A Great Solution to the Age-old Webcasting Problem
on Nov 20 in General Posts, Internet Marketing by Andy ChimiclesI can count on one hand the number of Webex or Gotomeeting web meetings I’ve been to that went without a hitch. It is to be expected that at least one of the participants isn’t properly configured or there is some other kind of technical problem. And the services aren’t cheap: both running you a minimum of around $500 per year.
Earlier this week I found myself having to host a web meeting and was determined to find the best free live webcasting solution. There are a few out there now but none seemed to have as many features as DimDim. I created an account in about 2 minutes. Created a meeting space and sent out invites in another minute.
Sending out invites asks the respondants to create a new account. This isn’t much of a hassle for them, however I figured out that you can just email them the meeting link they provide, allowing others to join the meeting without signing up. A nice bonus. Everyone was able to join the meeting quickly, without a single technical problem (a first in web meetings!).
Once you’re in, Dimdim allows you to share whatever is on your screen (after installing a small plugin on your computer). It also has a handy Whiteboard feature that allows all attendees to collaborate by typing, drawing, diagraming, doodling, etc. on a shared space. You can also use your computer’s built-in mic so they can hear you, use their free call-in number so they can call if they don’t have access to a computer, and you can record your entire session for later viewing or sharing. There’s a ton more features you can check out here.
The free version allows up to 20 attendees in a meeting at once, which I’d imagine is fine for the average user. If you need more there’s an upgraded version that allows up to 100 attendees at once for $99 a year, not bad.
Now lets just see how much longer the IT departments of the world will be able to handle the other options before they switch to something a little more “web 2.0ey.”
Tags: dimdim, gotomeeting, meetings, web conferencing, webex, webinar2 Comments
Leave a Comment
Links
What I’m reading- Engine Room Opens Penthouse Studio In New, Expansive Financial District Facility
- Drake’s Thank Me Later: The Numbers Are In
- How to REALLY Get Your Music on Blogs: Finding the Best Blogs for Your Music
- Has the bubble burst on fan culture?
- The Musician's Guide To The 360 Record Deal
- Well, what is a good digital music strategy ? Part 1 - Introduction and Website
- Music Marketing
Andy, thanks for trying out Dimdim. IT keeping pace with the new tools out there seems to be a constant challenge.
Our goal is to make web conferencing accessible. If anyone has questions, I’m here to help.
-k
Kevin Micalizzi, Community Manager
Dimdim Free Web Conferencing / http://www.dimdim.com
e: kevin@dimdim.com / twitter: @meetdimdim
I want to suggest you try http://www.showdocument.com – its an alternative tool for dimdim that allows document sharing and web meeting in real-time. all the participants in the session see each others’ drawing, highlights, etc. It is free and requires no installation.
Josh