Webinars are the best -nars
In the film Up in the Air, George Clooney’s character runs into a problem: his life of traveling is about to be cut short by the introduction of web-conferencing into his company. However, this reaction is an exception: most people are enthusiastic at the thought of being able to conduct interviews, online seminars (“webinars”), and meetings over the internet. After all, this means less work time spent traveling, less cost to the company, and less stress overall.There are a multitude of companies in the web-conferencing business, from Adobe to Zoho. The decision as to which one to choose comes down mainly to the needs and size of your company. For example, Zoho Meeting (part of the Zoho Office Suite) is a free program which supports ActiveX, Flash, and Java. However, the meeting creator has to be using Microsoft Windowsthose “attending” the meeting can use any operating system, though.Currently, there are three different models of web conferencing, including hosting, software, and hardware. Hosting services don’t require the purchase of any software, and are offered with pricing plans generally based on the number of attendees expected at each meeting. GoToMeeting has plans ranging from 49 a month for 15 attendees to 499 for 1,000 attendees.Software-based models can be freeware, such as the Zoho option, or offered with different plans, such as Adobe’s Connect. Connect can be purchased for a lifetime fee from a specialist, or for a monthly fee if purchased onlinehowever, the online product does not include Pro Training, Pro Events, or Pro Webcast capabilities.Hardware- or appliance-based model costs differ based on the company, as they are set up on an individual basis. Other names include “in-house” and “on-premise” web conferencing. Speaking of names, if you’re wondering what a “webinar” is specifically, it refers to a type of one-way web-conferencing used for presentation or training purposes.