Basic Features of Web Conferencing You Need to Know

Web conferencing is an increasingly popular technology among companies because it makes online business meetings across great distances very simple. If you are thinking about implementing web conferencing solutions in your office network,you may be curious about what exactly web conferencing has to offer. Below are the common features of web conferencing:

1. Shared Presentation

This is just like giving a presentation to a roomful of people,except in this case,you launch the presentation to run simultaneously on the computer screens of all the participants. That way,even if you cannot get everybody to be in the same room,you can ensure that everyone involved can view the same presentation.

2. Whiteboard

A useful function for virtual online meetings,the interactive whiteboard can be called up in a separate window. You can write and draw freely on the whiteboard,and the results will be shown to all participants. Everyone can take turns getting active permission to mark the whiteboard.

3. Co-browsing

A feature that lets you surf the Internet as a group. This is a good way of browsing through a client website,for example,to explain its features or to get feedback about the site's design and content.

4. Instant Messaging

A familiar technology to most Internet enthusiasts,instant messaging allows real-time text-only conversation between two or more people online. The text messages can often be supplemented by small icons,smileys,or limited graphics. Instant messaging offers a practical way to hold an interview,a press conference,a panel discussion,or a Q&A session. It is quite handy for keeping a record of discussion since there is no need to transcribe anything,as all the responses are typed in directly by the participants.

5. VoIP Audio Conferencing

This stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It refers to a technology that allows voice calls to be made directly through the Internet instead of passing signals through traditional telephone lines. As a result,voice calls using VoIP are much less expensive than regular phone calls,especially when dealing with long distances. Most web conferencing solutions will require you to use a telephone line,but then some like ezTalks will not even need that. You only need to connect a microphone to your computer and you are set.

6. Video Conferencing

Made possible by installing inexpensive webcams,videoconferencing allows the web participants to communicate on a virtual face-to-face basis. The video is of relatively low quality,and the image refresh will have a delay,but it is still a good way to add a more personal feel to online conversations.

7. Support

Many web conferencing software providers offer great support. But be sure you check this when considering a particular application so that you know you will always have the help when you need it. Give the company a call to see if they answer the telephone during normal business hours. If you cannot speak with someone to get your pre- sales questions answered promptly,it's a pretty good indication of the kind of support you'll receive once you become a customer.

7. Screen Sharing

This is a web conferencing feature that allows you to display your computer screen to all of the participants. When other users select the "shared screen" option,they can see a view of your monitor almost exactly as it appears in front of you,with only minor differences in formatting. This is vital for sharing important visual information.

8. Compatibility

Web conferencing software applications are being designed for all kinds of platforms today owing to their vast popularity. There are software applications that will work only on the Windows operating systems,while there are also those that support MAC users as well. They may be server based or peer to peer. These are some features that you need to check into,as a server-based system,like ezTalks,supports all connection speeds,including dial-up and satellite users. ezTalks also runs on Java,which is pre-installed on all MAC systems and the majority of new PCs. So there is no huge download or installation for you or your web conference guests.

9. Website,HTML Slides & File Sharing

For people who are communicating from remote locations,this is an unbeatable option. Presenters and guests can share web pages,HTML slide show presentations,online streaming videos,as well as provide links to online documents. These could be files of different formats; they could be PDF files,word documents,presentation,spreadsheets. ezTalks allows you to do this through synchronized browsing. You can invite your guests to visit a website,and they can download files from there.

10. Ability to Go Private

Any good web conferencing tool should allow presenters and moderators to go for private conversations if needed. Thus,if two people participating in a conference need to communicate in private,they should be able to do so through private text chat.

Conclusion

Some of the best video conferencing features include Avaya web conferencing features and Lync web conferencing features. They offer you the key features of web conferencing listed in this article.

Web conferencing is an efficient,cost-friendly solution that any business would greatly benefit from. If you want the ideal web conferencing solution for your business,give a call to a web conferencing service with the best web conferencing features!