About the top 5 online conference companies
Online conferencing is also known as web conferencing. This refers to the service that uses Internet as a conferencing venue and allows conference center events to be shared within remote areas anywhere in the world at any time through the use of a standard browser software. Participants or interested parties register with an online conference center and they are given a unique password that they use to log on as much as they wish. Once registered as a member, an person can access the various conference center groups, closed discussion groups and seminar groups. Most online conference centers have features like online polls, mailing lists, blogs, instant messaging, RSS feeds, and personal and shared calenders.
There are many online conferencing companies that offer different services differently and are created to achieve different and unique goals. The following is a list and description of five online conference centers.
- Cisco Web Ex: Cisco bought Web Ex in 2007. The Web Ex suite provides a wide range of online conferencing services like. event centers, meeting centers, training centers and support centers. Web Ex and Microsoft are deemed the web conferencing heavyweights. There is no specific software required, it runs on Internet and smartphones. You can send invitations and reminders using an automated phone call, text or email message. Has collaboration tools like annotating tools, teleconferencing VoIP, screen sharing via desktop and applications, video conferencing and mobile access for smartphones.
- Microsoft office live meeting: Allows you to hold virtual meetings with a group of participants. Has live meetings that allow users too chat, exchange information, pre record presentations and share files. Presenters are able to receive feed back from meeting attendees that allow them to adjust pace and content. Supports instant web conference centers from any Windows,mac or Linux system. Invitation tools are linked to Microsoft out look as add-in's that provide a meeting now button to create urgent meetings. The collaboration tools are annotating tools, text chat, teleconferencing,VoIP, video conferencing and multiple presenters.
- Adobe connect: It is an online conference center that offers solutions to online meetings, e-learning and webinars that er used by big corporations and government agencies. It is based on adobe flash technology. Adobe connect 8software contains new interface featuring better organized controls, accessibility functions and one-click sharing. Supports web conference centers from any Windows, Linux system and mac. Its invitation tools are online calender and meeting scheduler. Collaboration tools are. multiple presenters, annotating tools, text chat, teleconferencing,VoIP and video conferencing.
- Watchitoo: It is a real time collaboration platform that allows the melding of multimedia presentations with video conferencing so as to create a powerful stage for online communication. This technology allows you to host and participate in presentations that support multiple video feeds, white boarding, screen sharing, API implementation, embedding capabilities and recording functionalities that boost collaboration and communication. It is web based with invitation tools like multiple embed locations and internal email invitations. Collaboration tools are screen sharing, text messages, questions, mobile access, video conferencing, video editing and whiteboard.
- Infinite conferencing: It specializes in web and phone conferencing solutions, web casting and webinars. Has feature rich solutions like. on demand to full scale conference centers and online event management. Its web based with invitation tools like automated reminder and confirmation emails and registration tools that have a customized registration and e-Vite page. Collaboration tools include. web conferencing, teleseminars, web-casting through webcams, phone conferencing, VoIP, and other pro services though it is not compatible with mobile devices.
Advantages of online conference centers
Online conferencing may not be better than the normal face-to-face conferencing, but its up to date, different and it has advantages like:
- Its cheaper: there are no travel and accommodation expenses required.
- Convenient: you can access it any time and anywhere so long as you have Internet connection.
- High level of participation: more people participate and join online conference centers hence, the standards of discussion is higher and more resourceful than face to face conferencing.
- The online conferencing proceedings are recorded permanently.
The web conferencing technology is standardized. The following are the main standards that a web conference center should fulfill.
- A basic floor control protocol.
- A membership and authorization control mechanism.
- A mechanism that manipulates and describes media for multiple media types.
- A notification mechanism.
