Mikogo Review - A Practical Web Conferencing Tool

February 1, 2011 - Mikogo is a free web conferencing tool provided by BeamYourScreen. It is extremely simple and easy-to-use, and unlike many other free tools, it doesn’t have any ads. This tool works on both Mac and PC, however, some of Mikogo’s features are not available for Mac. This is said to change with future versions of the product.

Bottom-Line: This is a simple web conferencing tool that has all of the essential features for a basic web meeting. It is a great solution for smaller meetings, as it supports up to 10 participants. It is a safe tool to use, so all of the information you share is protected.

Pros:  The software is easy to install and run, and very easy to learn how to use. In addition, it has no ads. It allows users to set up meetings at the touch of a button, so it is perfect for impromptu meetings. No installations are required from participants.

Cons: Meeting hosts will need to download and install Mikogo prior to using it. While the download and installation process is fast, the software is not completely browser-based, which could cause some problems for those behind a firewall, for example. In addition, it does not integrate with Outlook so you will have to send your meeting invitation emails manually.

Price: Mikogo is one of the many free web conferencing tools available.

The sign-up process is quick and easy, although a download by the host is needed. Once you have visited Mikogo’s website and signed up, you will receive an e-mail which has your user name and password. You will need to use those details to log into Mikogo once it has been downloaded and installed.

Once you start the meeting, you are given 15 minutes for the first participant to join. If no one joins in this time period, your session will end. This means that you will not be able to log into the meeting half an hour before its start to learn how to use the tool. The best way to do this will be to either invite a colleague to join a session with you, or use multiple sessions to get acquainted with the tool. As Mikogo is so easy to use, you might be able to get fully familiar with it in the allotted 15 minutes. Once a participant has joined the meeting, you have an unlimited amount of time to meet.

When you are ready to start a meeting, you will have to go into your system tray and click start session. Then, you are given your meeting information, which you have to send to your participants.

Mikogo doesn’t come with the ability to share audio via VoIP, so users who want to conference will have to opt for the tool’s phone-in conference call service. There are dial-in numbers for several countries, so hosts and participants get charged a local rate. Mikogo doesn’t charge for the audio conferencing service, so all fees resulting from the phone conferencing are paid directly to each attendees' phone company.

If you would prefer to conference completely for free, you and your participants could download Skype to use in conjunction with Mikogo.

When you start Mikogo, it gives you the option to choose which applications you would like to share. So you have the option to share the Word document open on your desktop, but not Media Player, for example. Once participants join the meeting, they can immediately see your screen. If you need to access any private folders during the meeting, you can pause the screen transmission. Once the file is open, you can resume screen sharing.

Mikogo allows meeting hosts to opt for an 'Instant Screen Build-Up' feature, which helps the attendees have a high quality screen sharing experience. This technology helps display any screen changes from the host’s side on the participant's screen almost immediately, so there’s minimum lag to the image. The only downside is that the image being transmitted to the attendees can sometimes lose its quality when there is lots happening on the screen.