There are several different types of software for online meetings to choose from, and it is important to understand the tools and features offered by each one. Most software companies will offer free trials of their software so that users can test them before committing. When you have selected software to try, make sure that it is compatible with your hardware. Most software will work with both Macs and PCs, but it is still important to check. You must also consider the ease of access. Many software models allow users to set-up online meetings in only a few minutes. The content of your meeting is important, and you don’t want participants wasting time learning how to operate the software.

Important Online Meeting Features to Consider

The features provided with the online meeting software will ultimately sway most users toward one application or another. The most important features that you should consider are voice and visual communication. Most meeting software allows voice connections over a phone as well as through chat. In an effort to host web meetings entirely online, some software also offers VoIP. This eliminates the need for phones and can help to solve problems in areas where cell phone reception is poor. Having a good form of communication is one of the most important parts of online meeting software, as it ensures that the meeting attendees will have a clear understand of the message being presented. It is also important to consider the visual aspect of your web meeting. Video may seem like the best choice, but a lack of good webcam support and a high learning curve causes most people to steer away from direct video conferencing. A good alternative is screen sharing. Most online meeting software offers screen sharing options, which include allowing those attending the meeting to view the computer screen of the host. Depending on the chosen software, the host may also be able to share different screens with different people, allowing certain parts of the meeting to move in different directions.

Understand your Online Meeting Needs

Some online meeting software will also offer extensive control over the meeting. If you are planning on running a meeting with a large number of participants, it can be handy to be able to separate people into groups and have the ability to mute or focus on a particular group. Good online meeting software will also feature some kind of drawing or highlighting tool. This way, participants can be drawn to certain important areas of the screen without the use of long verbal clues. Make sure that you understand the features and limitations of your online meeting software before making a commitment.

Consider the Online Meeting Use Cases

You should also be sure to consider the different use cases for online meetings when deciding upon which software provider to settle with. Different features available can be beneficial at some times, but you may need other features for other cases. Consequently you could find yourself stuck with insufficient software for all your different screen sharing and online meeting needs.

During the time when online meetings first entered the business world, the common use cases were fairly limited compared to today’s web conferences. Further features, fast Internet speeds, greater global reach has allowed for a wide range of different use cases via the use of online meeting software.

The Online Meeting Use Case Benefits

Online meetings can be useful when you meet with clients who are located in another city or state. Clients appreciate this option, because they do not need to travel to your location and leave their families behind. They also know that they can meet with you online as often as they need. Many clients get frustrated if they only way that they can get answers from you is through email. Most business owners feel respected when you talk to them in person. Video meetings held online let you meet with a client conveniently and affordably.

Many companies also use an online meeting to communicate with other offices or branches. Meeting online instead of in the office can save time. When you have a company-wide meeting, if your employees in other locations need to commute to a meeting that is work time being lost. Additionally, using meeting software can save your company a great deal of money. If you fly out to visit a client, you not only have to pay for airfares, but also for accommodation and food. You will probably be obligated to take your client out to lunch as well. These expenses can add up quickly. If your business wants to survive in today’s economy, you need to find ways to cut back on your expenditures. Even just having your employees commute to a meeting is a waste of resources.

If you have employees that telecommute, online meeting software lets you get updates on their daily work. If your employees know that you can check in on them through your online meeting software, they will be much less likely to procrastinate on important daily tasks. This makes sure that they do not waste company time and company dollars. Your company can benefit from telecommuters, but only if they are properly supervised. Remote employees often resent tracking software on their computers, but meeting with them online is a way to check up on them while still treating them like professionals.

Which Online Meeting Solution do you need?

When considering selection criteria for your meeting use case, it is important to note that the ideal online meeting software should be easy to set up and easy to use. Consider having all your employees attend a training session on how to use your online meeting program. You need to make sure that your employees thoroughly understand the software before they use it to communicate with a client. Find a program that can be quickly mastered by all of your employees. Although you might need to try a few programs before you find the perfect one for your business, when you find the right meeting technology your business will be more streamlined and efficient.

What is the technology behind online meeting software?

The basic technologies required to put online meeting software together are VoIP (voice over IP) to transmit sound and streaming video (to transmit visuals). These, along with a high-speed Internet connection, are the only essential pieces of technology for online meeting software. However, there are many other possibilities, depending on your software criteria and how fancy you want your software to be.

Most programs come with a chat function, which allows users to communicate through writing as well as through voice. This can be useful to facilitate consensus and develop arguments or additions with other members in an online meeting while a presenter is talking, so as not to disrupt the conference.

Often there are times when online meetings are part of a broader slide show. Some of the better programs for meeting online contain a screen sharing presentation feature that allows you to share slides directly from your computer while you’re talking. Technology to display multiple windows of live streaming content is essential for this – in other words, you need a good computer.

Many programs also contain what’s known as “Whiteboard” technology. This effectively works like a combination between a chat room and a shared document – you can put together a business plan in real time, with multiple people writing their thoughts or brainstorming onto a shared blank document.

Finally to expand meeting software benefits further, the best technology out there involves sharing your workspace with people hundreds or thousands of miles away. This requires a comprehensive piece of desktop sharing software that determines what programs are shared between the members in the online meeting. If, throughout the course of the meeting, you need to show how a computer product works or how to do something specific on the computer, this technology can be priceless. This is like the aforementioned “Whiteboard” technology, except entire programs and processes are shared, not just documents – a valuable meeting feature that opens the door to a greater range of use cases for companies.

What do you need for your online meeting to work?

You need a desktop sharing program, microphone, a webcam, and a computer connected to the Internet in order to meet online. If the meeting is between multiple groups of people, it can be useful to have a large monitor, so everyone doesn’t have to crowd around a single monitor or camera. Multiple monitors may be necessary, depending on how many different places the meeting includes.

Oftentimes, online meeting software is predicated on both parties having similar or the same desktop sharing software. Depending on the nature of your online meeting, you could just be making a presentation to a larger group, or you could need more possibilities for interaction. A chat program can also be useful for private interactions within a meeting.

Online Meetings from Day One

The first online chat services were introduced by a subscriber-based company in 1980; the first Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was implemented in 1988. The popularity of online chat, texting and Internet chatrooms exploded in the 1990’s. What these first generation chat and online meeting platforms lacked was any means to share more than simple text.

Enter the world wide web. And Java, a programming language designed to allow the insertion of dynamic graphics and applications into initially static web pages.

Software engineers quickly saw the business opportunities. If online chat could be coupled with the sharing of point-to-point business documents, then at least some face-to-face meetings could be replaced by online meetings and virtual conferencing.

In the early nineties a computer scientist named Pavel Curtis was working at a research and development company in Palo Alto. In his spare time, Curtis liked to play with MUDs, but he gave them a twist by introducing object oriented techniques to manipulate the various constructs in players’ virtual databases. Expanding upon and refining these techniques, Curtis eventually developed the first robust online meeting product and brought it to market in 1996. Other developers quickly followed suit with early prototypes that attempted to incorporate video conferencing and came bundled with popular browsers. The code for some of these early online meeting products is the backbone for some popular conferencing software still used today.

Meanwhile, back at the lab, other companies were working on products that would allow participants to schedule online meetings and share documents across synchronized desktops without client software, a distinct advantage. At last online meetings had become a viable (and less expensive!) alternative to face-to-face meetings.

Today’s Online Meetings

However the real explosion in online meeting software had to wait for the widespread proliferation of high-speed broadband. Today there are literally dozens of online meeting solutions, some providing enhancements like audio, video and video streaming as well as document and file sharing to streamline the online meeting experience. Consumers today are now presented with a wide selection when looking to select a software solution. Not only have greater features resulted in further options, but consumers can now benefit from online meeting software for a range of use cases, such as web conferencing, webinars, remote assistance, online presentations, etc.

Online meetings have come a long way from their humble beginnings as games.

Some of the benefits of online meetings include the capability of individuals from various locations to communicate with one another. Whether an individual is one desk away, working from home or located in another country, conducting an online meeting brings people together from any location. Another benefit to an online meeting is the savings cost. With the expense of communication software many times being less than the cost of running a face-to-face meeting, there in itself are savings. If conducting a larger meeting, it can be expensive to rent a conference room in a restaurant or hotel. There may also be savings in flights or hotel expenses for individuals that would otherwise require travel to attend a meeting. Another expense can be found in food and catering. Many large meetings require food services which can be costly. By conducting an online meeting you avoid those extra expenses.

Nitty-Gritty of Online Meeting Benefits

Online meetings have other less well-known benefits. For instance, people can achieve time management savings. It takes time to organize meetings, especially when individuals are coming from other locations. Getting everyone to the right place at the right time, settled in and then starting the meeting takes valuable time. There is no need to set up a room with tables and chairs or supplies, which is another benefit of online meetings. With an online meeting you have the ease of a set time to begin where everyone logs in.

Some other advantages found in conducting online meetings are the capabilities of not only sharing information, but with special software there are features that allow for collaborating with others; presenting reports and graphs; editing documents; providing training sessions and working with a variety of online courses – all of which are selection criteria when comparing software solutions.

Business Benefits of Online Meetings

Businesses, whether they are large or small, can benefit from online meeting software for numerous use cases and reasons. There are savings in cost, time and management for not only the employer but the employees as well. There is also an improvement in productivity which is advantageous to everyone. With online meetings there is a great deal that can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time.

Software that allows attendees to meet online varies in its applications, but all share basic functions and collaboration benefits that take them beyond a conference call. Presentation software is typically compatible with online meeting software, giving attendees the opportunity to view graphic data and text in real time. This is a leap ahead of phone meetings, in which everyone must be reminded which page to be viewing. Meeting software typically also allows users to share text with each other as well as voice. In a large meeting or one with a busy agenda, this allows attendees to visually confirm or refer to points and questions raised without the worry of whether or not it was heard clearly. This is an important feature when making an online meeting software comparison. When combined with a desktop calendar, this software can also aid in clearly scheduling other meetings or agenda items.

As the world becomes more and more digitized, the applications and use cases of an online meeting become more apparent. The ability to share files instantaneously is similar to making stacks of copies, save for the money and time spent making them. Once attendees download the necessary files, they have the individual options of printing them or merely reading on the computer screen, which is very handy for laptop users. Laptop users will enjoy not having to carry stacks of copies to and from their meetings. Companies and organizations can function more efficiently with online meeting software, as a few employees spread over a long distance can communicate and plan effectively. If text and graphic features are used, attendees can save this data as well as any personal notes, limiting the possibility of confusion in the future.

The availability of an online meeting gives breathing room to organizations on strict budgets and timelines. Individuals do not have to deal with travel or clerical expenses, except for those associated with connecting to the Internet. Agenda and discussion clarity can be increased, and text and graphic data can be saved for future agenda planning. This kind of meeting software technology is another tool in efficient communication.