Saturday, November 19, 2011

Webinar Software Key Features And Options

By Ken Morrison


Webinar software comes in handy for those who need a specific type of top-down web conferencing product or service. The flow of information typically comes from the organizer and is directed towards many recipients, similar to a conference call or a slide show presentation. It does allow for an interactive component, with recipients able to submit a question or complete a poll, and so on.

It is not difficult to find the most suitable product/service for this purpose, because the market is still new and not many providers can claim to be reputed and affordable. Those that do pass these litmus tests need to be further verified for certain attributes that are essential for web conferencing. Here is a listing of these attributes that will be useful in helping make the choice.

The first consideration is the cost, and it should either have a one-time purchase price as a product or a yearly fee for a hosted service. It's no good if there's a high metered usage system or a heavy monthly fee. After all, the main advantage to using such a solution is to minimize the cost in terms of time and money required for bringing together people in different locations. It's not much help if the solution itself costs a lot.

Also important is the ease of use and installation. If it is a web-based service, then there shouldn't be any installation process because it will simply run in a browser. If it is a desktop based application, then it should be lightweight without any integration or connectivity problems.

Advanced features available in the latest versions today include streaming video support and desktop and application sharing. This means participants will be able to demonstrate and work together, rather than just explain verbally. Live video using web cams makes the application that much more useful and robust.

An important aspect of any webinar software, is that it should be able to record the meeting. With businesses going paperless and all communication being done online, it's vital that digital records be maintained. Each company has a protocol for recording its meetings, and the service or product chosen should likewise be able to do this as per the company's requirements.




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