8 Supremely Simple, Elegant & Functional Web Conference Services

When you work in a company you’ll probably work alongside coworkers with all sorts of technological skills. Some will be geniuses and able to tackle web conferencing like a knife through butter, but there will inevitably be those who struggle with the perceived complexity of it.

I do think that there are image issues with web conferencing. It has a reputation of being difficult to setup and use, when in reality that is mostly an unjustified stigma. So what makes a good web conferencing service?

I like to think that web conferencing should be simple as in, elegant. Easy to use. Feature rich but not bloated. Navigable even for uninitiated users. Compatible with a variety of operating systems. Now obviously many web conference services won’t tick all these boxes (and there’s nothing to say that even if it did it would be the best) but these are the many facets of a good service.

If I was asked right now to recommend a business video conference service for use in an office where there are varied skillsets, here are the services I would feel happiest using. They’re the simplest and the most elegant. They’re also the ones that should mean less time on the phone with tech support!

Dimdim
Boy oh boy oh boy. Do I like Dimdim or what? When it comes to simplicity and ease of use Dimdim is just brilliant. This is a web-based web conferencing solution, which basically means that you don’t need to download and install anything. With Dimdim everything is done through the browser, so it will work on any Windows, Mac OS X or Linux machine.

In terms of features, Dimdim won’t let you down. This is a full bodied web conferencing service that covers all the bases and more. Dimdim offers screen and document sharing, public and private text chat, integrated VoIP and video, whiteboarding and annotations as well as integration with iCal and Outlook for arranging meetings. All this, and nothing to download. It really is very, very good.

MegaMeeting
MegaMeeting is another top class web conferencing application that is completely browser-based. As is the case with Dimdim, there is nothing to download, install and run locally: MegaMeeting is 100% browser-based. Audio (via VoIP) and video conferencing is built right into the MegaMeeting product as standard, which can be used with a regular headset and webcam.

Other features of note include remote computer control, screen, desktop and application sharing and PowerPoint presentation support. MegaMeeting also makes it very simple to conduct a video conference with up to 16 people in attendance.

Yugma
This was one of the first conference tools I regularly used as a telecommuter. It is operating system agnostic, working on any computer running Windows, Mac OS X or Linux. Yugma does require a download and installation, but the download is small and the installation is a breeze.

I have tested Yugma extensively on my Mac OS X system sharing a screen as well as viewing a shared Windows screen without any problems at all. Refresh rates were good and even though the screen shared was large, Yugma had no problem handling it. It was easy to change presenters mid-presentation, the integrated text chat was easy to use and the whiteboarding feature allowed for easy annotation of documents.

The ability to record and share conferences is particularly useful, however Yugma doesn’t have integrated VoIP and instead relies on integration with Skype and Google Talk etc. There is a teleconferencing number you can use, which is a free service where you only pay the for the call.

WebEx
When it comes to a fully integrated web conferencing solution it’s hard to beat WebEx. I know, you’ve heard about WebEx a bazillion times, but there’s a reason for that: it’s a good service.

I have been using WebEx now for quite some time for work and it hasn’t let me down. Whether it is a Windows PC sharing a screen with my Mac or sharing and presenting documents on Mac OS X with Windows attendees, WebEx won’t fail to impess.

Video and audio conferencing are built right into WebEx to make collaboration simple and productive. Other tools including document sharing and editing as well as secure IM make WebEx an attractive proposition for any business that needs to conduct online meetings. (If WebEx does catch your eye, check out these equivalents).

Zoho Meeting
When Zoho first made Zoho Meeting public, TechCrunch called it a top challenger to WebEx’s crown. When you take a look at the service, you soon see why they came out with a statement like that.

Zoho Meeting is aimed squarely at businesses who employ remote workers and rely on collaborative tools to get things done. Their iteration of a web conferencing service is extremely well integrated with their hosted suite of office tools. If you already use Zoho for spreadsheets, documents, todos and file sharing then Meeting is the perfect solution for you.

Some of the fundamentals include Windows, Mac OS X and Linux compatibility, easy meeting organisation with integrated contact manager, screen and document sharing, IM and session recording. Interestingly, it is also possible to embed saved sessions on your website or blog.

Vyew
If you are looking for a web conference service that ticks all the boxes, then Vyew is certainly up there with the best. This browser-based tool hasn’t been given enough attention here on VoIP-Sol.com, but that’s about to change!

The list of features that Vyew packs is extensive to say the least: real-time screen sharing; integrated screen capture tools; powerful annotation, whiteboarding and drawing tools; broad support for file types including .doc, .xls, .ppt; high quality, built-in VoIP for voice communication, integrated video conferencing capability with support for up to 5 other users; text chat and much more.

It’s clear to see that Vyew has all the features you’d expect from a business-level conference service, but it does so in a smart way with usability at the core of the experience. Let’s not forget that Vyew is also a free conference service. Worth a try? Absolutely!

TokBox
Seriously, TokBox is good. As in, really really good. Why?

TokBox successfully combines the best of Web 2.0 user interface design with web conferencing. This is a completely web-based service that requires no download or installation; anyone can use it. In fact, it feels so clean and simple that I think even the most technically uninitiated can pick it up. For me, TokBox is to web conferencing what YouTube was to online video.

It’s more oriented towards face-to-face video chat but it does also provide multi-party video conferencing. You can either use the “Conference” link to get a persistent conference room, or you can just dial in more people when you’re in a one-on-one call to add more people on-the-fly. Give it a go, it’s free!

PalBee
I’ve been plugging PalBee quite a bit recently, and I think for good reason. If you want a really simple, granny-proof way to conference online then PalBee is worth a shot.

The service is a completely hosted, browser-based solution that requires no downloads or installs. It can handle up to 5 simultaneous attendees with a one hour limit. PalBee works on Windows and Mac OS X, which should cover most of your contacts. You can also record your conference and then share it later.