Conferencing...

For a web-based audio conference, you will need a computer with an Internet connection, a way to hear and be heard, a video camera for being seen; and the software chosen by the conference moderator.

Your Web browser must be Java-equipped, and your Internet connection must be 56 kbps or faster. Any cable or DSL hookup is good (never use dial-up for web conferencing.)

Audio Conferencing Phones

For your audio linkup, you can either use an Internet-based technology called VoIP, or a telephone, depending on the software your conference is using. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is like a telephone, but instead of being sent analogically through the phone lines, audio is sent digitally via the Internet, at a cost much lower than traditional long distance. In either case, it is recommended that you utilize a comfortable headset with earphones and a microphone. That way, your hands will be free, you will be more comfortable, and your face will be seen by the web cam.

Audio Conferencing Cameras

To be seen by the other users in the web conference, you will need a web cam. Test out the angle and lighting in advance to make sure you are showing up well. Be sure to wear a suit, just as you would in the real world. Relax and smile.

Audio Conferencing Software

Your software can be any of a number of audio conferencing programs. Every user must have the same program or “interface” in order for it to work. Microsoft NetMeeting and GnomeMeeting are two such programs.

Audio Conferencing the Old Fashioned Way

The other way to do audio conferencing is in a group situation. There is a television, a speakerphone or some other communication device, and perhaps some collaborative software. As personal and office computers become more and more powerful, and now that employees or group members have access to such gadgets as web cameras and headsets, audio conferencing will continue to shift to this more economical way of conferencing.

Audio Conferencing Info provides detailed information about audio conferencing services, equipment, software, companies, plus online audio conferencing, and more. Audio Conferencing Info is affiliated with Original Content.

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If you've know a bit about the audio conferencing industry you will almost certainly have come across the term 'reservationless audio conferencing' but what does it mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary there is no such word as reservationless but it seems to have worked its way into the jargon of teleconferencing.

Reservationless, as the name suggests, simply means that you do not have to reserve your place at the audio conference in advance of the call. The host simply invites the participants to join the conference call by dialling into the audio conference bridge access number at the time of their choosing and the system will automatically set up the call. This might not seem like a big deal to some, but being reservationless offers you huge benefits over the pre-booked conference calls as we will find out shortly.

Pre-booked or reserved audio conferences
Back in the early days of the internet, some ten years ago, the only way to host audio conferences was to call up your conference call provider in advance and pre-book a conference call. You would need to specify the date and time you wanted to book the conference call for and also the number of participants and duration of the call.

The problem with this system, apart from it being a massive inconvenience having to pre-book of course, was that if more people than you were expecting wanted to attend they couldn't and if your call over-ran then you risked being cut off. Moreover, you often had to pay for the number of participants you booked the call for even if they didn't actually turn up on the day.

If you are thinking this all sounds like it was a bit of a pain, you are right, it was. Surprisingly, some audio conferencing providers still use this model today! Even though there is absolutely no need to host your call in this manner.

Why the move to reservationless conferencing?
It is only in the last few years that that technology has advanced to the stage where hosting reservationless audio conferences has become possible. Prior to the emergence of high capacity reservationless conference bridges, capacity on the systems was very limited and it was therefore necessary to manage its allocation very carefully. If too many people tried to dial in at the same time, customers were likely to get the busy tone or, worse still, be connected to overlapping conferences.

The billing systems attached to conference call bridges were also quite rudimentary meaning that unless there was a manual record of who was dialling in when and from where, it was impossible to bill the customer.

With today's modern technology, pre-booked audio conferences are fast becoming a thing of the past with the vast majority now being reservationless. The one exception to this is a special kind of pre-booked conference call known as a managed event call. This is where human operators are used and therefore advance notice is still required. However, with the added use of an operator comes added cost.

Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article is taken from the resources section of the Ozone Conferencing website. Other recent articles include Cheap Conference Calls and Free Audio Conferencing.

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