The birth of web conferencing has launched business into a new age of communication productivity. Not be confused with video conferencing, Internet web conferencing have created an online audio-visual tool that far exceeds the virtues of primitive video conference technology. The cold hard facts: video and web conferencing are two completely different species, although they do get along very well together.
With far more features available, and a greater scope of practical solutions than video conferencing, web conferences boast a long list of benefits for the average, or not so average consumer.
Exchange documents, share desktop applications, chat via webcam, utilize PowerPoint presentations, whiteboard amongst conferencing members, share data, collaborate, take real-time polls and surveys and whatever else the imagination can conceive.
The History of Web Conferencing
The concept of web conferencing started long before the birth of the internet. In the 1960’s the University of Illinois created a small, self contained system that supported a single classroom of terminals. It was called PLATO. A tool designed for their Computer-based Education Research Laboratory, (CERL).
The 1970's
In 1972, PLATO was moved to a new series of mainframe systems, which supported over one thousand users at a time. In 1973 Doug Brown introduced Talkomatic, the first ‘instant messaging’ tool. It had multiple windows which displayed text to several users at a time, simultaneously. In 1974 Kim Mast developed Personal Notes, a feature which allowed private mail for its users.
In 1975 Control Data Corp engineered its very own PLATO, housed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the beginning of commercial conferencing with its multi functional conference system. Within as little as ten years, PLATO was used in over one hundred locations around the world.
The 1980's
The late 1980’s, was the time bulky mainframe systems faded away, woth the new and improved microcomputers taking its place. With more reasonably priced computer solutions, PLATO lost its throne to the new and improved.
Ray Ozzie and Tim Halvorsen expanded on PLATO's operating features and designed one of the most powerful current web conferencing tools – notably, Lotus Notes which was released in 1989. This was the first commercial product to take off, offering document sharing, and remote communication. “Lotus Notes was the first commercially released product that really took off to offer user-created data-bases, document sharing, and remote location communication under one umbrella. It created a “relationship based” environment that took the corporation world by storm.”
The 1990's
The 1990’s brought in the era of true blue web conferencing software, both reliable and attainable. Rather than the centralized systems approach of PLATO, this decade saw the creation of several types of conferencing software, with unlimited applications in contrast.
PlaceWare also made its entrance in the nineties, with origins at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. It was also one of the first to offer full web conferencing features which was later bought out by Microsoft in 2003.
Another popular software was Groupware, defined by Lotus Notes and more complex than the centralized software of PLATO- based systems. It offered document sharing and scheduling capacities. This software tool was designed to align business processes into a smooth flow, ensuring documents got where they needed to be, when they needed to be there. Some of these software solutions included InTandem, Livelink, Lotus Domino, and WebShare.
With the increased accessibility to computer privileges and reduced rates, sharing files amongst users became highly utilized on a one to one basis. Napsters organized music sharing became an online frenzy, with perceived sharing limits blown out of the virtual waves. Web conferencing was now P2P, Peer to Peer and file sharing was commonplace.
A New Era - Year 2000 On
Year 2000 saw Groove create technology that eliminated the need for user fees and offsite server storage. In 2003, WiredRed Software featured e/pop, a ‘real-time Web Conferencing suite with comprehensive features for all aspects of the industry – “it was the first installable web conferencing software with no significant install time.” The Napster era also developed document sharing abilities which feautured advantages of P2P networks.
Today’s web conferencing standards include voice over IP, (VoIP), with quality digital audio sound it's claim to fame. Inexpensive online communication is re-defining the way business is done, as digital audio solution expand the scope of communication options. Top web conferencing providers of VoIP include Voxwire, VoiceCafe, and HotConference.
Finally, the year 2003 took care of the incompatibility between Macs and PC users. WaveThree’s 'Session' addressed the problem relationship which mended the rift between the two’s communication issues.
The future of Internet web conferencing is friendly, with more conferencing solutions and platforms soon to be available.
About The Author
Kay Johnson has been working in the telecommunications industry for over ten years, and has many internet published articles. She is dedicated to de-mystifying audio and web call conference services to promote cost effective business communication solutions.
