Companies and small businesses are in a better position today to save on their travel costs. This is with regards to meeting business associates and employees in another place or country.
Thanks to the web conferencing technology, they no longer have to travel far to conduct meetings, trainings and product presentations similar to in the past. Just by using a computer with internet connection, corporate executives, business owners and their staff can meet and discuss important issues.
The webinar system is one effective web conferencing tool widely used today. This technology allows one-on-one conversations and discussions involving multiple (in the hundreds) people. Users can even choose to interact via audio only or through video.
Even large companies are utilizing webinars in an effort to increase the value of their brand, reach new customers, educate their target market and provide support to their existing staff. A Cisco blog revealed four organizations that have been successfully using webinar for various purposes.
How Companies are Using It
PetSmart Charities – This non-profit organization uses webinars to train its staff and volunteers on how to help animals. Their programs are aimed at saving homeless pets, promote a healthy relationship between people and pets and to raise awareness on companion animal welfare issues.
eLearning Guild – This is an organization of e-learning professionals who use the webinar system (via video conferencing) to present new ideas from the experts as well as teach new strategies and techniques. Each webinar lasts for an hour and are recorded.
Ken Blanchard Companies – This management training and consulting company provides free webinars normally focusing on management techniques.
VizThink – This is an online community that engages people in discussions that help them understand ideas better. It aims to educate people on varied topics through visual thinking. VizThink provides easy access to its free webinars which people can view at their own preferred time.
Webinar Systems
There are many webinar systems available to people today depending on their needs. The free service can accommodate only a limited number of people while the paid plans have more features and can host hundreds of attendees. Some providers offer both the free and paid plans while some offer only a free trial for 30 days.
The free webinar systems are AnyMeeting and OnWebinar. Some paid systems include GoToMeeting, Eventbrite, BrightTalk and Instant Teleseminar (audio only).
Google Plus has its Hangouts On Air as well that can be used in the same way as a webinar tool. It allows video chats among multiple people (unlimited actually) and for free. It’s also simple to use because anybody who is has a Google account and a member of a Google+ community can start a hangout.
Before choosing a system, it’s ideal to learn about the specific features of the various providers available. You can do this at www.bestwebinar.com.