Online Meeting

Got an upco­ming busi­ness meeting but unable to make it there in person? Perhaps, it’s too far, too expen­sive, or just too much hassle to travel all that way. Whatever the reason, you’re now stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yesterday, such a situa­tion would have caused havoc. Today we’re using online meetings.

What is an Online Meeting?

Also known as a netmee­ting, an online meeting is a way for compa­nies to mini­mize face-to-face busi­ness gathe­rings while signi­fi­cantly redu­cing travel time and expenses, by instead holding their busi­ness meetings over the Web. Compa­nies are able to use online meetings with online presen­ta­tion soft­ware for web confe­ren­cing with clients and sales pros­pects. Alter­na­tively, online meeting soft­ware can be used as a form of online trai­ning soft­ware for trai­ning new employees.

An online meeting opens the door to a range of possi­bi­li­ties, not only for compa­nies but also educa­tion insti­tu­tions. E‑learning is a growing trend, and online meeting soft­ware enables students and teachers to meet online. This has brought great bene­fits to those unable to pursue a profes­sional educa­tion, due to work or family commit­ments, via tradi­tional methods such as universities.

Starting an Online Meeting

Using online meeting soft­ware to estab­lish a remote desktop connec­tion, the online meeting orga­nizer shares their computer screen content in real-time with colle­agues or clients who are sitting in front of their own compu­ters. Although it may sound compli­cated, tech­no­lo­gical advance­ments in Internet confe­ren­cing and remote desktop tech­no­logy have made it possible for any user, regard­less of IT know­ledge, to host their own online meetings. Simply down­load the appro­priate soft­ware from your online meeting provider and follow the few simple steps to start your first profes­sional online meeting.

With the right presen­ta­tion tools and prepa­ra­tion, an online meeting can result in great success for compa­nies in terms of saved time and money, as well as presen­ting a profes­sional image to clients and busi­ness associates.

Why Use an Online Meeting Tool?

The clear answer is that a web meeting prevents the problems that appear when you could miss a face-to-face appoint­ment. The advan­tage is that with Internet access, an online meeting is available 24–7.

Secondly, there are times when it is unfe­a­sible for all meeting parti­ci­pants to come toge­ther in person. When you consider the time needed to travel, as well as the travel costs involved, inclu­ding train, flight tickets, accom­mo­da­tion, renting a meeting place, etc, a meeting over the Web quickly becomes more appealing.

While many web confe­rence provi­ders charge a fee for their service, there are some free busi­ness soft­ware solu­tions that are appro­priate for online busi­ness meeting needs, inclu­ding free web confe­ren­cing software.