Web Conferencing features, defined

Over the past 2 weeks, we have defined web conferencing purchasing terms and terms that define the technology behind a web conference. Today, we'll look at the features offered by most conferencing providers. 

Whiteboard 
This is a standard feature that allows you to collaborate and brainstorm using drawing tools, text etc within remote meetings using a shared online whiteboard.

Web Cam Video
Today’s web conferencing providers typically allow you to broadcast in-meeting video via a standard web camera.  Multi-point video, giving a video view of several different participants in the meeting, is also available.

Webcast versus Web Conferencing
Webcast services typically only offer “one to many” presentation type functionality.  Like a television program, folks are at their computer viewing and listening to the information being presented.  Web conferencing can also be used for this purpose but it provides many collaborative features for back and forth interaction between all participants, for truly collaborative work.

V-Cards
Also known as a virtual business card, some web meeting interfaces allow participants to download presenter contact information into a v-card from the presentation interface, without the need to send it separately via email. 

Surveys
Again, it does seem obvious.  But, not all web conferencing products offer this functionality.  InterCall Web Meeting allows you to survey your audience prior to, during or after your meeting concludes online.  The survey is generated from and the data is stored within the Web conferencing Service, and answers are typically stored with the participation reports you can view after your meeting.

Seating Chart
Some web conferencing providers give you a virtual view of your audience in a simple column style, in auditorium, around a table etc. 

Scheduling Templates
Standard or customizable scheduling templates are generated in the meeting invitations.   This can make life easier if you schedule many meetings.

Record and Playback
Most web conferencing services give you the option to record the meeting.  Most allow you to host the recording for online viewing.  Some also offer the ability to download the file to offline viewing or CD burning.

Registration
This functionality allows you to generate registration and store data in the service but is not offered by all web conferencing services!

PowerPoint Animation support
PowerPoint animation is animation created using Microsoft PowerPoint software.  Not all web conferencing services support this type of animation

Polling
Most web conferencing platforms allow some sort of polling of the audience, where you show a question to the audience and give them a few moments to respond during your meeting.  This is different from Surveys (see above) because the questions appear during the meeting instead of before or after.  Most polling tools allow for multiple-choice questions, which is helpful during a meeting to quickly see real-time results and statistics.  But some Web conferencing systems also offer the opportunity to collect answers in text format, making them useful for gathering detailed feedback or performing “quizzes” for training.   Polling results are usually conveniently stored in the system for later reference.

Instant Meetings and/or One-Click Meetings
These web meetings require no scheduling prior to start time.  These types of meetings are often started from a web service user interface or an additional Plug-in (i.e. Outlook or Lotus Notes). 

Meeting Calendar
This is added functionality that allows Web conferencing users to see a complete list of web conferencing meeting from the service itself.  This way you can schedule around your colleagues meetings, publicly advertise a session etc.

Moderated Question and Answer
This allows the presenters or co-presenters to manage inbound questions sent in from the web. They can take questions from the group, answer them verbally, or respond in writing via the question management tool on the Web conferencing interface.   This is much more structured than the format of the Chat tool.  Questions and answers are saved and can be stored for reference after the meeting.

Emoticons
Another web meeting feature allows you to show emotional indicators during the meeting to provide presenters with instant feedback.  Typically these emoticons will tell presenters to slow down, speed up etc.

File Transfer
This feature allows you to distribute documents electronically via the platform versus emailing or faxing them later.

Flash Animation Support
If you are using an animation file created using Adobe Flash animation software, you will want to make sure your web conferencing service supports this type of file.

Document Viewing
Many services allow you to convert a document into a format that can be displayed during a meeting or stored in a virtual library for later use.  Typically, it will preserve your presentation’s slide transitions and animations. This typically consumes less bandwidth than application or desktop sharing during the meeting.

Desktop Sharing
This feature allows you to display your entire computer desktop (your computer monitor view) to your participants during a meeting.  It’s like they are viewing your monitor from your chair. 

Breakout Sessions
Using a breakout session, you can conduct virtual, small, collaborative activities via your Web meeting. Trainers can “walk around the room” and see how each group is doing.  This can include “web only” break outs or “web and phone” break outs.  This is highly effective for encouraging people who are receiving Web-based training to loosen up and participate in in-depth discussion instead of just “watching” the class. 

Chat
This is basically instant messaging that is isolated within the context of the Web conference.  But an additional features can be the restriction to chat only with presenters or technical help, and only have to “chat to all” if you choose.  This is typically less structured than Question and Answer tools (see below), however, some services do not differentiate the two.   Some tools allow you to save a record of the Chat comments, but not all Web conferencing systems do this.

Audio Streaming, Webcasting or Audio Broadcasting
These terms mean that participants can to listen to the audio portion of the conference using their computer speakers.  The speaker still calls into a phone line, and can set up a meeting where either all participants must listen via computer, or to allow participants to choose the method to listen.  For listerners, it’s quick and easy to connect, with no “outside” connections via the phone.  But the down-sides can be that there is no operator available to jump online for assistance during a meeting if there is static. Many times you have to have a streaming player installed on your computer to listen.  The most common streaming coders and decoders are Windows Media Player, Real Networks, and QuickTime but coders can also be proprietary.

Application Sharing
This feature allows you to display applications that are open on your computer desktop (software, document, website etc).  It’s like they are viewing the document from your chair.  Only the selected program is visible in this sharing mode, not your entire desktop screen (see Desktop Sharing, below).

Audio Conference Controls
This service stores contact information and automatically dials participants when the conference begins, eliminating the need to remember call-in numbers. During the meeting, it allows users to mute, un-mute, do an automated “roll call”, etc.  The effectiveness and functionality of audio conference controls is dependent upon the provider of the audio conferencing services, which may or may not be the same provider on the back-end that runs the Web conferencing system.

Annotation
Web conferencing annotation allows you to perform mark-ups on the content you are displaying during your meeting.  You know – highlighting, check marks, text notes etc.  These tools are very useful when collaborating on documents, because you can “point” to what you’re talking about.

I hope you found these terms helpful. But keep in mind that this is by no means a complete list. You are bound to stumble across many more terms that may result in head scratching.  I apologize for missing those ones in advance!   To see a list of the web conferencing features that InterCall provides, click here. As always, if there are other questions that I can answer, let me know below in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer it!

Dan Uhlmeyer is a Sr. Product Manager and the "Web Conferencing" blogger.  He has over eight years of product experience in Web Conferencing and currently manages InterCall Web Meeting, InterCall’s proprietary unified communications tool.  When not punching on the keyboard, you can find Dan enjoying time with his wife and two children or running a marathon.

The Technology behind Web Conferencing, Defined

Last week we talked about the buying terms related to web conferencing.  This week, we'll take a look at some of the technology terms you may hear when meeting virtually.  If there are any terms I have missed, or that you'd like to discuss further, please let me know in the comments below!

APIs
Application Programming Interface, a set of Web conferencing APIs provide protocols and tools to use for integration between the Web conferencing platform and other systems.    APIs makes it easier to integrate as it provides all of the building blocks for doing so, like pairing “click to dial” phone connections with your Web conference (see “Audio Conference Controls” below).

Closed Captioning
Relay Conference Captioning is a unique service that provides live, real-time text streamed captions to hearing impaired participants through the Web conferencing service

Custom Content Services
Some providers offer additional services to make your content come alive through complex animation and video.  Other custom content services may include general or more advanced branding, setup of pre-meeting registrations, editing of recorded meetings or even help with creation of your presentation for high-profile events such as Webinars.

Multi-language Support
Some web conferencing services allow you to conduct meetings in up to 10  languages. The most common languages are English, Spanish, French, German, Swedish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

Plug-ins or Add-ins
An additional install that allows you to control web conferencing functionality from a Third-Party application such as Outlook or an Instant Messaging platform. Typically this integration is made possible through the developer’s use of APIs.

Practice Sessions
I know it seems like a no-brainer but “buyer beware.”  Some service and pricing models allow you to run practice sessions “at no charge” prior to meeting time.

PSTN Audio
Public Switched Telephone Network, basically your typical phone connection.  Currently this is the most common method for connecting audio on your Web conference as it leverages conferencing technology using the traditional phone system.

SSL Encryption
Most services offer Secure Socket Layer encryption to protect your meeting from “hacking” while your images are being sent through the internet.  Many financial institutions, governments, legal firms or businesses handling sensitive information require this feature to be enabled for Web Conferences.

Stored Access IDs
Caching of previously used web meeting IDs gives quick access to start a meeting or access other user meeting rooms.  “Ok, in layman’s terms please?”  Basically like storing  “click to call” numbers on your mobile phone for those you call often.
typically stored with the participation reports you can view after your meeting

Two-way (full duplex) VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol.  This differs from streaming or a traditional webcast as there is “back and forth” communication amongst participants which is all performed over the internet.  This eliminates the need for a phone line.

Next week, we'll look at some of the web conferencing features and their related terminology. Stay tuned!

Dan Uhlmeyer is a Sr. Product Manager and the "Web Conferencing" blogger.  He has over eight years of product experience in Web Conferencing and currently manages InterCall Web Meeting, InterCall’s proprietary unified communications tool.  When not punching on the keyboard, you can find Dan enjoying time with his wife and two children or running a marathon.

Web Conferencing: Words and Terms to “Go Buy”

Web conferencing as we know it today made its debut in 1996.  However like all technologies, the tool has not been adopted by “every” individual who sits at a desk staring at a monitor.  Even those that use the service on a regular basis may not use everything Web conferencing has to offer.   

Have you ever called a “document” you were working on an “application?” Has your primary means for sharing or collaborating on a document been via email back-and-forth or, in earlier days, fax?   If your answer was “no” to the first question and “yes” to the second, how are you supposed to know what Web conferencing Application Sharing means?

Sure I was being somewhat facetious above - I assume most of you have at least a fundamental understanding of Web conferencing and how it works.  That being said, I will not spend too much time on the basics.  Here are some quick definitions for the more obscure or ambiguous purchasing terms used in Web conferencing today. Next time, I will be talking about the terms that define the technology behind web conferencing. 

Concurrent Participants
Indicates the number of participants across all meetings on a Web conferencing site or URL.  This is used when Seat Licenses or are the preferred method of pricing.

Conncurrent Seat Licenses or Shared Seat Plans
Concurrent seat plans are set up to allow you to have as many Web conference “leaders” as you like, but you can only have a certain number of people logged into the system at one time, whether as leaders or just as viewers of the meeting.  This is billed essentially as a subscription model, and you pay the set fees either monthly or on an annual basis, but most systems allow you to go over your limits, and will simply bill you a bit extra for the instances where that happens.  Audio conferencing is usually not included in the seat fees, and is typically billed separately for actual usage on a per-minute basis. 

Multi-Media Minutes and/or Blended Rates
A variation of Pay-per-Minute Pricing plans, multi-media minutes combine your Web conferencing and any audio conferencing in one rate.  The rate for combined audio and web conferencing is usually higher than Web conferencing alone, but can be lower than purchasing them separately.  The down-sides to this model are that not every time you do a conference will you use both audio and web, so the higher rate can be prohibitive unless you meet online very frequently (conducting daily demos or trainings of a product, for instance). 

Named User Licenses
Named user models essentially give you a license or individual login for the Web conferencing account.  Plans available offer everything from one user to hundreds, with pricing usually varying based on the number of users in your contract.  This is billed essentially as a subscription model, and you pay the set license fees either monthly or on an annual basis.  Audio conferencing is usually not included in this license fee, and is typically billed separately for actual usage on a per-minute basis. 

Pay-per-Minute Pricing
Users pay a rate per-minute of connection to the web conference, similar to how you are charged for a phone call.  This rate applies to each individual connection, so an hour-long meeting with 3 people will register 180 minutes of Web conferencing usage.  This plan is most common for companies who are just figuring out what their needs are for Web conferencing, or also for large events that are out of the ordinary and not covered by your normal pricing plan.

Dan Uhlmeyer is a Sr. Product Manager and the "Web Conferencing" blogger.  He has over eight years of product experience in Web Conferencing and currently manages InterCall Web Meeting, InterCall’s proprietary unified communications tool.  When not punching on the keyboard, you can find Dan enjoying time with his wife and two children or running a marathon.

5 Ways to Make your Sales People More Successful With Web Conferencing

Sure, I can talk about reducing travel expenses, increasing efficiency, going green… yada, yada, yada.  But at the end of the day, the viability of anything succeeding as a business tool comes down to the bottom line.  Is it going to save you money? Is it going to make you money?  With web conferencing, the answer to both of these questions is YES!

I was asked to write about 5 ways to make your sales people more successful with Web Conferencing.  But you know what?  I’m not in Sales, let alone Sales Management so I will not pretend to be in this post.  Instead, straight out of the realm of common sense – I will show you why it is silly not to adopt web conferencing as a manager in any field of work.

I’m going to make a hunch and assume these benefits can be applied not only to Sales Management, but other fields as well.

1. You can be in two, three, four etc… places at once - Technology has yet to give us the ability to physically exist and breathe in more than one location at once.  But, your sales reps can meet virtually with each of their prospective stakeholders at the same time even if those stakeholders are geographically dispersed.  In today’s marketplace, not everyone is in the same city let alone same building.  There is much debate on the effectiveness of live meetings compared to web-based virtual meetings but when it comes to efficiency, Web Conferencing wins hands down.  Why?  Because there isn’t a vehicle in the market that goes into autopilot while you work in your rolling office.  Some folks are able to talk and type on their mobile device, sift through paper docs and throw down a sandwich simultaneously – but, that’s not so safe my friends. 

2. Interactively reach more contacts in less time - Ok, how about 8 prospective meetings a day versus 3 or 4?  Eliminate the time it takes to drive from one site to another.  Back to back meetings are much easier when you are closing and starting a browser versus jumping on a congested highway to rush to your next appointment.  Again, I’m not in sales but I do know about “the law of averages.” 

3. Qualify and conduct “needs analysis” prior to meeting with them on site – When comparing a live meeting to a virtual web conference, I’m sure it’s much easier to get off a 20 minute web conference to say “well, that was a waste of time … they don’t need my product.”  Imagine if you had driven to that appointment – The drive alone is probably more than 20 minutes.  Web Conferencing provides a tool to determine or qualify the prospects that are worth a trip across town (or cross-country) and those which are not.

4. Your people have a solution for managing sales cycles – do your reps drive to a client’s site for each step of the sales cycle, including dropping off collateral to an administrative assistant?  Well, I hope that revenue is worth all of the time.   Don’t get me wrong. I understand that sometimes face to face meetings are required.  If for nothing else, we still need the human element of a good old fashioned hand shake.  But if you’re beyond that, get on a web conference to present the offering, distribute collateral (i.e. file transfer), follow up and negotiate the contract. 

5. Close business deals more quickly –  Like I mentioned earlier, we can talk about cost savings all day long – news flash, gas prices are high right now.  But seriously, if you just closed the biggest deal in the last 12 months – are folks really going to scrutinize your gas receipts? Well, maybe they will … Ugg.  But isn’t it really just about closing business and generating revenue more quickly and efficiently?  Dare I say, “Work smarter?” 

Next time you find yourself or a team member getting stuck in traffic, driving through a fast food restaurant or trying to lead a conference call from the office on four wheels, give web conferencing and perhaps this blog post a thought.  I’m sure the words will have a bit more meaning during those glamorous moments in time!  In the mean time, feel free to post a question below. Or, if you are a sales expert, let me know what I've left out here!

Dan Uhlmeyer is a Sr. Product Manager and the "Web Conferencing" blogger.  He has over eight years of product experience in Web Conferencing and currently manages InterCall Web Meeting, InterCall’s proprietary unified communications tool.  When not punching on the keyboard, you can find Dan enjoying time with his wife and two children or running a marathon.

Making all Learners Successful Online

One of the best compliments I can receive when conducting an online training is “It didn’t even feel like I was online.  It felt like I was in an actual classroom.”  Keeping learners engaged and interactive are two of the many ways to making learners successful during online learning.  Let me back up though and give you a snapshot into my department.      

Our training team consists of 24 trainers; half of them are dedicated to customer training and the other half to internal training.  On average, we offer almost 500 hours of training a week, of that 95% of it is offered online.  “Online” can mean different things to different people, in this context we mean that there is a trainer facilitating a “live” class using a combination of audio and web conferencing.  With that being said, facilitating in an online environment is like second nature to us.  I know however that it can be daunting to lead your first online class, so I’d like to offer a few suggestions on how to make learners successful during online learning.

Interaction – This is by far my number one recommendation for successful learning.  When you are in a classroom, you have the ability to see the learners and get a gauge of how they are doing through facial expressions, body language, etc.  When online, it is very easy for the learner to “check out” without you noticing.  They have a great deal of distractions readily available (email, web surfing, cell phones).  By keeping your training interactive, you will eliminate those distractions.  My recommendation is that you have your learners engaged in some sort of activity every 3 - 5 slides or every 5 minutes.  That leads me to my next tip…   

Use the Online Tools - Web conferencing products have become very sophisticated in the sense that almost anything you can do in a classroom can now be done online.  Web conferencing has grown leaps and bounds from its early days of just “presenting” a PowerPoint over the web.  Some of my favorite tools to use to ensure interaction are whiteboards, polling, breakout rooms and chat sessions.  In our Management Development Program (MDP) we will spend some time discussing a topic and then give groups a scenario that they need to solve.  We then use the breakout room feature, which allows them to go into their own teams audio and web conference without actually leaving the main conference.  As an instructor, I can then pop in and out of each of the groups to monitor their progress.  At the end of the allotted time, they all come back and share their findings.  Using a breakout room online is almost better than being in a classroom because the teams are not distracted by hearing the other groups chatter.

Rev Up the Energy – Training professionals by nature are energetic, however it’s so important for that to shine through during your online sessions.  Although the learners can’t see you, they can hear your energy and enthusiasm.  Smile when you are training, you can “hear” a smile through the phone.  Energy is contagious, so the more energetic you are the more your learners will be. 

Get to Know Your Learners – When you are in a classroom, it is easy to get to bond with your learners; during breaks you can share stories, there is chit chat while getting things ready, etc.  When presenting online I’ve found that I get right into “trainer” mode and start up my class right away.  Keep in mind that many of these people have never met each other or you before.  We generally start out each of our online sessions with a slide that asks for the learners name, title, location, time with the company and a fun fact about themselves.  As the trainer, I will start out to break the ice and then I use the participant list that can be found on most web conferencing products, and call on people to share their information.  Although it takes time away from your “class time” it’s an important activity. 

Call on Participants – My final tip is to make sure that you are calling on your participants.  You need to ensure that you’re actively getting them to participate.  Not only will this help them to pay attention more (who wants to be caught off guard by the trainer!) it will increase their retention of the material.  In turn, you should also make sure that they know to call on you for questions, comments and feedback.  Ask for their input on a regular basis.  You can ask them to use the chat or Q&A feature or just speak up over the phone. 

The moral of the story is to use the same tips and tricks you would use in the classroom, but modify them for an online environment.  I have many more tips for successful online learning, so if you’re having difficulty with it please post a comment below and I’ll make sure to respond.  I’d also love to hear some of your tips, so please post them below!

What is ‘streaming’ and why should I use it ?

Please welcome our Guest Blogger, Cristina Lucas - Product Manager.

Streaming services have been adding to the increasing web viewer adoption rates over the last few years. It provides a great opportunity to reach a wider audience, at a lower cost, with great success.

Streaming is a method of broadcasting your information via the web. For example, InterCall can take any audio files, video media or PowerPoint feed and provide that information to your attendees in a professional console, even linking in to live conference calls or video conferences to stream over the internet.

But, before we get into too many details, let’s stop for a minute and review some terminology. Webcast, webinar, streaming, web conferencing – what do they all mean? A lot of common phrases associated in the online world can be easily used in place of each other. Some common definitions to help us out are:

Webcast (ing) is the broadcasting of news, entertainment, etc., using the Internet, specifically the World Wide Web.

Webinar, short for Web-based seminar, is a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web.

Streaming is a technique for transferring data so it can be processed as a steady and continuous stream. Streaming technologies are becoming increasingly important with the growth of the Internet because most users do not have fast enough access to download large multimedia files quickly. With streaming, the client browser can start displaying the data before the entire file has been transmitted.

Web conferencing is a meeting between two or more participants at different locations using computer networks and specialized software to transmit data.

We tend to use these terms and phrases interchangeably when discussing web communication tools. InterCall’s focus is to help you figure out what products will help your organization meet their goals and needs. There are a lot of potential uses for streaming. Some common uses for streaming are:

• Announce corporate updates and initiatives
• Launch new products
• Comply with Reg FD for investor relations communications
• Deliver information to customers or the press
• Train employees and customers

If you have a message or information to distribute, streaming can be a great online tool to help achieve your goals simply and effectively. Streaming services also have the capability of being very feature rich. Things such as registration, lobby pages, Q&A consoles, and robust reporting features come with your event as a default. There are also advanced features that can help add impact to your message. Streaming can be set up to track campaign referrals, add additional hyperlinks, perform email domain blocking, support flash video files, add pay-per-view capabilities and incorporate attendee surveys. This is all in addition to being able to fully brand and customize your consoles and emails. Some other savvy tools to help engage your audience are available as well. While in a live stream environment, you can add polling questions with real-time answers – and then display the results to your audience. You can also push out URLs that you want your audience members to see or bookmark for future reference. And let’s not forget the ever-popular Q&A section – providing the ability for your audience members to submit questions as they have them – instead of waiting for a pre determined question period.

As much as the streaming tools and features can help you get your message out, we still recommend taking some time to work on your presentation skills. Check out Dan Uhlmeyer’s articles in our web conferencing section to get some tips on how to keep a web audience engaged - they are still great tips that can be used for streaming events as well. You may also consider having your stream archived. It’s a simple process that can be done at the same time you reserve your stream. The URL that you originally used for your live event stays the same, and future audience members can view the recording as if they were live participants. Another option is to get your stream turned into a podcast. This allows your on-the-go attendees to access and play the recorded stream when it’s convenient for them. If there are any quesitons out there about the best way to use streaming for your presentation, please list it in the comments and I'll get back to you!

Cristina Lucas is a Product Manager based in Canada and has been with InterCall for seven years. She has been instrumental in the Canadian market’s success and is regionally known as the “product guru”. Cristina supports streaming services as well as the Canadian marketplace. She enjoys travelling, taking pictures and scrapbooking.

How do I Start a Web Conference? Let me count the ways!

All leading web conferencing service providers strive for ‘ease of use’.  This often begins with, what else, actually starting the web conference!  InterCall Web Meeting, InterCall’s proprietary unified meetings tool, is no exception. Opportunities to start a web conference present themselves at every corner (of your computer desktop that is).

Since this is my first blog entry, I felt it would be appropriate to focus on the theme of beginnings. But more specifically, the options available for “beginning” a web conference – Oh…ok, starting a web conference.  But first, I’ll take a step back to mention the short list of requirements needed to begin and lead a web conference: a computer, internet connection (dial-up will do, but high-speed is better) and a telephone (landline or cellular).  You may also want to throw in a web camera.  Displaying your smiling mug is sure to assist in reducing your audience’s ever present urge to peek into inboxes or open other windows.  Now that you have your basic tools, it’s time to begin…

Most web conferencing services offer a variety of methods for starting your virtual meeting, whether ‘on-the-fly’ or scheduled in advance.  InterCall Web Meeting for example offers five. This typically boils down to one action - a click of your mouse!  Your next question may be, ‘but where do I point my mouse?’, and here is where the fun begins.

1. E-Mail Invitation
My favorite method for starting a web conference is through the e-mail invitation.  Most products integrate with calendaring systems such as Outlook.   When Invitations are created, links are automatically inserted into the email invitation and the calendar entry.  As the ‘organizer’ of the meeting, clicking the link from either location will get you to the meeting on time.  You are always just a link’s click away from meeting nirvana!

2. Office Programs
WebEx and Microsoft Live Meeting (both offered by InterCall) have the ability to start a web conference instantly from within applications such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.  When you’re on a conference call reviewing a report you’ve emailed to several people, frustration with “Mr. Readahead” may set in.  An option to “stop the madness” does exist.  Depending on your chosen service, the option to launch a web conference directly from the document may exist so that you can share it at your pace

3. Desktop Icon
Most web conferencing services enable the presenter/host to start a meeting from the desktop icon with as little as one click, often not more than two.  What is a desktop icon?  It is that little shortcut image on your desktop that usually displays a little fancy logo created by the company supplying the service.  WebEx’s Meeting Center (also offered by InterCall), offers the “One Click” meeting, for immediate start of a virtual meeting.

4. Browser
A virtual meeting may also be started by opening a new browser window and entering your web conferencing service URL (i.e. https://companyname.webex.com or https://companyname.on.intercall.com).  Automatic login does not apply here and therefore is not as turn-key, but this will come in handy when working remotely (from a computer other than your own).

5. Start Menu
If your service of choice required a download, chances are it shows up as a program on your desktop.  If that is the case, you can locate and open the program directly from the Start Menu.

Even if a web conference is only needed occasionally, starting your web meeting is just like riding a bike - no one forgets how to use a desktop shortcut icon, do they?  With client based services like InterCall Web Meeting, the service remembers your login credentials so there is no need to memorize these each time.  As long as you have access to your desktop, you can fire up your web conferencing engine! 

Gentlemen (and Ladies)… Start your Web Conference!

Kristen Kosnak is an Associate Product Manager and one of our “Web Conferencing” bloggers.  Kristen has been with InterCall for five years in a variety of facets within sales and product management. She currently manages InterCall Web Meeting, InterCall’s proprietary web conferencing platform. When not collaborating on a web conference, Kristen enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter or soaring down a trail on her mountain bike.

Do I need registration for my virtual conference?

In my last post I suggested that you give yourself some time to consider the technology behind your event.  Part of that technology can be a registration system.

When you’re hosting a large event, you will likely need to gather a list to confirm the expected attendance or create follow-up activities.  One of the best ways to do this is to ask your audience to register before the event if they plan to attend.  After a person registers they receive the information for the event. 

First, let’s define registration services.  When you are hosting a virtual event, you may want to have participants register so that you have an idea of expected attendance.  It also allows you to gather more detailed information about your participants without making each person give a lot of information to an operator as they enter the meeting.   You can perform pre-registration by phone or online, but most people opt for the web form…it’s a simple click from your email invitation to register.

Now, why should you require registration for a virtual event? 

1. To simplify the event process:  A pre-registration process can reduce administration time by automating and branding event communications.
2. To increase registration and attendance:  By integrating meeting information with the participants’ outlook calendar integration and having multiple flexible reminders you can increase your registration to attendance ratio.
3. To gather mission critical data:   Gathering demographics and contact information before the event allows everyone to connect quickly at the time of the meeting, because they don’t have to stop and give required information to an operator.  Pre-registration also expands your database, because you will gather information for people who intend to join your event, even if they do not actually show up.  You will also have a way to score leads and may be able to integrate information into your CRM. 

Some best practices for using Event Registration I’ve found over the years include:

• Plan ahead for what your follow-up activities will be, so that you can gather the proper information during registration.
• Check your registration after your event invitations are sent.  Most responses to email invitations occur within one day.  If your registration is lower than expected, consider resending your invitation with plenty of time left before your event.
• If you are going to be using a virtual event for lead generation, don’t be afraid to ask a few qualifying questions in the registration.  But also don’t go overboard...Think about the time demands on your audience.  If your form takes too long to fill out, you may lose some responses as people get distracted at the office.
• Use the information in your registration report to prepare for the event.  If you have asked demographic or qualifying questions, you can tailor your presentation, if necessary, based on they type of people who are registering for your event.

There you go…I hope this “inside view” helps your next event be a resounding success!  And a little easier to manage while you’re at it!  In the next InterCall Blog post, we'll hear from a few different people and discuss the role of the Event Consutant.

Kim has been in the conferencing industry for the past 9 years. She is a Product Manager at InterCall for Mshow Web Conferencing, Events and Registration. She is passionate about the ability to support dynamic, powerful events using audio, video and/or web conferencing. In her spare time, Kim likes to spend time with her 2 ½ year old son, 4 ½ year old daughter and husband. You can often find the Winn family riding bikes together, spending a day at the beach, or going to the rodeo together.

Do you know how to plan a virtual event?

Cambria Vaccaro, Marketing Director, interviews InterCall’s very own Kim Winn, Product Manager for Event Services.

What exactly does “event services” mean in the conferencing world?

Because the world of communications continues to evolve and expand, doing a virtual presentation can involve several types of technology, and often those are new technologies with which you may not be comfortable or familiar. 

Event Services is a professional team dedicated to successfully establishing, executing and delivering post-event details.  Event Services are platform-agnostic and customer service driven…meaning that whether you’re doing an audio call (like IR announcements) or integrating streaming video or web conferencing, the Event Services teams coordinate all the pieces that make the event work the way you want it to.

This kind of support allows you to concentrate on delivering the presentation while the Event Services team takes care of the rest.

How involved should a conferencing provider be in helping me plan my event?

The level of activity at InterCall depends on the actual event itself.  But here are a few guidelines we use to make sure your virtual events are delivered beautifully. When you’re planning an event at InterCall, here is what will happen:

• An Event Consultant will immediately engage you to establish all your business and event requirements
• An Event Consultant will schedule and attend a comprehensive hand-off call between, you, the Sales rep and the Event Producer dedicated to your event.
• A dedicated Event Producer will work directly with you for all pre, during and post event details.
• A dedicated Event Producer will be your event point of contact for all your event needs.
• The Event team allows you to concentrate on an unforgettable presentation that you will deliver without worry.

Can you give me 3 “don’ts” for planning a virtual meeting?

1. Don’t consider the technology last – While you’re planning your topic, audience, and invitations, you need to also consider the delivery method.  Giving yourself, your conferencing provider and your event staff time to research your needs and discuss your options is crucial to a successful event.

2. Don’t proceed without an Event team – this is your “ace in the hole”.  InterCall’s Event Services teams help plan virtual meetings every day and are the professional. They will listen to all your needs and wants, help prioritize them, and provide a comprehensive solution, creating your ideal event.

3. Don’t forget about followup – a critical part of your strategy is knowing what you will do after the event.  Whether you are following up with employees on a training you’ve delivered, or prospecting through a list of webinar attendees, or simply archiving the event for later use…all of these things are much more easily addressed if they are identified up-front and coordinated by your Event team during initial planning.

Stay tuned for Kim’s next post on Registration Services.

Kim has been in the conferencing industry for the past 9 years. She is a Product Manager at InterCall for Mshow Web Conferencing, Events and Registration. She is passionate about the ability to support dynamic, powerful events using audio, video and/or web conferencing. In her spare time, Kim likes to spend time with her 2 ½ year old son, 4 ½ year old daughter and husband. You can often find the Winn family riding bikes together, spending a day at the beach, or going to the rodeo together.

Cambria Vaccaro is Director of Marketing, Corporate Communications and our “Industry News” blogger.  Cambria has been in the conferencing industry for nearly fifteen years, and has seen it evolve from traditional video bridging services to cool web features and remote communication services.  She is an avid runner, cook, wife and mother of two gorgeous girls.

Web Conferencing Tips Part 2: During the Meeting

In my first post, I talked about keeping it simple as a Web Conferencing beginner. I don't want you to overwhelm yourself with a long list of features you may not use very often if you are new to web conferencing.  But it may be time to pick up your game.   

I use InterCall Web Meeting every day and have to admit I do get comfortable with certain feature sets.  If you do the same, you could forget other functionality exists.  Even as a veteran of web conferencing, I like to revisit the feature list to find new ways to engage my audience.  Especially if you are running a recurring meeting, it may not be a bad idea to switch it up in order to keep folks paying attention. 

1.  Web Conference Meeting Agenda   

At this point, you have a plan and have settled on the features you are going to use during your meeting.   You've already provided your audience an agenda within your meeting invitation.   Now, get them engaged early - It is time to mesh the agenda with the features you plan to use while you're presenting.  I like to go through my agenda and tell the audience exactly what I plan to do for each agenda item.    I like to tell my participants exactly how I plan to manage the agenda, item by item. In doing so, I tell them what web conferencing feature will be leveraged.  This explains to your audience how they will be involved in the meeting and sets expectations for their participation from the beginning.

Meeting Agenda

• Introductions - "Please take a look at the participant list. I will be going down the list in order and will un-mute your line when it is your turn to talk."
• Meeting Objectives - "I will be sharing a Word document outlining the meeting objectives and will also modify this doc during the meeting based on other objectives you provide. I may promote you to a co-moderator so you can add or modify the doc yourselves."
• Application Overview - "I will be giving you a sneak peak of our new online tracking tool. You've seen the PDF but this will give you your first real-time look at the features and benefits. At the completion of the demo, I will be sending out some polling questions during the Web Meeting to get your immediate feedback. We can provide this feedback to our vendor for possible enhancements."
• Roundtable - "After the demonstration, we will have a roundtable discussion to cover general feedback. If we have time and if needed, I will pull up a whiteboard to collaborate on ideas."
• Action Items "John, do you mind taking meeting notes with action items? I will take these notes and add them to my stored documents so you can download after the meeting."

2.  Meeting Execution

I should know better than to use sports analogies but I'm going to do it anyway.  Any professional quarterback can memorize a playbook and dictate each player's assignment in the huddle.  However, few can actually execute to a high degree of success once the huddle breaks and they are standing at the line of scrimmage with angry defenders waiting to take them down.  The quarterbacks that bring their "A" game to every practice and every drill will increase their chances for success. 

I highly recommend you do a dry run for any high profile meeting - go through the meeting flow, using the features you have picked out as if the audience was online with you.  Study the defense by anticipating questions that may be asked.  Have supporting reference docs handy that you can pull up real-time in anticipation of particular feedback or questions.  You will look like a star if you not only verbally respond but reinforce through visual aids.

3. Build Flexibility into your Plan

So you have come up with this elaborate plan to get your audience engaged but it doesn't seem to be working.  You can still hear background noise, there is little feedback and when you put someone on the spot, they respond with "could you repeat that question?" The fault no longer lies on your delivery. It may be that your audience needs to take a class in participant etiquette.

Things don't always go as planned, come armed with a secondary plan to get the results you are after.  At this point, get assertive - Un-mute all lines using the web tool, pass over application sharing rights to have a participant illustrate your point and start asking for answers name by name.  They will certainly come a little more focused the next time around.

Like I mentioned earlier, there is no shortage of tips out there on the web so I encourage you to educate yourself.   

Bye for now, I'm off to practice what I preach!

Dan Uhlmeyer is a Sr. Product Manager and the "Web Conferencing" blogger.  He has over eight years of product experience in Web Conferencing and currently manages InterCall Web Meeting, InterCall's proprietary unified communications tool.  When not punching on the keyboard, you can find Dan enjoying time with his wife and two children or running a marathon.