- A web conference is an online meeting. The host organizes the meeting through a web conference provider. She then provides the attendees with the website to visit in order for them to join the conference. The host will also provide the necessary passwords they will need when signing into the web conference. Once the host and attendees log into the web conference, the host's computer screen is viewable to all of the other people on the web conference. The host can take questions either over the phone or through an instant messaging system built into most web conferencing software.
- The main benefit of a web conference is that anyone can attend a web conference without the need to travel. With a few clicks of a mouse, a person across the world can join and participate in a web conference. Another benefit is that a web conference can be arranged instantly. There is no need to wait for attendees to travel to the location of the meeting. Web conferences are also cheaper than traditional in-person conferences because the attendees can attend the conference without the travel and hotel expenses.
- In order to have a web conference, the host will need to sign up with a web conference provider. Some web conference providers charge by the hour, while others charge a flat monthly fee regardless of how much the service is used. Most web conference providers charge a monthly flat fee between $50 and $100 per month.
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There are many web conference providers available. One of the most popular is Go To Meeting (see Resources). This company charges a flat monthly fee of $49 for unlimited web conferencing. Another popular provider is WebEx, which is owned by Cisco, and is known as one of the most reliable and secure web conferencing providers (see Resources).
Most web conferencing providers offer a free 2-week trial of their service. It is advised to try out the service before committing to a web conference provider to ensure your needs are met. - Although web conferencing can be a convenient and cost-effective way to hold a meeting, it is important to understand the downside to holding a web conference. Attendees of web conferences lose the one-on-one intimacy that is present in live meetings. Also, it is difficult to determine if attendees are actually paying attention and getting the most out of a web conference. Finally, having web conferences with clients and prospects can take away from the relationship-building process because a web conference has less intimacy than a live meeting.
