Posts Tagged ‘Web Conference’

2012 is the Year for Conference Call Services

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Happy New Year! I hope you had a good 2011 and you have an even better 2012. It looks like the economy could be on its way for better year which means we will all be that much busier. If you are still on the side lines it is time to use conference call services to help you get the most out of your time in 2012. Let’s face it, the past couple of years have meant downsizing and ultimately more work for those that still have a job. And management expects everyone to do more with less. So if you are looking for ways to save some money and increase productivity for yourself or those around you a quality conference call service is just the ticket for you in 2012. Although there are many benefits to using conference calls for your business there are none more powerful than saving time and money.

Save Money – Conference call services have enjoyed extraordinary growth over the past 15 years partly due to all the money a conference call saves compared to an in person meeting. Even if your meeting is fairly local it still costs money to get everyone together. When you start traveling the cost really adds up. If you are traveling by car there is the gas, tolls and mileage you are going to incur when you go to the meeting. And if the meeting is across the country the costs are even greater with airline, rental car, hotels and restaurants all figured into the mix. And I am sure you have noticed that none of these costs have gone down over the past few years. But remarkably the costs of conference call services have declined over the past few years to all time lows. For a combined cost of just a few dollars a group of people can get together and hold a meeting even if the participants are spread across the country. And if you use a web conference along with the conference call you can have all the same tools at your disposal as if you were in a meeting room.

Save Time – If you are one of the many companies trying to do more with less resources you know how important your productivity is. Wasting time in traffic or airports and airplanes can really cost you. If you never had to travel to a customer again as a salesperson how many more customers could you sell? I am certainly not advocating you never see a customer again but reducing the number of in person meetings increases the time you can spend acquiring new customers or dealing with the ones you already have. A quality conference call service gives you everything you need to meet with people over great distances and be as productive as possible.

So I am sure when you look back on 2011 like me you will wonder where it went. Time flies and there really is no time to waste. So make 2012 the year you embrace conference call services and use our services to your advantage. You will be glad you did.

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Virtual Holiday Parties with a Conference Call Service

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

It is the time of year for holiday parties but today many businesses have remote employees scattered around the country so why not include all of your employees with a virtual holiday party using a conference call service? For most businesses it is just too costly to bring all of your employees in for a holiday party but there is no reason not to include them in the festivities. Using a conference call service you can connect all of your remote employees into the party and have them still participate and interact with the rest of your employees. Today you can host a virtual party easily using conference call services like audio conferencing and web conferencing. The technology today allows you to share the audio, any presentation materials you may use and even video of the event while it is taking place. And the cost of the event will not break your budget.

Audio Conferencing – The simplest way to connect your remote participants to your virtual holiday party using a conference call service is by using a conference call. You certainly may not keep a conference call up for the full duration of the party but usually management likes to take a minute in the beginning or end of the vent to thank and recognize employees for the past year’s accomplishments. So if you establish a conference call for the beginning of the party you can include the remote participants easily in the festivities. After announcements you can end the conference call portion and continue with the party but at least your remote employees were included at the beginning.

Web Conferencing – With Web Conferencing you can provide a visual aspect to your virtual holiday party. If you do any employee recognition you can provide a presentation that includes the names and their achievements and a picture of the recipient so all participants can be included. Most conference call services that provide web conferencing have desktop video included as well. So if you have a desktop video camera you can have the remote employees see the venue and be seen as well. If you want to get real elaborate you can have your A/V source provide a large screen to enhance this interaction. The remote participants can also interact using web conferencing tools so they feel like a part of the party.

Zip Conferencing is a conference call service provider that has all the tools you need to do virtual meetings for any event including your virtual holiday party. Speak to a representative today who can assist you in planning your next remote event.

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Web Conferencing Software was all the Rage

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

Okay, I am going to date myself a little with this post but what the heck. I spoke to someone the other day and he mentioned how he used to work for MShow and it brought back lots of fond memories. MShow was one of the first web conferencing providers and like the others at the time the way it all worked was with web conferencing software. You see back then, sounds like a long time ago but it was only the late 1990s, the Internet was still in its infancy and everyone didn’t have a broadband connection. Many of the things we now take for granted just did not exist. And in this environment someone had the brilliant idea that it would be great if people could share their computer screens across a network or do presentations and so web conferencing software was invented. And MShow was one of the leaders.

The way web conferencing software worked back then was every computer that you wanted to do a web conference with had to have the software installed prior to the conference call. And at the time downloading software on the Internet was not commonplace either. So you literally had to have the CD ahead of time and install web conferencing software. Once you had the web conferencing software installed you still needed a little help doing a web conference with more than one other computer. The company I worked for at the time actually built one of the first web conferencing bridges we had ever heard about. We rigged up a computer with a network hub attached to it because you literally needed a network connection for each participant. Pretty laughable now but we were able to get 5 computers on a web conference at a time, amazing! MShow ended up being acquired by a large conferencing service provider and Webex came along and the rest as they say is history.

Today, conferencing service providers like Zip Conferencing provide web conferencing services that accomodate over 100 participants and there is not even a need to download any web conferencing software. Zip Conferencing uses Flash which is already installed in everyone’s PC to enable the web conference. Everyone has a broadband connection to the Internet and it is easier than ever to do a web conference where you can share your computer screen, do a presentation and even share video from your desktop. Amazing. Like I said I am going to date myself a little bit but it was only 14 years ago that we were trying to figure out how to get 5 computers on a web conference at the same time. I wonder what the next 14 years will hold.

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Web Conferencing Services should be Easy to Use

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Web Conferencing Services have helped companies save millions of dollars and are here to stay. The use of web conferencing services is expected to continue to grow rapidly over the next 5 years as more and more people adopt them for their own use. And the inclination of many of the web conferencing services providers is to add more and more features to try and attract customers. But the one thing that you really need to have in your web conferencing services is their ease of use. Zip Conferencing has gone to great lengths to create a web conferencing service that is powerful and yet easy to use. Here are some of the features that make our web conferencing service one of the easiest to use services in the market.

Outlook Integrated Invitations- One of the complications of getting a web conference meeting going is inviting your participants. Different web conferencing services do this in a variety of ways but all offer some type of email confirmation or a web page you can send your participants to in order to join the meeting. These methods certainly work but why should you have to cut and paste and try to pull together the information for your participants. With Zip Conferencing you can use our Outlook scheduling tool and integrate your web conference details right within Outlook. That way you are able to put out a meeting request just like you would any other meeting, from within Outlook. Invite participants and have them accept the meeting and have the meeting appear on your calendar all using the same steps you would take to schedule any meeting. Now that is Easy!
Intuitive Control Panel – The actual functionality of a web conference is not that different across providers but what is different is that way that you access the functions from within the service. With all of the different features now packed within the web conferencing services out there you sometimes have to navigate a maze of controls to find what you are looking for. Zip Conferencing has put the most widely used features front and center using intuitive controls available with the touch of a button.
No Software Downloads – One of the hardest things to overcome with a web conference is getting on the meeting. Many times participants who have not used the web conferencing services before will have to download software in order to join the meeting. Many times adding software to a computer is prohibited by companies and participants are unable to join. With Zip Conferencing there are no software downloads for the participants. Our web conference service uses Flash which is already widely installed on people’s computers so there is no waiting for participants to download software.

If it isn’t easy to use you probably won’t use it. So if you are just starting out doing web meetings or you have struggled in the past to have a successful web conference give Zip Conferencing a try.

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No Web Conference Software Necessary

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Web conference software has been around since the beginning of web conferencing. In fact in the beginning everyone needed the same web conference software on their PCs in order to have a web conference. Not really practical when you think about inviting people who are new participants to a web conference. What are you supposed to do send them the software ahead of time? It is easy to see how a service provider that made it easy could gain so much ground in the providing of web conferencing. But even service providers of web conferencing require that you download web conference software in order to use their service. Zip Conferencing has a web conferencing service that requires no web conference software for the participants which makes it easier on everyone. Here are some of the advantages of using a service provider and not using web conference software.

No Up Front Cost – If you buy web conference software there is going to be the up front cost associated with buying the software. You then need to spend valuable time installing the software on the PCs you intend to conduct your web conferences with as well.
No Maintenance Cost – In order to keep your web conference software up to date you will need to buy regular maintenance updates on the software.
Any Participants can Join – If you use a service provider instead of web conference software the participants can join a web conference without having to install software. Participants generally are going to join your web conference last minute and you don’t want any delays while your participants are downloading software.
Full Support – If you purchase web conference software you are not going to get the kind of support you get with a service provider. With Zip Conferencing you get support 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. You can even get support while in your conference call by simply pressing the star key followed by zero on your telephone.

These days with any number of web conferencing service providers out there that provide services at very reasonable rates you really have no reason to go out and purchase web conference software. And the way that the service works with Zip Conferencing you and your participants don’t even have to download any software. Since our service was built on a Flash platform you just need to have Flash on your PC. These days anyone that surfs the Internet has Flash on their PC. So anyone can join our web conferencing service without having to download any web conference software.

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Have you tried a Web Conference yet?

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

I still talk to people all the time that have not hosted a conference call before so it does not come as a shock to know that most people have not tried a web conference yet. Let’s face it, you have to learn a new thing on your PC and who has the time for that? Besides a web conference is hard to do and everyone joining the call has to learn something new too, right? Well I am hear to tell you that I don’t like having to learn new things either but today’s web conference is so easy to use there really isn’t anything to learn. You can literally sign in to the Zip Conferencing web conference for the first time and be up on a web conference with your participants in just a couple of minutes. And as easy as it is for the host of the web conference it is even easier for the participants. There is no software to install and all they have to do is click on a link you send them and they are on the web conference. In case you did not know here are some of the things you can do on a web conference.

Share Your Desktop – By far the most popular thing that people do on a web conference is share their desktop or an application with their participants. Basically what you are doing is allowing your participants to see whatever you have on your PC. If you want to show your participants a web site your are browsing or a application on your computer you can on a web conference. That way you and your participants are literally on the same page when you are talking on a conference call.
Collaborate on a Document – Not only can you share an application during a web conference but you can also allow your participants to provide input on a document or spreadsheet by giving them control of an application. If a participant has an idea for updating a formula in Excel, for instance, you can give them control and let them put the new formula in on the spreadsheet on your PC.
Do a Q&A session – If you are conducting a seminar or training session the hardest thing is keeping your audience engaged. With a web conference you can conduct a Q&A session and poll your audience. You can then share the results with your audience. Interaction like this will keep your audience on their toes and involved in your discussion.

And the best thing is you can try a web conference for free with a FREE demo from Zip Conferencing. That’s right, the first 30 days are free! So what are you waiting for? Try a web conference today!

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Summertime Conference Calls

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Here it comes! Summertime. And we all look forward to spending time doing the things we love and spending time away from the office. So why would I want to talk about conference calls in the summertime? Well, when you thin about it getting on a conference call to stay in touch with things is sometimes a much better option than having to go into the office to meet with people. In fact, summertime conference calls can really save your summer vacation. How can a conference call be a good thing?

Conference Calls can be attended from Anywhere- I have taken a conference call in some mighty strange places. But that is because I have not let the need to attend a conference call get in the way of a vacation day. But I will never complan if I have to leave my chair at the beach for a few minutes to go to the air conditioned car where it is not windy so I can get on a conference call. The alternative is I can’t go to the beach at all because I have to go to the office for a meeting. So take your conference call wherever you need to as they don’t care if you are at the beach, boat, camp or wherever. If your phone works so will your conference call.
A Conference Call can happen Anytime – I have also been on a conference call at all times of the day. With people all around the world being able to join a conference call with Zip Conferencing I have been on calls all hours of the day. But wherever I am when the call happens I simply need to get on the telephone and can do that from the comfort of my home and go back to bed if necessary.
A Web Conference is Just like being There- If you add a web conference to your conference call you can colloborate with others just like you are in the room with them. So if you really need to get some work done all you need is a PC and in internet connection and you can literally do whatever you need to do from a meeting standpoint from anywhere in the world.

So don’t think of a conference call as an interruption on your vacation but as simply a way you can do what needs to be done for work without the need to disrupt your summer. Enjoy the summer!

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What is a Web Conference Call?

Friday, June 10th, 2011

Conference Call Service Providers that have web conferencing in their service offering provide the audio component of the web meeting in a couple of ways. So I thought it would be helpful to explain what a web conference call was and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

VOIP conference call – One way to connect with your participants during a web conference call is to have the audio portion of the conference call go through the PC along with the web conferencing component. The advantage to this is there is typically no additional cost to having parties connect using this method. The disadvantages are that some people are not set up to listen through their PC or they are at work and can’t disturb the people around them by playing sound through their PC. And most people do not have the ability to talk through their PC either. That means it will be difficult to have your audience participate in the conference call. Another disadvantage is that you are using up bandwidth by talking over the same Internet connection as the web conference. This can create additional quality issues with the audio portion or web portion of the web conference call.
Local Access Number – Most web conferencing providers will provide a local access number to connect to the audio portion of the web conference call over a telephone. The advantage to this method is that you are allowing participants to connect using a telephone and they don’t have to be on their PC to hear the conference call. If someone is on the road and can’t access their PC they can still participate. Also, the quality issue is now solved by separating the PC traffic from the voice traffic. The disadvantage is that participants have to dial a local number somewhere and may get charged by their telephone company to connect to your conference call.
Toll Free Access Number – The toll free access number using a regular telephone conference call that is integrated to the web conference incorporates the advantages of using a regular telephone call with the convenience of a toll free connection. Now you know that your participants will not see any hidden charges when they connect to your web conference call.

So when you are shopping for a web conferencing service provider you may want to pay attention to the web conference call connection methods they provide. Zip Conferencing provides local and toll free access numbers using a regular telephone conference call for the maximum quality and convenience.

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The Right Web Conferencing Solution for You

Monday, June 6th, 2011

Web Conferencing has come a long way since its invention in the mid 1990′s and today there are a lot of different solutions available. So what is the right web conferencing solution for you? First you need to familiarize yourself with the different features and options available and then look for the right solution. Here are a few of the most popular options available with a web conferencing solution.

Application Sharing – Most web conferencing solutions offer some type of application sharing. Application sharing is where you have the ability to show what is on your computer to the participants in your web conference. Usually you can choose the application you want to share or just show everyone your entire desktop. Just be careful if you choose your entire desktop all participants will see everything you have open on your computer as you move around.
Whiteboarding – This is another popular feature for any web conferencing solution. This feature mimics having a white board in your meeting. You have the ability to draw on the white board and so do your participants. So if you want a live interactive white board session you want to look for this feature.
Video Sharing – Some, but not all web conferencing solutions allow you to share your desktop video with your participants. And some web conferencing solutions enable your participants to share their video with you and other participants as well. Zip Conferencing has full video sharing with the host and participants.
Q&A and Polling – If you intend to use the web conferencing solution for any training application you may want to make sure it has some form of Q&A and Polling built into it. These features allow you to ask the participants questions and then provide the results real time to the audience. This interactivity helps keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation.
Chat – A chat function in the web conferencing solution allows you to communicate with people separately from the audio portion of the meeting. That way you can have a private discussion with a participant during the web conference.

The best way to determine which web conferencing solution is right for you is to try them out. Most of the services available offer some type of a free trial so there is no risk in trying out the service. Zip Conferencing is extremely easy to use and offers a 30 day free trial to all users.

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Online Web Conferencing just got Easier

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Online web conferencing has been around now for a while. And online web conferencing of any kind is a whole lot easier than what you had to do before the proliferation of the Internet. But one of the reasons online web conferencing has not been more widely adopted is because people are reluctant to learn a new application. Conference calls are very easy because all you need is a telephone and everyone knows how to operate a telephone and dialing into a conference call could no be any easier. So why does online web conferencing have to be so difficult. Well, Zip Conferencing does not believe that a web conference should be any more difficult to run than an audio conference call. And our new web conferencing service has taken the learning curve out of online web conferencing. It is so easy to use you will not need any instruction whatsoever to be successful with the service right from the start. In addition to being easy to use our online web conferencing service is packed with features that will allow you to perform amazing things. Here is a list of some of the features that separate our online web conferencing service from all the others out there.

No Software Download Needed – Our online web conferencing does not require you to download any software in order to participant in the web conference. This makes it much easier for your participants to join a web conference. You won’t be wasting time waiting for people to connect to the your conference call and you participants won’t be frustrated trying to join either.
Dial Me Connections – Instead of having to figure out how to dial into online web conferencing we have made it so the system can dial out to you. That way you don’t have to figure out a conference call and a web conference they are the same. Just put your phone number into the system and it will connect you to the web conference.
Application Sharing – Like other online web conferencing solutions our web conferencing service allows you to share an application or your entire desktop with your participants. The difference is we have an easy to find button that starts the process. You don’t have to try to figure out how to share an application it is very evident from within the tool.
Polling – Many online web conferencing sites have polling but it is hard to operate. Our web conferencing service has an easy to use polling feature that lets you share the results easily with your audience. A polling feature helps keep your participants engaged in your web conference.
Video Sharing- Our online web conferencing solution even allows you to share your web cam feed with your participants. And your participants can play too. In fact you can have an unlimited number of web cams in your web conference.
Outlook Integration – To make the invitation process with your participants simple our online web conferencing service is integrated with Outlook so that you can invite participants through your email and then save the meeting as a scheduled appointment in your calendar.

The trick to successful online web conferencing is making it easy to use. Zip Conferencing makes web conferencing as easy as can be.

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New Web Conferencing Service to be Unveiled

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

Zip Conferencing’s web conferencing service is going to be greatly improved with the unveiling of a new version later this month. Even though the current web conferencing service has proved to be a high quality, reliable service for many years, the new service will take advantage of some new technologies to make it even that much better. The new web conferencing service is due to be released on January 24th. Here is a copy of the release announcement.

ZIp Conferencing is excited to announce that the web conferencing service interface has been redesigned with a fresh and intuitive look and feel, and will be released in January 2011.

We’re excited for you to experience the product’s enhanced features, all designed to improve your meeting experience.

What stays the same?

· Login credentials – process for logging in, scheduling and starting meetings

· Persistent URL – Personalized Persistent URL’s you’ve created in the past

· Content Library – any presentations loaded or recordings saved

· Pricing and Service Plans

· Same great customer support

What’s New?

You’ll experience all the great functionality you have today, such as: Application and Presentation Sharing, Chat with Attendees, Audio Conference Controls, Polling, Q&A, White-boarding and web streaming. The new product release will also include the following new exciting enhancements:

· No more Java – the new interface is built in Flash so everyone can join your meeting in seconds

· Improved User Interface – to make meetings easier to run and more engaging

· Outlook Integration – quickly schedule meetings, manage your account preferences or get support in a single click right from Outlook

Since the new web conferencing service is built using Flash there is no need for anyone to load any web conferencing software in order to use the service. This will make hosting and attending a web conference that much easier. The User interface has also been improved to make it even easier to run a web conference. And lastly, the Outlook integration makes scheduling and attending a web conference as easy as opening a meeting in Outlook.

If you would like more information regarding Zip Conferencing’s web conferencing service please visit our web site at www.zipconferencing.com

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A good Conference Call Rate is just the Beginning

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

I know. The way the economy has been the last couple of years the price is very important. And I agree. Even with something as important as a conference call the rate is an important factor in deciding who to choose for a conference call service provider. With Zip Conferencing the conference call rate is just the beginning.

At Zip Conferencing we believe that you should be able to get a quality conference call service and a good conference call rate. In fact, our company was designed from the ground up to do just that. First, we installed nothing but the latest equipment and connected it to the best phone networks available. The quality of the conference call itself is the single most important factor in providing our customers a quality experience. We also made sure that the equipment and network were fully backed up with hot stand by equipment and power back up to make sure the service is available 100% of the time. Next, we designed our systems around the customer experience to provide a better way for our customers to maintain their accounts. For this, we installed an online account interface that allows our customers to access their accounts themselves. In addition, we gave our customers the ability to customize their own experience by giving them access to many of the popular conference options and letting them decide how their conference call should run. For all of these features a conference call rate was not considered because we believe you need to have a quality experience above all else.

To mkae sure you get a conference call rate we did, however, design our company differently than other conference call service providers. The main difference you will find is that we have automated all of the back office processes to keep costs down. We also do not have expensive offices or field sales people. Do you really need to see a salesperson in order to get your conference call service? I think not. We do not print paper bills which is not just environmentally friendly but saves money as well. But none of the changes we have made to give you a good conference call rate diminish your experience. We still provide 24/7 customer service and the highest quality conference calls and web conferences available in the market today. But with our lower overhead we can also give you the best conference call rate available today.

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Conference calls because of a volcano?

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Okay, I have been in the conference call industry since 1995 and I have seen a lot of applications for conference calls. There have also been events that have triggered the use of conference calls like 9/11, but I have to admit this is the first time I have seen an increase in conference calls because of a volcano. But then the volcano in Iceland obviously caused a lot more interruptions than any other volcano in recent history. And when travel is interrupted the use of conference calls goes up. And it always seems that when people are forced to use conference calls and web conferencing because of an event they realize how easy the services are to use and how effective they can be at allowing you to have a distance meeting.

And why wait for a volcanic eruption to discover how conference calls can save you time, money and increase your productivity? Businesses have discovered for a long time that using conference calls and web conferencing to replace some of your in person meetings is not just he practical thing to do but simply a good business decision. Let’s face it, most meetings we have are not necessary to have in person. You are simply communicating with people you know and sharing ideas, advancing a project or doing a presentation. Unless you need to do something physically with the participants or desire to shake hands all of this can be done remotely. And even as a staunch promoter of conference calls I understand that sometimes you need to get together with the other participants to build a relationship. And doing that remotely is difficult if not impossible. So, have your initial meeting in person, break some bread but then have the next meeting by way of a conference call or web conference. All of the participants will be thankful of the time saved in getting together physically.

So, don’t wait for the volcano to make you try a conference call or a web conference. It is time to incorporate distance meetings into your regular way of doing business. And then if something happens that prevents your next inperson meeting you will not feel the impact. You and your participants will be thankful for the conference calls!

Conference calls and web conferences can truly offer a reliable substitute for in person meetings. I certainly agree that there is no substitute for sitting around a conference table together

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Conference Calls for Earth Day

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Earth Day reminds us to do whatever we can to help save our environment because its resources are limited and fragile. And one of the things we now understand is reducing our “carbon footprint”. This means to reduce our emissions and use of resources and one of the easiest ways to do this is to reduce our travel whether it is by car, train or plane. There is no easier way to reduce your business travel then to replace your in person meetings with a conference call or a web conference.

In person meetings are great. You get to shake hands, look people in the eye and connect with others the way you can’t when you are on a remote meeting. But every meeting doesn’t need to be in person. If you know the people you are meeting with and have met before you don’t really need to meet in person every time. And by doing some of your meetings by way of conference calls and web conferencing you can hold just as effective a meeting as if you were in person without the travel expense and do your part to reduce your carbon footprint. Holding a conference call or web conference has never been easier. Services are widely available, affordable and very easy to use. At this point just about everyone has been on a conference call that utilizes a toll free number and a pass code. You simply dial the access number and put in your code and you are connected to the other people that did the same. You can meet with hundreds of people at once if you like and you can meet any time you like. A web conference is just as easy and allows you to share your desktop or do a presentation from your PC as easily as if the people were in the same room. You can even use a camera and send participants your own video feed if you really want to add that in person feeling. And while you are being a good steward of the Earth you also will be saving a good amount of money and time using conference call services as an alternative.

If only a fraction of meetings today were replaced with conference calls and web conferencing we would save millions of tons of carbon emissions. And lets face it, there are a lot of meetings that are not worth the gas to get there.

And using a conference call instead of driving to an appointment is many times just a matter of thinking to do it. So on Earth Day it gives us one more reason to think to do a conference call benefiting everyone concerned, even the Earth.

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Interactive Web Conferencing

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

As web conferencing has become more popular chances are that you have attended an online seminar where the presentation has been done via web conferencing. Usually you are simply sitting in the audience on a conference call listening while watching the presentation on the web conference with little or no interaction with the speaker. Although this is the most used method of web conferencing, the people who first came up with the idea had much bigger plans for web conferencing.

When web conferencing was first invented a lot of effort was made to make the service a collaborative tool where people could work on a document together from great distance. This ability to collaborate was seen as the the killer application. The adoption of web conferencing services is more and more widespread but interactive web conferencing is still lagging in its use overall. Here are some of the features that allow for interactive web conferencing.

Application Sharing – Application sharing provides users the ability to share their desktop with the other participants on the web conference and permits any participant to control another computer. This means that participants can actually control a document or spreadsheet and input or edit data on it. Much like you would pass around a piece of paper in an in person meeting for people to mark up, you can actually change the document on the fly while on the web conference.
Whiteboarding- This application permits participants to mark up a virtual whiteboard seen by all participants while on an interactive web conference. Much like someone would go up to a whiteboard to discuss things while in a conference room, participants can easily do the same on the web conference.
Polling/Q&A – Even a presentation can be an interactive web conference through the use of polling and Q&A features. By engaging the audience you will have a more stimulating meeting and have better retention of the material. Polling permits you to survey your audience during an interactive web conference and the Q&A feature allows you to conduct an orderly Q&A session for the presentation.

It seems that maybe people don’t work in a collaborative manner and allowing someone to control your PC is a little scary to some people as well. But even if you are only doing a presentation using a web conferencing service you can make it an interactive web conference by adding polling and Q&A to your web conference. You will find that the more you can make it an interactive web conference the more your participants will stay engaged with your presentation.

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Audio Conferencing Services

Monday, March 15th, 2010

A term used in the teleconferencing industry to describe telephone conference calls is audio conferencing. We adopted this term to distinguish the normal conference call from a web conference. And truth be told the term “audio” is used to describe something you listen to so it makes sense. It is just not a word that people use everyday so many times people are confused when I talk about audio conferencing.

Audio conferencing is just another way of saying conference call and specifically is describing a conference call on a telephone whose main communication method is using sound/speech over the telephone. An audio conference today has become a fairly standard offering as far as the way it works and many of its features. Generally, an audio conference is held by dialing an access number and then putting in a pass code when you are connected to the conference call service equipment. The conference call service equipment then places you in the appropriate conference call based on the pass code you input. Basically all of the participants that enter that code will be placed into the same conference call. Most conference call services will provide a separate pass code for the Host of the call so they can access certain features within the conference call.

The most common features available to the Host on a conference call are the ability to mute all participants, raise and lower the volume and disconnect some or all of the participants. Some conference call service companies will offer additional features like the ability to conduct a roll call and even record the conference call. Zip Conferencing offers these features and more.

So, if you hear of someone referring to an Audio Conference you know it is just a plain old conference call.

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Free Web Conferencing

Monday, March 8th, 2010

One of the surest ways to get traffic to your web site is to give something away for free. But how is it that a service that a lot of people are willing to pay for can be offered by another company for free. Well, I have gone through free conference calls before and explained how that can happen, but what about free web conferencing?

A conference call service company that provides web conferencing to its customers has to pay for a number of things in order to provide the service. Some of those cost items include the following.

Software development – If the conference call service company has developed the service themselves then they had to pay to have the software developed in the first place. And like any software you develop the development doesn’t end there. There are on going improvements, bug fixes and so forth to fund.
Reseller fees- Some conference call services don’t develop their own software, they simply resell someone elses technology. In this case there is always a cost to the company who is reselling the service.
Hosting environment – If you are supporting your own software you need to have a server or servers depending on the number of users to host the software and make it available to your customers.
Internet Connectivity- If you are hosting your own web conferencing service you need to connect it to the internet and the connection needs to allow many users fast access so you will also need a very good and potentially expensive connection.
Support Costs – And like any other conference call service you will need to support your web conferencing service with sales and service personnel.

So, if there are all these costs, how does anyone provide free web conferencing? Well, some conference call service companies will offer a dumbed down version for free hoping you will upgrade because the free version doesn’t do much. Or the web conferencing service they offer for free is an old version they no longer support and instead of retiring it they simply give it away so you will come to their site and but the other version. Either way, if you investigate the free web conferencing versions out there you will see that they are not a full version, current representative of what web conferencing can do. And it just may not have the reliability and capacity you would expect with a service you pay for. After all it is free so how hard can you complain?

If you really need a good web conferencing service don’t use a free one. For a low monthly fee you can have access to a web conferencing service that save you time and money wihtout breaking the bank.

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A Web Conference is Not that hard to do

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

I think that everyone is intimidated by new technology a little bit, but depending on the technology and the known benefits we will tolerate the learning curve. Web Conferencing is no different. Web conferencing has been around as a service for about 15 years now and even though its use is now pretty widespread, many people are still afraid to take the plunge. But if you try a web conference once you will see that it is just not that hard to do.

Basically, anyone who can use a PC can do a web conference. When the web conferencing services first came out there were downloads and PC settings to worry about just to get the web conference off the ground. Today, however, starting a web conference is just a few clicks away. Many of the services, including Zip Conferencing’s, do not require any download as they simply use the software that is already on your computer. And the web conferencing service is usually integrated with an audio conferencing service, like Zip Conferencing does. This makes it very simple to hold a remote meeting with a web conference and a audio conference call.

To conduct a web conference as the Moderator all you have to do is open a browser, log into your web conferencing account, start a meeting by clicking on a start button and then click on Share your Desktop. The participants on the web conference now see whatever is on your PC. So to do a web conference presentation you simply need to be able to pull up your PowerPoint presentation, spreadsheet or whatever is part of your presentation and the audience will see it while you speak to them on the conference call. It really is that easy.

A presentation that has visual elements is more impactful than just a conference call where you only listen to the presenter. And in some cases you may need to share materials where without a web conference the only way to hold the meeting would be via a face to face meeting. A web conference saves time, money and increases your productivity. And it is REALLY easy to do! So what are you waiting for? Try a web conference today!

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