling technology can be an excellent tool for facilitating communication among team members and clients who may be on opposite ends of the globe.

Many companies are finding it beneficial to subscribe to an on-demand conference calling service, often referred to as a reservationless system. This type of system is particularly beneficial for organizations that have employees based in a wide variety of time zones and/or those who travel frequently. The primary benefit of a reservationless system is that subscribers have 24 hours per day, 7 days per week access to conference calling technology.

With a reservationless conference calling system, a unique teleconferencing line is assigned specifically to each subscriber. Anyone who has the dial in number, the access code, and a telephone can participate in a conference call any time, from any location. With a reservationless system, the calls are not operator attended, so no advance notice is required. Everyone benefits from easy access to communication technology when expedient solutions can be reached with the assistance of a reservationless conference calling system.

For example, imagine that one of one of your employees is attending a conference in Japan. A client in South Carolina is ready to sign a contract, but has to facilitate a discussion between his company’s legal advisors in New York and California and your employee who is in Japan. The easiest solution to this communication dilemma is to have all the parties involved dial in to a conference call line at the same time. Reservationless conference calling can provide a simple solution to what once would have been a lengthy and expensive process.

There are many different options for conference calling technology, and many different service providers. When your company needs spur-of-the-moment, around the clock access to conference calling technology, a reservationless system is definitely the best option to consider. Many providers offer free trial conference calls to prospective customers. It can be very beneficial to experience firsthand the quality of a provider’s conference calling technology and service prior to entering into long-term commitment with a particular provider.

With reservationless conference calling, the primary differences among providers will be in terms of pricing and the available features. Make sure you know the complete cost associated with all aspects of your plan. If a company tells you that having your calls recorded is free, make sure to found out if there is a charge for obtaining copies of the recordings.

When searching for a conference calling provider, take the time to research available features, and think about which features you are likely to utilize. If you need to record your conference calls, you should search for a service that provides affordable options for recording services. If you need to have transcripts generated from your conference calls, seek out one of the many conference calling service providers that also offers transcription services.

On demand conference calling is an excellent solution for companies who need to conduct real time meetings, training sessions, sales presentations, or any other types of communication events with groups of people in multiple locations. The time and money saved as a result of the reduced need for travel can result in higher bottom line profitability and greater employee job satisfaction. Reservationless conference calling is truly an example of how technology can make your work process function more efficiently. By Mary White

InstantPresenter Web Conferencing, Webinar and Webcast Service
Conduct your own web conferences, web-casts or webinars with this simple, browser based service. Supports webcam video, audio, text chat, whiteboarding, polling, screen sharing and more. Free trial!

2. Unlimited Access to Data- Using your internet connection, you can join an online meeting and still access unlimited data with the click of a mouse. You might need to know the bio data of the people you are meeting with or their company profile, just click your mouse. Or if you’re making a product presentation, just click a button and have your PowerPoint presentation available by your client at the other end of the line.

3. Increased Productivity- Since people can schedule their meetings online, they will spend less time on the inconveniences brought about by travel. Travel poses additional burdens to people who have to travel in different time zones and then go directly to meetings. Jet lag can be responsible for irritable executives who do not perform at thier optimum during business meetings. Having enjoyed a relaxed online meeting, they can be more productive after the meeting.

4. Global Connection- One of the marvels of video conferencing is its ability to connect people from all different parts of the globe. By navigating the global highway from the comfort of your own home or office, time and distance are no obstacle since you can reach a person in Europe or Asia no matter what time of the day it is.

5. Safety Concerns- If you dread flying or if you are wary of traveling to certain cities or countries, then thank online meetings because using this, you can go on with your life and business with far fewer safety concerns.

Many people are not really computer-savvy and if you ask your audience to install or download software, they may be either unsure of what they should do, or suspicious of the software for security reasons. Picking a web-conferencing solution such as gotomeeting that doesn’t require your participants to download any special software will improve the response to your event.

Several days before your webinar, try to find a person who is not especially experienced (computer-wise) and do a trial run of your conference with him/her as the audience. Ask how well the webinar worked and if there is anything that might be made easier.

*Multiple training sessions
*On the spot testing
*Q & A’s with the training instructor
*Performance assessment

Web conferencing programs vary depending on individual requirements. Some conferencing tools packages even have tools which help you build your own specialized content to fully facilitate your training programs. Properly evaulation your companies training needs is a vital step in choosing the best training solution for your employees.