Web Conferencing Etiquette.

While etiquette may be struggling to regain its once prominent place in a society now inhabited by five generations and exploding morays, online manners are still in their infancy. Just understanding the new acronyms can be a challenge. You may know that LOL means lots of laughs or laugh out loud but what does QT or HOAS mean? (Answers at the end.)

While a lapse in social etiquette may only cause some confusion, a business on line etiquette snafu can cost money.

If you're one of the many companies taking advantage of the convenient web conferencing services on the web, you know they're good for business. They bring you and your customers together, save on travel costs and can even increase sales.

So, if you want to avoid any snarky situations that can cause a less than favorable opinion of you and your business, consider these five pointers.

• Stay in the moment- Most of us think we're born listeners just because our ears work. That's like saying you are a born pianist because your family had a piano in the house. - Linda Eve Diamond

It's no wonder listening is hard when we speak at 125 to 250 words per minute but think at 1000 to 3000 words per minute. And in a web or audio conference, we think we can multitask because no one sees us.

Refrain from taking calls, answering emails or speaking with someone else during a web conference. Remember, you're in a meeting.

Stay in the moment with all of the participants, all of the time. The simple fact you can't see everyone means you'll lose up to 55 percent of the total meaning (8 percent is the spoken word and 38 percent the tone). So, you have to remain alert.

Listen. The simple, quiet act of listening will make you uniquely valued in the world.  - Linda Eve Diamond 

• Ask specific questions- For example, refrain from asking, "Does anyone have a question?" You might say, "What are your thoughts on xxx?" or Please give me your comments about xxx.
• Engage your audience- As a speaker, it's tougher holding a remote audience. (It's hard enough when they're in front of you!). So, if you have visuals, intersperse relevant cartoons, quotes, pictures or videos with your presentation. Your audience will thank you for it.
• Sync audio and visual- You want to avoid being in a situation where you're discussing a new offering but the visual is showing your company mission statement.

 Make sure that any visuals match the topic being discussed.

• Reassure- While web conferences are becoming more commonplace, and you've sent invitations with all of the pertinent information, still do the following:
• State which meeting everyone is in
• Let the participants know how to connect
• Let them know how to reconnect
• Let them know the expected length of the session
• Review the objective of the meeting

If you can master these five web conferencing rules, you'll get the most from this cost effective and efficient feature.

 BTW (by the way), QT means (cutie) and HOAS means (hold on a second).

Interactive Web Conferencing

Web conferencing is a growing alternative for business people looking to save expenses and time. It allows users to communicate interactively via shared desktops, document sharing, instant messaging and voice. These features let you collaborate with others easily rather than working on many back and forth emails and phone calls. It is far more efficient to get everyone together in one room through web conferencing.

Web conferencing is as easy to use as any web site. The intuitive interface means you only need to point and click to invite attendees, interact on a project and save the meeting for later reference. 24/7 customer support ensures your meetings always go smoothly.

Before you invest in a web conference service provider, make sure you will actually get a reasonable return on your investment. The best way to do this is to use a provider that charges per use instead of by the month. This way you have a solid return on your investment and you can even allocate the expense to each project.

Make sure you choose a web conferencing provider that can meet all your needs. Many have more than one popular name-brand platform for you to host your meeting. If you get a service with excellent customer support, you will get a free tutorial or even a live walk through with a customer service agent. This is very important to minimizing the learning curve and ensuring you are up and running as soon as possible.

Quick Start Web Conferencing

When you have settled on your web conferencing provider, take a minute to look at the provider’s free tutorial to familiarize yourself with all of the provider’s features. Some providers will even call you to walk you through your first conference and be sure you understand the system.

Ease of Use

In the tutorial, you will see just how easy web conferencing can be. The internet has accelerated the development of communications to the point where the speed will amaze you. These fast communications allow programs to run over the internet instead of on your PC, making communicating even easier. Nothing to download. Nothing to update.

Customer Service

You will also learn about the customer service your provider offers. 24/7 help gives you the confidence to go ahead with your first web conference because you know there is always someone there to help. Even very computer savvy individuals sometimes have difficulty learning a new system, so having someone available is important.

Flexibility

Finally, you will learn how flexible and simple web conferencing is with reservationless conferences. You can meet with anyone, anywhere, anytime for as long as you wish. You can place calls to others and route them into the web conference whenever you need to, making it easy to call in someone for a quick question in the middle of a meeting.

Your tutorial will show you everything you need to know and get you up and on your first web conference in just a few short minutes.

Virtual Companies and Audio Conferencing

Running a virtual company is not for the faint of heart. It requires intense dedication, drive and organization. Owners have employees all over the country performing various tasks. The structure is the antithesis of an office setting, with no bosses, no work stations and no walls.

 Virtual companies let go of the security traditional offices provide. They trade the feeling of security for the advantage of low operating costs. Virtual companies pay no rent or real estate taxes. All workers are on a contract basis so there is no cost of benefits or costs for complying with employment laws. These companies gain the advantage in competition since they can provide services more cheaply than traditional brick-and-mortar businesses. If you go virtual, follow these tips to help you stay organized and keep your company on track.

Use Web Conferencing

Be sure to employ web conferencing for your communications, rather than depending on telephone calls and emails. This affordable solution allows you to share desktops, applications and documents while discussing them in real time with your employees, no matter where they are located. This makes for easy sharing of ideas and clearer communication because you can easily show employees what it is you want from them.

Ditch the Paper

Virtual companies can also get rid of the paperwork. With web conferencing, you can share documents with your existing clients simply and easily. For marketing, virtual companies find that marketing with web conferencing is much cheaper than traditional snail mail marketing. By sending targeted emails, virtual marketers also increase response rates over postal campaigns.

 Hire and Reward Talented Staff

 The contractors you hire can make or break your virtual company. Be sure the people you work with are technically savvy, not just in their own field of expertise. Those with a broad-based knowledge of computers will do well for you.  Outfit you employees with the newest and best technology and use the money you save in overhead to provide employee bonuses that keep the most talented people with you.

Demand for Web Conferencing Increasing

In the current business environment, less is more. Organizations want uncomplicated tools to accomplish core business tasks. Web conferencing fits the bill for communications as businesses expand to locations all over the globe. A simple, cost effective solution allows companies to reorganize operations to maximize cost savings placing offices where property is more affordable.

Location not as Important

No longer must businesses rely on strategically located offices to maximize access to resources. Travel budgets are dwindling and not because of shrinking profits. Travel is simply becoming unnecessary as businesses adopt web conferencing on a greater scale. Some reports predict the demand to grow by nearly 50% in the coming year as more businesses realize the value and simplicity of web conferencing as a communications solution.

Encouraging Collaboration

Easy to use web conferencing tools capture the core of what human collaboration is about. They allow organizations to focus on the communication and collaboration, not the technology that makes it happen. Web conferencing is a simple point and click solution that is becoming a standard feature in daily business operations.

Revolutionizing Business Operations

Because web conferencing has become more affordable and easier to use than ever before, it is changing the fundamental ways in which companies operate. Without the restriction of locality, businesses can accomplish more in less time and at an exceptionally affordable cost.

Now organizations can share workflows, processes and data both internally and externally with third-party vendors or partners. The ease of collaboration is fueling growth, ingenuity and innovation. As the need for this affordable and uncomplicated solution grows, web conferencing will become as standard as the PC and the telephone in business operations.

The Top 5 Web Conferencing Mistakes

It may be hard to believe, but some businesses out there still have not tried web conferencing. If you are using web conferencing for the first time, here are some helpful tips to help you avoid common mistakes.

Know the User Interface

For the sake of your professional image, you should run a practice meeting to understand the user interface. While simple to use, it is best to know where to access the features and functions so that you do not delay meetings while you search for the controls. A quick five-minute meeting with a colleague should be enough to have you up to speed.

Guide Participants

Do not assume the participants know how to use the interface. Meeting attendees will appreciate you taking the time to review the interface with them before beginning the meeting. Take five minutes at the opening of the meeting to go over features and functions and answer any questions participants may have.

Recording

Do not forget to use the recording feature for your meeting. Recording is a great way to keep things on track and repurpose the meeting when you are done. Let attendees know you are recording and you will realize a polite, professional and well-maintained meeting that can be used for training or marketing purposes later. Be sure you know how to record the meeting before you begin.

Joining Audio

Show attendees how to mute their audio and how to turn it back on. Do not assume they know how to turn it on and off. By going over the controls at the beginning of the meeting, you minimize problems with background noise from lines that have not been muted. Ask attendees who are not presenting to mute their audio, but ask them to turn it back on for a question and answer session. Be sure they know how to use the feature before the meeting begins so all runs smoothly.

Avoid Desktop Distractions

Do not leave unnecessary applications open on your desktop. Be sure you close them before your presentation. Notifications, pop-ups and other distractions can interrupt your presentation or otherwise distract attendees from your message. Close extraneous program and keep documents you wish to share in a single folder on your desktop so they are easy to access.

Easy Web Conferencing FAQs

Web conferencing can be done with attendees located in the same building or anywhere in the world. They allow workers and business partners to gather online to discuss ideas and strategies, brainstorm solutions to problems and perform job applicant interviews from afar.

Benefits

Web conferencing makes it easier to schedule conferences on short notice. For instance, conference rooms are often booked when an unexpected situation arises. Workers are no longer forced to crowd into a single office. Instead, each member can join a web conference in a virtual meeting. This allows everyone to gain full access to the information presented, rather than peeking over the shoulder of another worker.

Tools

There are many tools used in web conferencing that make the meetings even more beneficial. For instance, attendees can share files and applications, use a virtual whiteboard, send instant messages and playback the meeting. These tools make tasks like training, brainstorming and interviewing easier to perform, with the ability to reference the material later.

Sharing

File and desktop sharing makes conferences easier in many ways. One of the most useful ways to use this feature is in training meetings. The moderator can demonstrate how to initiate a process or use a new software program and then hand control over to an attendee so he or she can try it out under supervision. This makes it easier to ask newbie questions and quickly learn new information.

Whiteboard

Whiteboards make it much easier to brainstorm. Because control of the desktop can be handed around the virtual conference room, each attendee can add to the whiteboard without disruption to others. Everyone in the virtual conference can see the board and contribute to it, allowing for more effective brainstorming.

Messaging

Instant messaging is another helpful feature of web conferences. In a traditional boardroom, great ideas become trapped in the mouths of attendees as they listen to the moderator. Even if they write the ideas down, they may never get a chance to express them. With instant messaging, an attendee can easily add useful ideas without disrupting the speaker.

Interviews

Interviewing is made better and cheaper by web conferencing as well. Video interviews save the cost of flying high-level executive recruits to the company for an interview. They also make it easy for other human resource decision makers to use play back and see the interview whenever time allows.

With these valuable web conferencing tools, web conferences are sure to become more common in your business. Even when a boardroom is available, web conferencing offers many features that make it preferable. You may even wish to present all your meetings this way because of the playback feature.

What is Web Conferencing: Basic FAQs

Web conferencing is a service involving a virtual online meeting between two or more participants.  It works by providing a way for attendees to view the same information on individual screens or workstations while discussing a topic. Participants may be within the same building or on the other side of the world. It is a software-based service that relies on private IP networks for communication.

Getting Started

Setting up a web conference is quick and simple. One person must moderate the meeting by gathering all necessary files and documents beforehand. These documents can be distributed electronically before the meeting or afterwards if the moderator chooses.

Inviting Attendees

The moderator will email participants with the scheduled date and time in an email invitation that may include instructions for registering with the conferencing service. Some services do not require registration. Instead, they offer an access code to be used at the time of the meeting. The email will also provide a URL link where attendees can join the meeting at the appropriate time. Invitees can accept or reject the invitation. Many email programs also allow the attendee to schedule the meeting automatically on his or her calendar.

Setting Up

It is a good idea for the moderator to check the web conferencing software approximately 15 minutes before the meeting to be sure it is functioning properly. When the meeting is up and running, the moderator will hear a buzz or bell when other participants enter the virtual conference room.
The moderator does not need to wait for everyone to arrive because the meeting can be played back at any time. The meeting can begin on time, making use of features that help attendees share and understand information. Various services like instant messaging, audio, video, virtual whiteboards and desktop sharing allow the moderator to direct the meeting the same way he or she would with a slide show and pointer. Virtual meetings are more flexible that traditional meetings, because the moderator has access to all applications on his computer, not just the information prepared in a slideshow.

Conclusion

At the end of the meeting, attendees simply log off. They can play back the meeting anytime they choose because the data is stored on the IP network. Anyone who missed the meeting can simply take a moment to view the recording and catch up to speed quickly on the information presented.

All these features make web conferencing a smart way to hold meetings, even when attendees work in the same building. Not only does it allow more features than a traditional conference, the playback option makes the meeting more useful to more businesspeople within the organization.  For a free $30.00 trial for web conferencing services visit FlyConferencing.com. 

Record a Web Conference - FAQs and Tips

Web meetings and teleconferences are a communication tool important to any business. They give you the chance to hold important training sessions and discussions with coworkers at any location. You can meet with your clients at any time and any place or train staff in several offices at one time. You can make your web meetings and teleconferences even more useful by recording them for your clients.

Why Record a Web Meeting or Teleconference

When you record a web meeting, a few things happen. Attendees, aware they are being recorded, suddenly become their most professional selves. They speak civilly and politely and ask good questions about the material presented. They are less likely to ramble and more likely to put their best foot forward in contributing towards the outcome of the meeting.

Recorded Web Meetings for Sales

All this serves to make a much more productive web meeting. Recording such a meeting gives you a professional training tool that can be used to education clients about your company and your products. Product vendors may find this especially useful in rolling out a new product. You can take the web meeting that was used to train sales staff and distribute it to clients. Your clients can watch these web meetings on their own schedule or whenever they need a refresher on the topics discussed.

Recorded Meetings for Customer Support

These recordings can be especially helpful for software vendors in supporting clients in employee training. When showing employees the new features of your latest upgrade, you can record the session and use it to train clients, saving time and money for your business.

Web meeting recordings can be used in any number of ways to support your business and communicate with clients. It makes sense to improve meeting quality by recording them and then capitalize on the feature by distributing these copies anywhere they might be useful.  For more information web meetings, 

Discount Audio and Web Conferencing: Key Words and Definitions

Anytime we talk about technology, many of us get scared, eyes glaze over or we attempt to use language that is at best "fuzzy" to us and likely others. 

Whether you are an assistant looking at conferencing options to present to your boss, a manager looking to pitch conferencing services to their board or staff, or anyone looking to communicate their communication needs to their IT staff; we wanted to attempt to demystify the audio and web conference calling lingo.  Here are a few common key phrases and definitions to understand.  We will try to have a few blog postings this week on additional keywords.

Moderator - The person facilitating the conference or event. The moderator can be the person leading or hosting the event, however it is usually most productive if the moderator is a person other than the primary speaker.

Conference Quickstart. Conference Quickstart allows a host to turn off Music on Hold so participants may start the conference prior to the host joining.

Host dial-out.  Instant connect allows a host to dial-out from the conference to bring in an expert, other participants, or initiate a meeting "on the fly".  InstantConnect may be launched using a DTMF command or fly View.

DTMF or Dual Tine Multi-Frequency signals - Also called touch-tone dialing. The tones that are heard when you press the buttons on a touch-tone telephone.

Web conferencing - A term that describes the industry forming around the creation of virtual events. This industry is a convergence of technology developed to provide cost-effective interactive communication channels for individuals and businesses. Webcast A presentation in which a live event is recorded and streamed over the Internet, or archived for viewing at a later time.

You can read about more definitions and keywords at www.flyconferencing.com/glossary.