Web Based Video Conferencing

Widely used across the world  web based video conferencing represents a convenient alternative to face-to-face meetings. Whether you’re at home or in your business office, you can greatly benefit from online web based video conferencing by saving the time and the money involved in setting and carrying a live, flesh and bones conference.

Technical requirements

Thanks to the fast paced evolution of technology nowadays, both equipment and software requirements for hosting an online video conference are easily affordable. First of all, you’re going to need a computer equipped with a microphone and a webcam (doesn’t matter if it’s a desktop or a laptop model), a decent Internet connection and last but not least, a web based video conferencing software application. You can find all of these in several  e-shops, so it shouldn’t be an inconvenience.

Web Based Video Conferencing – How does it work?

In order to host web based video conferencing, all participants must be connected to the Internet and use the same video conferencing application. One user will host the conference and invite the others to participate.

All that’s left to do is to wait for the invited users to join the online video conference room and begin the discussion.

Pros and cons of web based video conferencing

While we can’t deny the fact that hosting online conferences has its disadvantages, the list of advantages surely shifts the scales in favor for such events.

The good ones:

• Participants interact. Unlike older applications, nowadays software allows users to communicate at the same time, visually and also spoken, without the frustration of having to wait for the speaking user to get off the voice channel in order to allow another user the right to speak. It represents a great advantage compared to older software, but it doesn’t mean it’s not considered impolite for all the users to talk at the same time.
• Slide show presentations. Applications such as PowerPoint and Keynote can greatly increase the quality and quantity of information transmitted and received through  web based video conferencing! Users can present charts and images, they can use markup tools to discuss the content of the presented images and they can use remote mouse pointers to engage the audience while the presenter outlines his or her material.
• Multimedia files presentations. Users can present video/audio files during a video conference.

• Text chat feature. Users can contact each other through private text messages during a conference, but they also have the possibility to send text messages to all participants.

• Screen sharing. While some may find this feature less useful, many people involved in the IT industry will greatly benefit from this option. Screen sharing can be used when presenting a tutorial or when there’s no other way the audience can understand better what the presenter is trying to share.

And the downsides…

To some an advantage, to some a disadvantage, the fact that web based video conferencing can take place in  cyber space will never be the same as a live, face-to-face conference. Although technology can be massively used in a live presentation as well, online video conferencing applications come with something a face-to-face meeting cannot, up to date, real time money saving features.

However, an offline conference will always provide participants with more information, for the simple fact that it’s easier to raise a question when confused, rather than private message the presenter. And hey, passing notes is not such an ancient practice!

It can end abruptly. While an offline conferences can go on and on even if some sort of technological problem arises, an online conference can’t. But software companies are working to deal  with such inconveniences, with the result being that nowadays if one or more users disconnect from the online conference room, the conference can still continue. Moreover, some applications even allow the first invited participant to become the host of the conference if the presenter fails to remain online during the presentation.

In the end, whether you’re not very technologically inclined, you should still give web based video conferencing a try. Who knows, you may actually like it and decide to settle for it instead of carrying on with expensive, dreadfully organized face-to-face meetings.