Internet Conferencing – video web meetings

Janhavee Sahasrabuddhe asked:




Video Conferencing helps multinational companies spread across the globe to have better, economical video interactions often. Many companies who have an inconvenient location can be highly helped by the use of Video conferencing to avoid their employees’ travel.

It can also be used as a strong means of partnering when used in cooperation with hardware and information sharing applications. All the employees taking part in this video interaction have the dual benefit of seeing their counterparts as well as the desktop Presentation data. All types of information relating to various fields of research, training which would be otherwise presented on paper can be presented using this medium.

Almost every strata of the organization and all the allied businesses can use the IP (Internet Protocol) video conferencing method. Nowadays, latest technology like good quality audio interspersed with high speed video solutions is made available according to the clients needs. The conference members can also have a session for clearing their doubts, which can be held online. Sector specific solutions are also available. Any multinational which wishes to develop cordial relations with its remote customers or alliances can be greatly helped by the use of video Conferencing.

Video Conferencing also increases Efficiency through the use of the latest applications in software and complicated hardware designs. This helps us to be quick in decision making. Further, it helps us in introducing our products in the market faster, giving us an edge over our rivals.

In the case where a company has many branches spread all over the world, feedback can be exchanged easily. This also helps the top management to interact with its staff, wherever they may be located, very frequently and easily at the click of a button. Video is used very often now to communicate internally too. Technology has advanced so much that a Video Conference is just a telephone call away, and not much manpower is needed. Video Conferencing is a blessing for those employees who need to attend a meeting after a long, tiring day full of stress.It is not at all cumbersome.

Video Conferencing is economically viable too. As we have discussed till now, Video conferencing does not involve airfare costs and hotel bookings etc. Hence, it is greatly helpful in these times of rising inflation and gas prices. Moreover, above all the merits, the most important one can be decrease in the “downtime” and an improved and stress-free life for the employees who are always on the move. It can be also said that Video Conferencing helps build strong long distance employee relations, since they do not meet often.

Same is the case with our Clients and suppliers. Video Conferencing is a great way to garner goodwill amongst our esteemed Clientele and that too without wasting their precious time. Although personal meetings are favorable, Video Conferencing gives a personal touch to the interaction along with being convenient.

Todd

Navneetkumar Kumar asked:




This article will provide you a brief introduction about what actually video conferencing is. By video conferecing we can connect with some other identity and also can see the video online in real time. It is now useful and very interesting technology and widly used worldwide.

What is Video Conferencing: Video conferencing is the integration of video, audio and peripherals to enable two or more people to communicate simultaneously over some type of telecommunications lines. By video conferencing you are transmitting synchronized images and verbal communications between two or more locations in lieu of them being in the same room.

Video conferencing ingredients: The main ingredients of successful video conferencing are video cameras, microphones, appropriate computer software and computer equipment and peripherals that will integrate with the transmission lines to relay the information.

How video conferencing works: The analog information recorded by the microphones and cameras is broken down into discreet units, translating it to ones and zeros. A Codec encodes the information to a digital signal that can then be transmitted to a codec at the other end, which will retranslate these digital signals back into analog video images and audio sounds.

In the earlier days, video conferencing was very much expensive than today. Some time back video conferencing was used by T1, ATM and ISDN lines. These all process were very costly for video conferencing. Since internet is very cheap and it is a very good medium for video conferencing. The TCP/IP connections of the Internet are much less expensive and can carry large quantities of information for video conferencing, including video packets for conferencing, relatively easily. Because of this, video conferencing has become much more prevalent in small businesses and in desktop packages that can be set up with software for computer-to-computer networking.

The problem faced was in video conferencing was that when we convert analog to digital for transmission then it is the loss in clarity of image. The most important factor in video conferencing is the compression ratio. The higher the compression ratio, the more quickly the information is capable of being transmitted. In many cases, however, this also means some loss in clarity or audio/video quality.

Advantages of video conferencing: Using video conferencing you can communicate with whole groups of people at once either through networking a group of computers or by form of broadcast. This is a huge step forward for both companies and for schools. video conferencing is very useful for students in their studies. Students can enjoy learning this way much more than from a textbook. Informed people can talk to classes and help them learn, where otherwise they wouldn’t be able to because of time and distance restrictions. This is also a bonus for children who have different learning styles. The more visual types who understand better when they can see what they’re working with.

Jane

Matt Tong asked:




The Internet provides a practical venue for the conference call. With its low cost and ability to accomodate many listeners it is now practical to open a conference call to almost anyone (at least to listen). Many firms now do. For example, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal related how IOMEGA does this as an efficient way to control the irresponsible babble on Internet bulletin boards. People posting idle chatter now attract accurate responces from others who have heard the actual story on a conference call. As a result, the irresponsible postings are controlled.
Naturally, investment professionals complain that this allows the novice to access raw information that needs interpretation by someone more knowledgable – namely such a professional.

However, companies like the ability to make one public statement, and then be free from goverment limitations on how investment information must be released. And individual investors like it too, as access to this information gets them access to information that once only slowly reached the average investor. Even Chairman Levitt of the SEC sides with the theory of greater access for the masses. According to an article in the 24 May 1999 issue of the Wall Street Journal, the NASDAQ has even funded a pilot program to pay for public access to conference calls. Firms such as DELL and Cosco are early participants.

Using the Internet has many advantages besides the instantaneous international release that results. It is possible to save the audio files so that the call can be accessed later at a more convenient time. Plus it would be possible to edit out meaningless portions to provide sort of a “Cliff Notes” of each conference. Naturally, there are some limitations. If everyone could ask a question, real brawls could result as the conferences became uncontrolled. So most Internet systems limit who can ask a question.
An outstanding advantage for the average investor is to witness directly a firm’s management in action. While the information might be the same, an investor gains confidence in management that presents a virtuoso performane over one that is defensive, hesitant, and obfuscative. The details aside, the speed of responce and other items that don’t get incorporated in an analyst’s report can add a lot to one’s understanding. Previously, a small investor’s only such access might have been at a company’s annual meeting.

Several firms have opened to provide investment-related conference-call services in one form or another over the Internet. Some require membership and user fees, but the trend seems to be toward company funding of the low cost service, and free or very low cost access by the public. According to the WSJ article mentioned above, firms now providing some for of access include: Vcall (Philadelphia), broadcast.com (Dallas), c-call.com (Street Fusion, (San Fransisco), and CCBN.com (Boston). Expect that more and more firms will offer the public Internet conference call. Encourage firms you are interested in to do so. This form of communication is yet another form of ultimate corporate democracy.

Shane