..:: Web Conferences Versus Video Conferences - Written by: John Simpson

Web conferences allow users to attend 'virtual' meetings from all over the world. All that's usually required is an Internet connection and the software if a particular client is being used.

Video conferencing will allow two-way audio and video so that participants can see and talk to people in real time. In many ways, it's reflective of the technology glimpsed in the future of videophones, but on a larger scale.

The effectiveness of videoconferences lies in the ability of participants to observe and react to the body language, facial expressions and intonations of voice. While web conferences are still limited somewhat in this feature.

Conversation is possible in both mediums, though it takes some experience with web conferencing to make it personal. Though it is true that web conferences are about the dissemination of information and not the socialization of individuals for business purposes.

There is an international standard for videoconferences and this allows diverse software to communicate easily. There is usually one standard location for a video conferencing server that takes in all the information and then distributes it to the other conference locations.

This can be expensive depending on the number of connections. Also, the hardware that this requires includes video cameras (or a web cam), microphone, and speakers in addition to the P.C. hard line connections and hub server. Web conferences are limited by only the requirement that an Internet connection be available.

Web conferences can run to tens of thousands of users, but the number of users in a channel limits videoconferences by the capacity of their own server. Web conferences are more flexible because they can run over most any Internet connection but videoconferences require broadband.

There are broader costs in utilizing video conferencing beyond the initial expense of setting up the connections to maintaining ISDN lines.

Both types of conferences answer needs in the business community. Ultimately an end user, in most cases the companies that require these services, will have to decide what serves their own interests. For some, the cost of video conferencing is going to be prohibitive versus the value it returns.

Still others may value the personalization of video conferencing. While it's true that web conferencing has an edge because of its relatively low initial costs, this too could vary upon usage.
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