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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Web Conferencing Services

I found a Google doc via delicious that I have a feeling wasn't intended to be public, but it has such a wonderful comparison of the various web conferencing tools that I felt compelled to copy it here and as a new Google Doc in case the document goes away. I also noticed that Wikipedia has a page - Comparison of web conferencing software - but it doesn't have pricing and a few other columns.

Application Local Install Hosted Service Cost Model # of users Scheduling Video Conf Telephony Audio Conf VoIP Audio Conf Chat Desktop (Keyboard/Mouse) Sharing App Sharing File sharing Whiteboard Recording Interacts w/ LMS Integration w/ Enterprise Apps SSL Training Field Support Server Support URL
Skype Y N Free 1-9*
Y (1 to 1) Y* Y Y N N Y*
Y N N N Low Low N/A http://www.skype.com
DimDim Y Y Free - Varies Varies
Y - Y Y Y Y -
Y Y - N

Med-High http://www.dimdim.com
Elluminate Y Y Varies Varies
Y N Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y - Y

Med-High http://www.elluminate.com
Elluminate V-Room N Y Free 3
Y - Y Y - Y Y
N N - N

None
WebEx
Pay Per Use .33 per min per user -
Y Y Y
Y Y

Y
Y Y


http://www.webex.com
Wimba Y N
-
Y Y Y Y
Y

Y Y
-


http://www.wimba.com
GoToMeeting
Monthly, Annual $49, $468 Up to 15

Y Y
Y Y

Y

Y

None http://www.gotomeeting.com
GoToMeeting Corporate
Licensed TBD Varies

Y Y
Y Y

Y

Y

None http://www.gotomeeting.com
GoToWebinar
Monthy, Annual $99, $948 Up to 1000











Y

None http://www.gotowebinar.com
Acrobat Connect Y Annual, Monthly $395/yr or $39.95/mo. Up to 15
Y N Y Y Y Y Y
N

Y


http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatconnect/
Acrobat Connect Professional Y Annual, Monthly, Pay Per Use Annual fee not available, 5-user=$375/mo, 10-user=$750/mo., Pay Per Use+.32 per min per user More than 15
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Y

Y


http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatconnectpro/
Yugma N As needed Basic service is free, premium rates vary by number of attendees Up to 10 for free Premium service up to 500
N Y (long dist. rates apply) Y Y Y* Y* Y*
Y*

Y



Vyew Y Y Varies from free to $14/mo+ 20-45 Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y

Y (w/ appliance only)


http://vyew.com

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't you think it's unethical to copy work that you think was not intended for the public? I realize it's 'only' web conferencing information but what if it was, say, your bank account records?

Tony Karrer said...

Janet - that's a great question. There was no way that I could figure out what the original source was for the information in the Doc. I think it was copied by someone. I looked at the content and it was really good stuff that was not at all specific to that individual. I thought it would be valuable to me later ... and I thought other people would derive value.

So, really I'm not sure.

I take it you don't think it's ethical.

Anonymous said...

To avoid the ethical problem, I hereby give you permission to use this material. I've shared it freely with a number of other folks who were researching these technologies for their own institutions. I had originally compiled this list as my institution was exploring web based classroom/meeting spaces.

And I promise I won't take this link down (assuming G-docs doesn't go belly up) as others depend on it. I'll be happy to open it up so that others can help build on it.

What a small, connected world we are.

Cheers,
John Martin
aka "EdVentures" on Plurk, Twitter and just about everywhere else

Tony Karrer said...

John - thanks! Small world.

Was there some way I could have figured it out from the doc?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this is great reference material for anyone considering their options for web conferencing. Glad John found you and cleared up any questions on the ethics of posting.

Anonymous said...

No, I didn't mark up the pages with a header of any sort. I'm not sure how one would discern the author of a Google Doc shared in such a way. But like you, I would be interested if someone found one!

Cheers,
Johnr

Anonymous said...

Thanks to John Martin because now I know what web conference service I can afford to use. I will give Tony Karrer credit as well because when you google the specific topic his blog pop out from the first page of hits.

Marten said...

I suggest you try http://www.showdocument.com - Its a free online tool for eLearning, document sharing and more. It requires no installation - you simply upload a file and start viewing it with co-workers or friends.

Josh

Anonymous said...

RHUB http://www.rhubcom.com web conferencing is also a worthy alternative. It is hardware and hence much more secure than a hosted solution. Moreover, it has Secure Web Conferencing, remote support, remote assistance, and webinar, integrated into a single box. So, you need not manage separate accounts for each feature as with WebEx and most other hosted solutions.

Morgan Reid said...

Is there a way to qualify this information for accuracy? I notice, for example the Wimba entry is missing some features (desktop/mouse sharing, Whiteboard, etc) that it does indeed have.

The Wikipedia link is a good idea. Thanks for including it.