Web Based Video Conferencing - Pros and Cons

If you know how video phones work, then you should also be familiar with web based video conferencing. You call someone from anywhere in the world and you can see each other on the TV screen. In fact, video conferencing is built to work best when used for big conferences, not for normal clients.

A lot of companies decided to use video conferencing as a tool for everyday use. There are always disadvantages and advantages when it comes to video conferences, and you should take them all into consideration.

Advantages

1. Get a hold of anyone you need at any point during the day or night. You don't need to travel long distances, so the time differences aren't as important now as they used to be.

2. If all you need is a short talk, then a phone call is sufficient, but if you want a full fledged conference with people from different locations, then you need a web based video conference. For example, you can make a conference where businessman from Tokyo, New York and Amsterdam all participate at the same time, hearing and seeing each other perfectly.

3. You can use any type of visual program like PowerPoint to share information with the other people in the room, and everyone will have the feeling that they're together, sharing information and ideas freely.
4. Using the whiteboards that come with the software, they can all collaborate on new ideas in the same space. This way, they can create plans or do new slogans and designs.

5. In some cases, you can even grant access to a computer to everyone, and they can see what happens on it. The more advanced the service, the more actions can be done, such as changing documents and typing from other PC's connected to the web conference. If your company needs people to collaborate on projects, then this can help greatly.

Disadvantages

1. The largest problem that people might have with is the price of web conferencing. Still, there are some cheaper options out there, if you can give up some of the advanced features.

If you do need the advanced features, you will save money in time, by paying more now, instead of paying for travelling costs and hotels for people flying in. As fuel becomes more expensive, the price of web conferencing becomes more affordable when you take into consideration the money you save.

2. Some things that people use to communicate, such as eye contact aren't as well translated when it's not done face to face. This happens for example when you attend a conference in the same room with someone else. You can judge him more easily than you would if you would see him on TV.

You need to know what you need and what disadvantages and advantages web conferencing has, before you make a decision about it.

Discover the best web based video conferencing services online. Learn more the cost of web based conferencing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Lim

An Overview of Videoconferencing Services

Videoconferencing services became mainstream in 2007 when private videoconferencing was made public by Cisco. The history of videoconferencing may not be very long, but it is important to understand how this very useful business tool came to be the popular medium for business conferences around the world.

Today videoconferencing is easy to use and widely available. It is hard to believe that it began as a tool for select businesses. It is helping to save money and create an easier way to communicate within a business and even to outsiders, like investors, partners and customers.

The push towards videoconferencing is not just led by businesses. Carriers see that people love the convenience of technology in all areas of their life, such as with Skype and HDTV. The potential of this new medium is very appealing to carriers as a new market for expansion and potential for a large profit.

There are now three basic types of videoconferencing services. You could consider them levels of videoconferencing. They are desktop, room-based and immersive. Each has different features and, of course, the cost increases as you go up a level due to the increased benefits and features at the higher levels.

Desktop videoconferencing service work by allowing participants to see and hear the conference live on their personal computer. The video is not of the highest quality and the sound can often be intermittent, but it is very affordable. For a small business or for internal meetings this may be the way to go for affordability.

Room-based videoconferencing services involve an online conference room or chat room. All participants have videoconferencing gear that allows them to connect to the IP data network of the conference. These rooms must be reserved, but the quality is much better and more reliable than with desktop services. This is the mid-level of videoconferencing services and the most popular business choice.

Immersive videoconferencing is the top of the line experience. It provides the best in video and audio quality. This type of conferencing makes it feel like everyone is in the same room. Of course, to accomplish this can be pricey since there is a need for high quality equipment and technology. However, for important meetings and events this is the best choice for the best experience.

With three levels from which to choose you can easily find the right services to meet your needs. You should always consider the quality because that is the big thing that sets these service levels apart. However, if money is a concern then you may need to choose based upon that. The good news, though, is that things are improving rapidly so quality is getting better while costs are going down.

Videoconferencing services are pretty new and as such they are still being developed and altered to meet the needs of the business sector. Over time they are evolving so that higher quality and lower cost are starting to come together and making it more affordable for businesses to have the best possible experience with videoconferencing.

If you are looking for a reliable and affordable videoconferencing service we recommend GoToMeeting.com. For a detailed review as well as more information on how to plan a webinar, visit BestForWebinars.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Cruz