The Most Important Features in a Web Conferencing Tool

Web conferencing software comes in many varieties - free or paid for, with or without VoIP, and with or without video conferencing built in, just to name a few. To help you search for the perfect web conferencing tool, here's a list of some of the most important and useful features that will make it easy to meet online.

1. VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol, better known as VoIP, allows people to call each other through the Internet, and speak as if they were on the phone. All that is needed to benefit from this technology is a USB headset, and an online meeting tool, such as WebEx or Freebinar, that supports this technology. VoIP is very useful feature in a web conference tool, as it greatly diminishes or even eliminates the costs associated with conference calling, which can run very high when connecting people from all over the world, for example.

2. Screen sharing - More often than not, web conferences are accompanied by presentations. Screen sharing eliminates the need to email the presentation to all participants ahead of the meeting. This feature also ensures that all attendees are viewing the same part of the presentation at the same time, so there are no delays associated with people trying to catch up to the presenter or getting lost in the slideshow. Screen sharing also lets presenters share video and other applications on their desktop, useful for collaborative working. However, if you have already picked a conferencing tool that doesn't let you share your screen, there are several standalone screen sharing applications you can choose from as well.

3. Audience interaction tools - Engaging with your online conference participants is extremely important. This is why a good web conferencing tool needs to facilitate audience interaction by letting you conduct polls and surveys, for example. This is especially important if you are hosting a webinar, where there's often little room for every member of your audience to speak and make their opinions known.

4. Compatibility with mainstream operating systems - A web conferencing tool is only useful if it's accessible to all attendees. Otherwise, you could be alienating colleagues and clients who are on a different operating system from your own. While tools like iChat and VSee are great, the fact that they don't work with every operating system makes them less attractive to those who need to reach a broad audience of computer users. Browser-based tools, which do not require a download, work with every operating system, so they are a great choice when looking for a universal web conferencing tool.

5. Clear user interface - When choosing a web meeting tool, you need to look for something that is simple and easy to use. This way, you will be able to quickly learn to use all of the application's features, making the most of your web conference. The best interfaces are those that don't hide any functionality and that also look neat and clean. GoToMeeting, for example, has a simple user interface that makes the software easy to use even for those who have never met online before.