When business people sit down and discuss matters online, they need tools and applications right before them that can make the whole meeting more sensible. Their meeting will certainly be about issues that affect their business so they need to collaborate on the different topics of the meeting, regardless of where they may be.

Collaboration and Interaction

As opposed to the video conferencing scenario described above which is only "screen sharing", web conferencing allows the participants to interact and collaborate with each other. This is done through the different applications that the web conferencing provider makes available to their customers.

While video conferencing was at one time regarded as novelty, sort of like a phone with a video screen, now anyone with high speed internet access and a web camera can do it. There are different types of software available--some free, some paid-for--and anyone can download them and start video conferencing right away. In fact most instant messaging (IM) programs like Yahoo or ICQ allow you to do so, and these are all free.

Web conferencing on the other hand, is like video conferencing on steroids. Being a subscription service, providers offer their customers an entire suite of applications that can make their online meetings and presentations more compelling. Some customers usually describe the experience as the "next best thing to being there".

Although web conferencing can also refer to audio only conferencing, most businesses use the video aspect simply because its dynamics make their presentations a whole lot more comprehensive and easier to understand. It is a tool that is being embraced more and more by today's smart business managers not only as an effective presentation tool, but definitely as a cost-saving alternative to the more expensive long trips and hotel stays.