Web conferencing
Encyclopedia
Web conferencing refers to a service that allows conferencing events to be shared with remote locations. Most vendors also provide either a recorded copy of an event, or a means for a subscriber to record an event. The service allows information to be shared simultaneously, across geographically dispersed locations in nearly real-time. Applications for web conferencing include meeting
s, training events, lectures, or short presentation
s from any computer
. A participant can be either an individual person or a group. System requirements that allow individuals within a group to participate as individuals (e.g. when an audience participant asks a question) depend on the size of the group. Handling such requirements is often the responsibility of the group. In general, system requirements depend on the vendor. The service is made possible by Internet technologies, particularly on IP/TCP connections.
Some solutions require additional software to be installed (usually via download) by the presenter and participants, while others eliminate this step by providing physical hardware. Some vendors provide a complete solution while other vendors enhance existing technologies. Most also provide a means of interfacing with email and calendaring clients in order that customers can plan an event and share information about it, in advance.
Support for planning a shared event is typically integrated with calendar and email applications. The method of controlling access to an event is provided by the vendor. Additional value-added features are included as desired by vendors who provide them. As with any technology, these features are limited only by the imagination.
The term webinar is short for Web-based Seminar, a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web, specifically a portmanteau of web & seminar, to describe a specific type of web conference. Some argue that webinars might be one-way, from the speaker to the audience with limited audience interaction, so one-way broadcasts are perhaps more accurately called webcast
s. Webinars themselves may be more collaborative and include polling and question & answer sessions to allow full participation between the audience and the presenter. In some cases, the presenter may speak over a standard telephone line, while pointing out information being presented onscreen, and the audience can respond over their own telephones, speaker phones allowing the greatest comfort and convenience. There are web conferencing technologies on the market that have incorporated the use of VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) audio technology, to allow for a completely web-based communication. Depending upon the provider, webinars may provide hidden or anonymous participant functionality, making participants unaware of other participants in the same meeting.
For interactive online workshops web conferences are complemented by electronic meeting system
s (EMS) which provide a range of online facilitation tools such as brainstorming and categorization, a range of voting methods or structured discussions, typically with optional anonymity. Typically, EMS do not provide core web conferencing functionality such as screen sharing or voice conferencing though some EMS can control web conferencing sessions.
Web conferencing is often sold as a service, hosted on a web server
controlled by the vendor. Offerings vary per vendor but most hosted services provide a cost per user per minute model, a monthly flat fee model and a seat model. Some vendors also provide a server side solution which allows the customer to host their own web conferencing service on their own servers.
to establish a standard for web conferencing, called "Centralized Conferencing (xcon)". The planned deliverables of xcon include:
An appliance, unlike the online hosted solution, it is offered as hardware. It is also known as "in-house" or "on-premise" web conferencing. It is used to conduct live meetings, remote training, or presentations via the Internet.
appeared in the late 1980s. Web-based chat and instant messaging
software appeared in the mid-1990s. In the late 1990s, the first true web conferencing capability became available and dozens of other web conferencing venues followed thereafter.
A trademark
for the term "webinar" was registered in 1998 by Eric R. Korb (Serial Number 75478683, USPTO) but was difficult to defend; it is currently assigned to InterCall
.
Web conferencing started with Plato, a small standalone system that supports a single class of terminals connected to a central computer.
Meeting
In a meeting, two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal setting.- Definitions :An act or process of coming together as an assembly for a common purpose....
s, training events, lectures, or short presentation
Presentation
Presentation is the practice of showing and explaining the content of a topic to an audience or learner. Presentations come in nearly as many forms as there are life situations...
s from any computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
. A participant can be either an individual person or a group. System requirements that allow individuals within a group to participate as individuals (e.g. when an audience participant asks a question) depend on the size of the group. Handling such requirements is often the responsibility of the group. In general, system requirements depend on the vendor. The service is made possible by Internet technologies, particularly on IP/TCP connections.
Some solutions require additional software to be installed (usually via download) by the presenter and participants, while others eliminate this step by providing physical hardware. Some vendors provide a complete solution while other vendors enhance existing technologies. Most also provide a means of interfacing with email and calendaring clients in order that customers can plan an event and share information about it, in advance.
Support for planning a shared event is typically integrated with calendar and email applications. The method of controlling access to an event is provided by the vendor. Additional value-added features are included as desired by vendors who provide them. As with any technology, these features are limited only by the imagination.
The term webinar is short for Web-based Seminar, a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web, specifically a portmanteau of web & seminar, to describe a specific type of web conference. Some argue that webinars might be one-way, from the speaker to the audience with limited audience interaction, so one-way broadcasts are perhaps more accurately called webcast
Webcast
A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand...
s. Webinars themselves may be more collaborative and include polling and question & answer sessions to allow full participation between the audience and the presenter. In some cases, the presenter may speak over a standard telephone line, while pointing out information being presented onscreen, and the audience can respond over their own telephones, speaker phones allowing the greatest comfort and convenience. There are web conferencing technologies on the market that have incorporated the use of VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) audio technology, to allow for a completely web-based communication. Depending upon the provider, webinars may provide hidden or anonymous participant functionality, making participants unaware of other participants in the same meeting.
For interactive online workshops web conferences are complemented by electronic meeting system
Electronic meeting system
An electronic meeting system is a type of computer software that facilitates creative problem solving and decision-making of groups within or across organizations. The term was coined by Jay Nunamaker et al. in 1991. The term is synonymous with Group Support Systems and essentially synonymous...
s (EMS) which provide a range of online facilitation tools such as brainstorming and categorization, a range of voting methods or structured discussions, typically with optional anonymity. Typically, EMS do not provide core web conferencing functionality such as screen sharing or voice conferencing though some EMS can control web conferencing sessions.
Features
Other typical features of a web conference include:- Slide show presentations - where images are presented to the audience and markup tools and a remote mouse pointer are used to engage the audience while the presenter discusses slide content.
- Live or Streaming video - where full motion webcam, digital video camera or multi-media files are pushed to the audience.
- VoIP (Real time audio communication through the computer via use of headphones and speakers)
- Web tours - where URLs, data from forms, cookies, scripts and session data can be pushed to other participants enabling them to be pushed though web based logons, clicks, etc. This type of feature works well when demonstrating websites where users themselves can also participate.
- Meeting Recording - where presentation activity is recorded on the client side or server side for later viewing and/or distribution.
- WhiteboardWhiteboardA whiteboard is a name for any glossy, usually white surface for nonpermanent markings. Whiteboards are analogous to chalkboards, allowing rapid marking and erasing of markings on their surface...
with annotation (allowing the presenter and/or attendees to highlight or mark items on the slide presentation. Or, simply make notes on a blank whiteboard.) - Text chat - For live question and answer sessions, limited to the people connected to the meeting. Text chat may be public (echo'ed to all participants) or private (between 2 participants).
- Polls and surveys (allows the presenter to conduct questions with multiple choice answers directed to the audience)
- Screen sharing/desktop sharing/application sharing (where participants can view anything the presenter currently has shown on their screen. Some screen sharing applications allow for remote desktop control, allowing participants to manipulate the presenters screen, although this is not widely used.)
Web conferencing is often sold as a service, hosted on a web server
Web server
Web server can refer to either the hardware or the software that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet....
controlled by the vendor. Offerings vary per vendor but most hosted services provide a cost per user per minute model, a monthly flat fee model and a seat model. Some vendors also provide a server side solution which allows the customer to host their own web conferencing service on their own servers.
Standards
Web conferencing technologies are not standardized, which has been a significant factor in the lack of interoperability, transparency, platform dependence, security issues, cost and market segmentation. In 2003, the IETF established a working groupWorking group
A working group is an interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers working on new research activities that would be difficult to develop under traditional funding mechanisms . The lifespan of the WG can last anywhere between a few months and several years...
to establish a standard for web conferencing, called "Centralized Conferencing (xcon)". The planned deliverables of xcon include:
- A basic floor controlFloor controlFloor control allows users of networked multimedia applications to utilize and share resources such as remote devices, distributed data sets, telepointers, or continuous media such as video and audio without access conflicts. Floors are temporary permissions granted dynamically to collaborating...
protocol. Binary Floor Control Protocol (BFCP) published as RFC 4582 - A mechanism for membership and authorization control
- A mechanism to manipulate and describe media "mixing" or "topology" for multiple media types (audio, video, text)
- A mechanism for notification of conference related events/changes (for example a floor change)
Deployment models
Web conferencing is available with three models: hosting service, software and appliance.An appliance, unlike the online hosted solution, it is offered as hardware. It is also known as "in-house" or "on-premise" web conferencing. It is used to conduct live meetings, remote training, or presentations via the Internet.
History
Real-time text chat facilities such as IRCInternet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file...
appeared in the late 1980s. Web-based chat and instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
software appeared in the mid-1990s. In the late 1990s, the first true web conferencing capability became available and dozens of other web conferencing venues followed thereafter.
A trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
for the term "webinar" was registered in 1998 by Eric R. Korb (Serial Number 75478683, USPTO) but was difficult to defend; it is currently assigned to InterCall
InterCall
InterCall, a subsidiary of West Corporation, is a conferencing and collaboration service provider. The company claims a customer base of over 1.7 million individual conference leaders in more than 75,000 organizations, 94% of Fortune 100, 88% of the Fortune 500 and 74% of the Fortune 1000.InterCall...
.
Web conferencing started with Plato, a small standalone system that supports a single class of terminals connected to a central computer.
Software and service providers
Notable vendors with articles:- Adobe Acrobat Connect
- BigBlueButtonBigBlueButtonBigBlueButton is an open source web conferencing system developed primarily for distance education.- Features :As of version 0.71a, BigBlueButton supports multiple audio and video sharing, presentations with extended whiteboard capabilities - such as a pointer, zooming and drawing - public and...
- BrightTALKBrightTALK-Overview:BrightTALK is a professional webinar and video solution provider which is headquartered in London and has offices in San Francisco and New York.-History:...
- CalliflowerCalliflowerCalliflower is an online web application and conference call provider that allows multiple users to dial in to a conference bridge, and to conduct web meetings, upload, share and review documents from remote locations.The service was developed by Iotum Inc...
- Citrix OnlineCitrix OnlineCitrix Online is a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. that sells web-based remote access, support, and collaboration software and services. Its products are GoToAssist, GoToMeeting, GoToMyPC, GoToManage, GoToTraining, GoToWebinar, and HiDef Corporate....
- DimdimDimdimDimdim was a software company that provided a web-based platform for realtime, rich-media collaboration and meetings. Dimdim provided free web conferencing service where users could share desktops, show slides, collaborate, chat, talk and broadcast via webcam. It has been compared to the WebEx 2.0...
- Elluminate
- Epiphan SystemsEpiphan SystemsEpiphan Systems is a computer equipment manufacturer headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.Epiphan Systems Inc. markets, develops, manufactures, and supports a line of niche VGA/DVI signal processing products and high resolution frame grabbers...
- Fuze Meeting
- Genesys Meeting CenterGenesys ConferencingGenesys provides multimedia collaboration and conferencing services to thousands of organizations worldwide. The company’s primary product, Genesys Meeting Center, is a unified collaboration solution delivered as "Software as a Service"....
- GlanceGlance NetworksGlance Networks is software company headquartered in Arlington, Massachusetts. Glance Networks is most notable for Glance, a web-based desktop sharing and web conferencing tool.-Overview:...
- Google WaveGoogle WaveApache Wave is a software framework for real-time collaborative editing online. Google Inc. originally developed it as Google Wave.It was announced at the Google I/O conference on May 27, 2009....
- IBM Lotus SametimeIBM Lotus SametimeIBM Sametime is a client–server application and middleware platform that provides real-time, unified communications and collaboration for enterprises. Those capabilities include presence information, enterprise instant messaging, web conferencing, community collaboration, and telephony capabilities...
and IBM LotusLiveLotusLiveLotusLive is a suite of business networking and collaboration cloud-based services hosted by the Lotus Software division of IBM. The integrated services include social networking for businesses, online meetings, file sharing, instant message, data visualization and e-mail.There are several... - MegaMeeting
- Microsoft Office Live Meeting
- MikogoMikogoMikogo is a desktop sharing software application for web conferencing and remote support, and is provided by the online collaboration provider, BeamYourScreen GmbH.-History:...
- MSNMSNMSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
- NetviewerNetviewerNetviewer AG is a German IT company headquartered in Karlsruhe. The company's software products Netviewer Meet, Netviewer Support, Netviewer Admin, and Netviewer Present provide web conferencing, desktop sharing, and remote maintenance capabilities.-History:...
- NefsisNefsisNefsis CorporationType of Business Entity Private CompanyIndustryVideoconferencing, Web ConferencingFounded1998HeadquartersSan Diego, CA, USAKey peopleAllen Drennan, Founder, CTOSteven Peltier, CEOArea ServedWorldwideWebsite...
- OmNovia TechnologiesOmNovia TechnologiesomNovia Technologies is a software company that provides web conferencing solutions for realtime, rich-media online meetings, webinars, webcasts and eLearning sessions with two to 5,000 interactive participants. The company's headquarters is located in Houston, Texas...
- OpenmeetingsOpenmeetingsOpenMeetings is software used for presenting, online training, web conferencing, collaborative whiteboard drawing and document editing, and user desktop sharing. The product is based on OpenLaszlo RIA framework and Red5 media server, which in turn are based on a bunch of open source components...
- Oracle BeehiveOracle BeehiveOracle Beehive is collaboration platform software developed by Oracle Corporation that combines email, team collaboration, instant messaging, and conferencing in a single solution...
- ooVooOoVooooVoo is a proprietary instant messaging client developed by ooVoo LLC for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android and iOS. It was released in 2007, and is similar to Skype and Apple's Facetime. Calls can be recorded in real-time and twelve-way video chatting is supported...
- PGiPGiPGi, or Premiere Global Services, Inc., is a multinational corporation and global provider of conferencing and collaboration solutions. Its products include audio conferencing, web conferencing, videoconferencing and virtual meeting solutions...
- RHUB Communications Inc.RHUB Inc.RHUB Communications Inc. is a maker of web conferencing and videoconferencing systems. The company has business ties with the Japanese company Hitachi and other international groups.- History :...
- Saba SoftwareSaba SoftwareSaba enables organizations to build a transformative workplace that leverages the advent of social networking in business and the ubiquity of mobile to empower an organization’s most mission-critical assets – its people...
- ShowDocumentShowDocumentShowDocument is an online web application that allows multiple users to conduct web meetings, upload,share and review documents from remote locations.The service was developed by the HBR Labs company, established in 2007.- Features :...
- SkypeSkypeSkype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
- TalkPointTalkPointTalkPoint Webcasting is a webcasting company based in New York City. The business operates in the financial district located at 100 William St.-History:...
- TimeBridgeTimeBridgeTimeBridge is a Web-based software application for coordinating and running meetings and collaborating online. TimeBridge's meeting management service works with large groups or one-on-one meetings across time zones and companies and integrates directly with Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar and...
- TokboxTokboxTokBox provides a free API that allows anyone to add group video chat features to their own websites. Experienced programmers use the OpenTok API to build custom interactive video chat applications...
- VenueGenVenueGenVenueGen is a browser-based web conferencing service created and marketed by The Venue Network. It is a 3D virtual meeting software that enables users to interact with each other using avatars...
- VeriShowVeriShowVeriShow is a live chat and web meeting platform created and marketed by HBR Labs, LLC. It is used by companies to provide online sales and service assistance to website visitors...
- WebExWebExWebEx Communications Inc. is a Cisco company that provides on-demand collaboration, online meeting, web conferencing and videoconferencing applications...
- WebTrainWebTrainWebTrain Communications provides web conferencing services for educational training, business meetings, presentation webinars and live auctions. WebTrain is a privately held Canadian company established in 1999.-History:...
- WiZiQWiZiQWiZiQ is an online learning platform. The site is designed to help students and teachers find each other, and to provide an online virtual classroom learning environment....
- YuuguuYuuguuYuuguu is a desktop sharing and web conferencing application and the software company behind it, Yuuguu Ltd., was founded by Anish Kapoor and Philip Hemsted...
- Zoho
See also
- Comparison of web conferencing softwareComparison of web conferencing softwareThis page is a comparison of web conferencing software available for various platforms.- Comparison chart :- Terminology :In the table above, the following terminology is intended to be used to describe some important features:...
- Collaborative softwareCollaborative softwareCollaborative software is computer software designed to help people involved in a common task achieve goals...
- Electronic meeting systemElectronic meeting systemAn electronic meeting system is a type of computer software that facilitates creative problem solving and decision-making of groups within or across organizations. The term was coined by Jay Nunamaker et al. in 1991. The term is synonymous with Group Support Systems and essentially synonymous...
- Hybrid eventHybrid eventA hybrid event is a tradeshow, conference, unconference, seminar, workshop or other meeting that combines a "live" in-person event with a "virtual" online component....
- WebcastWebcastA webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand...
- Web televisionWeb televisionWeb television, also commonly referred to as web TV, not to be confused with WebTV, Internet television or catch up TV, is an emerging genre of digital entertainment that is distinct from traditional broadcast television...
External links
- Web-Conferencing Software Tools – A Market Survey from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Ease of Use in Web Conferencing – Why it Matters from Wainhouse Research
- List of various Web-conferencing solutions
- Critical Factors for Adoption of Collaboration Technologies in the Enterprise from Collaborative Strategies