Getting on Board With Online Meetings

You'll also be able to share your desktop and applications with meeting participants so you can conduct demonstrations, show presentations, conduct sales or product training sessions and more.

The number of people you choose to have in your audience depends entirely on your budget. You should expect to pay $100 and up for five to 10 users. (Your participants pay nothing to view your Web conference.) Prices vary considerably from service to service, so if price is a concern for you, be sure to shop around.

In order to verbally communicate with your conference participants, you have two options, depending on the online meeting service provider you've selected. Participants can either dial in to a telephone conference number or be connected via the Internet. If they're dialing in, they'll have to pay toll charges, or you'll be paying per-minute charges if you decide to use a toll-free number. Connecting through the Internet will either be free or very low cost.

If you want to enable video, you'll have to have a "Web cam" that connects to your computer. Fortunately, these are relatively inexpensive, running as little as $50 at your local computer or technology retailer.

You'll never know the benefit and value of something until you try it. Since most Web conferencing services offer a free trial, there's no excuse not to test it out by conducting a Web conference with one or two of your employees. Then, once you're familiar with it, consider using it for real. And the next time you think about declining a meeting half way cross town or half way round the world because of a tight schedule or budget, don't: You have another option now.