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Online Meetings
Collaborative tools & methodologies for effective online meetings
September 22, 2005
By: Ben Davidson
It seems that the Internet makes just about anything
easier to accomplish these days, and online collaboration is
no exception. Where only ten years ago it would have been
necessary to fly here and there in order to meet with
clients or colleagues, today you have the secure and
inexpensive option of online meetings.
So you want to hold an online meeting, or maybe you’re
just reading this to learn a few basics in case you need to
hold one in the future. In either case, read on to learn
about the two collaborative methodologies or tools that make
it all possible.
Web collaboration tools or groupware
This collaborative methodology is used to supplement and
prepare for live web meetings. Its primary function is to
enable an organization the ability to collaborate (either
long distance or within the building) with others
asynchronously (not in real time) online. The service itself
resides primarily on a 3rd party online server, with
web-based tools on collaboration oriented websites allowing
you to share information, organization, and applications
with others. Here are a few possible examples of the tasks
you might accomplish:
- Manage online calendars, schedule events, etc.
- Chart, discuss, and facilitate the progress of ongoing
projects
- Share and update various other documents, activities,
and knowledge
- Survey team members to gather project related data
Web collaboration software is often back end (i.e.
information resides on the online server instead of the
user’s computer), but can also be desktop enabled. This type
of software is often called groupware, due to its
collaborative nature.
Web conferencing and online presentations
For those occasions when the emphasis is somewhat more on
a live, interactive visual presentation, web conferencing is
the way to go. There’s likely to be a shared visual
component, say a PowerPoint slide presentation. Here are a
few other typical web conference features:
- Application sharing to manipulate the featured
document or data item
- Screen sharing or remote desktop viewing
- PowerPoint file conversion and storage
- File sharing
- Web co-browsing
- Virtual whiteboards
Unlike its close relative web collaboration, web
conferencing most likely occurs synchronously, with each
participant at his or her computer, connected over the
Internet. Screen sharing is a common feature, meaning the
image on the presenter’s screen is displayed on the screens
of the other participants. Communication between presenter
and participants is usually handled via VoIP, so you’ll want
a decent microphone, as well as a comfortable headset or
speakers.
As quality video becomes more accessible, the web
conference begins to closely resemble the video conference.
Furthermore, some software is able to archive events for
storage and future playback, freeing you up to focus on the
events at hand without having to take notes.
Finally, web conferencing solutions are available as
web-based services or purchased as licensed software
products. Whatever their incarnation, web collaboration and
web conferencing offer an inexpensive virtual solution to
the often annoying need to travel and prepare for live web
meetings. No more nametags and red-eye flights, or at least,
a lot less than before!
About the Author
Ben Davidson is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Web-Conferencing-Zone.com. Your
definitive guide to
web conferencing services,
online collaboration software and
web meetings for business.
Also See:
[ Online
project management tool reviews for web collaboration ]
[
Collaborative tools and work environments for online
collaboration ]
[ Group
collaboration software & groupware applications for
collaborative teams ]
Home Page:
[ Web-Conferencing-Zone.com ]
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