Evolution of Web Conferencing.

In the early years of the Internet, the terms "web conferencing" was often used to describe a group discussion in a message board and therefore not live. The term has evolved to refer specifically to live or "synchronous" meetings.

Electronic Meeting Systems.

For interactive online workshops web conferences are complemented by electronic meeting systems which provide a range of online facilitation tools such as brainstorming and categorization, a range of voting methods or structured discussions, typically with optional anonymity. Typically, electronic meeting systems do not provide core web conferencing functionality such as screen sharing or voice conferencing though some electronic meeting systems can control web conferencing sessions.

What is a Webinar?

A webinar is a new term to describe a specific type of web conference. It is typically one-way, from the speaker to the audience with limited audience interaction, such as in a webcast. A webinar can be collaborative and include polling and question & answer sessions to allow full participation between the audience and the presenter. In some cases, the presenter may speak over a standard telephone line, while pointing out information being presented onscreen, and the audience can respond over their own telephones, speaker phones allowing the greatest comfort and convenience. There are web conferencing technologies on the market that have incorporated the use of VoIP audio technology, to allow for a completely web-based communication. Depending upon the provider, webinars may provide hidden or anonymous participant functionality, making participants unaware of other participants in the same meeting.

Web Conferencing.

Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet. In a web conference, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the internet. This can be either a downloaded application on each of the attendees' computers or a web-based application where the attendees access the meeting by clicking on a link distributed by e-mail (meeting invitation) to enter the conference.

Interaction with your participants during your conference call.

In a conference call, attendees tend to sit in the "back of the class". It is very difficult to get participation. Be proactive and ask questions of specific people. Instead of asking if anyone has any questions, ask a specific person relevant to the topic of discussion a question, i.e., "Bob, have you gotten all of the information you need to create the topic text?"

Checklist for a successful conference call.

Here is a checklist covering the items you need for a successful conference call:
· Schedule a good time for everyone, with consideration to the timezones of international participants.
· Agenda
· Meeting Invite or Request
· Reminder email with any reports or documents
· Small talk topics for the very beginning of the call
· Titles, responsibilities and names of anyone that needs to be introduced
· Call Recap
Don’t forget to:
· Watch the clock
· Take notes
· Follow through

Follow through after your call.

After the conference call, follow through! Be sure that you take action as discussed and answer any questions in a reasonable amount of time. If any deadlines were set, meet them. If work from other departments or employees was promised, be sure it is delivered.