Web conferencing

Example of a web conferencing computer screen

Web conferencing may be used as an

umbrella term for various types of online
collaborative services including web
seminars ("webinars"), webcasts, and
peer-level web meetings. It may also be
used in a more narrow sense to refer only
to the peer-level web meeting context, in
an attempt to disambiguate it from the
other types of collaborative sessions.[1]
Terminology related to these technologies
is inexact, and no generally agreed upon
source or standards organization exists to
provide an established usage reference.

In general, web conferencing is made

possible by Internet technologies,
particularly on TCP/IP connections.
Services may allow real-time point-to-point
communications as well as multicast
communications from one sender to many
receivers. It offers data streams of text-
based messages, voice and video chat to
be shared simultaneously, across
geographically dispersed locations.
Applications for web conferencing include
meetings, training events, lectures, or
presentations from a web-connected
computer to other web-connected
computers.

Installation and operation

Web conferencing software is invoked by
all participants in a web meeting. Some
technologies include software and
functionality that differs for presenters
and attendees. Software may run as a web
browser application (often relying on
Adobe Flash, Java, or WebRTC to provide
the operational platform). Other web
conferencing technologies require
download and installation of software on
each participant's computer, which is
invoked as a local application. Many web
conferencing vendors provide the central
connectivity and provisioning of meeting
"ports" or "seats" as a hosted web service,
while others allow the web conference
host to install and run the software on its
own local servers. Another installation
option from certain vendors allows for use
of a proprietary computer appliance that is
installed at the hosting company's
physical location.

Depending on the technology being used,

participants may speak and listen to audio
over standard telephone lines or via
computer microphones and speakers.
Some products allow for use of a webcam
to display participants, while others may
require their own proprietary encoding or
externally provided encoding of a video
feed (for example, from a professional
video camera connected via an IEEE 1394
interface) that is displayed in the session.
Vendor-hosted web conferencing is
usually licensed as a service based on one
of three pricing models: a fixed cost per
user per minute, a monthly or annual flat
fee allowing unlimited use with a fixed
maximum capacity per session, or a
sliding rate fee based on the number of
allowed meeting hosts and per-session
participants (number of "seats").

Presentation of visual materials most

often is accomplished through one of two
primary methodologies. The web
conferencing software may show
participants an image of the presenter's
computer screen (or desktop). Again,
depending upon the product, the software
may show the entire visible desktop area
or may allow selection of a physical area
or application running on the presenter's
computer. The second method relies on an
upload and conversion process (most
commonly consisting of Microsoft
PowerPoint files, other Microsoft Office
electronic documents, or Adobe PDF
documents).

Etymology
The term "webinar" is a portmanteau of
web and seminar, meaning a presentation,
lecture, or workshop that is transmitted
over the web. The coined term has been
attacked for improper construction,[2]
since "inar" is not a valid root. Webinar
was included on the Lake Superior
University 2008 List of Banished Words,[3]
but was included in the Merriam-Webster
dictionary that same year.[4]

The term "webcast" derives from its

original similarity to a radio or television
broadcast. Early usage referred purely to
transmission and consumption of
streaming audio and video via the World
Wide Web. Over time, webcast software
vendors have added many of the same
functional capabilities found in webinar
software, blurring the distinction between
the two terms. Webcasts are now likely to
allow audience response to polls, text
communication with presenters or other
audience members, and other two-way
communications that complement the
consumption of the streamed audio/video
content.

Features
Other typical features of a web conference
include:[5]

Slideshow presentations - where images

are presented to the audience and
markup tools and a remote mouse
pointer are used to engage the audience
while the presenter discusses slide
content.
Live or streaming video - where full
motion webcam, digital video camera or
multi-media files are pushed to the
audience.
VoIP - Real time audio communication
through the computer via use of
headphones and speakers.
Web tours - where URLs, data from
forms, cookies, scripts and session data
can be pushed to other participants
enabling them to be pushed through
web-based logons, clicks, etc. This type
of feature works well when
demonstrating websites where users
themselves can also participate.
Meeting Recording - where presentation
activity is recorded on the client side or
server side for later viewing and/or
distribution.
Whiteboard with annotation (allowing
the presenter and/or attendees to
highlight or mark items on the slide
presentation. Or, simply make notes on
a blank whiteboard.)
Text chat - For live question and answer
sessions, limited to the people
connected to the meeting. Text chat
may be public (echoed to all
participants) or private (between 2
participants).
Polls and surveys (allows the presenter
to conduct questions with multiple
choice answers directed to the
audience)
Screen sharing/desktop
sharing/application sharing (where
participants can view anything the
presenter currently has shown on their
screen. Some screen sharing
applications allow for remote desktop
control, allowing participants to
 manipulate the presenters screen,
although this is not widely used.)

Standards
Web conferencing technologies are not
standardized, which has reduced
interoperability and transparency and
increased platform dependence, security
issues, cost and market segmentation. In
2003, the IETF established a working
group to establish a standard for web
conferencing, called "Centralized
Conferencing (xcon)".[6] The planned
deliverables of xcon include:
 A binary floor control protocol. Binary
Floor Control Protocol (BFCP)[7]
published as RFC 4582
A mechanism for membership and
authorization control
A mechanism to manipulate and
describe media "mixing" or "topology"
for multiple media types (audio, video,
text)
A mechanism for notification of
conference related events/changes (for
example a floor change)

Deployment models
Web conferencing is available with three
models: hosting service, software and
appliance.

An appliance, unlike the online hosted

solution, is offered as hardware. It is also
known as "in-house" or "on-premises" web
conferencing. It is used to conduct live
meetings, remote training, or
presentations via the Internet.

History
Real-time text chat facilities such as IRC
appeared in the late 1980s. Web-based
chat and instant messaging software
appeared in the mid-1990s. The PLATO
computer learning system allowed
students to collaborate on networked
computers to accomplish learning tasks
as early as the 1960s, but the early
networking was not accomplished via the
World Wide Web and PLATO's
collaborative goals were not consistent
with the presenter-audience dynamic
typical of web conferencing systems.[8]
PLATO II, in 1961, featured two users at
once.[9]

In 1992, InSoft Inc. launched

Communique, a software-based Unix
teleconferencing product for workstations
that enabled video/audio/data
conferencing. Communique supported as
many as 10 users, and included
revolutionary features such as application
sharing, audio controls, text, graphics, and
whiteboarding which allowed networked
users to share and manipulate graphic
objects and files using simple paint
tools.[10][11]

Several point-to-point and private-network

video conferencing products were
introduced in the 1990s,[12] such as CU-
SeeMe, which was used to link selected
schools around the United States of
America in real-time collaborative
communications as part of the Global
Schoolhouse project from Global
SchoolNet.[13][14]

In May 1995, PictureTel announced

LiveShare Plus[15] as a general-use data
collaboration product for Windows-based
personal computers. The software allowed
application sharing, user-granted control
of a remote PC, shared whiteboard
markup, file transfer, and text messaging.
List price was given as $249 per computer.
PictureTel referenced an agreement with
Microsoft in its announcement press
release, and a May 26, 1995 memo from
Bill Gates to Microsoft executive staff and
direct reports said "Our PictureTel screen
sharing client allowing Window sharing
should work easily across the Internet."[16]

In May 1996, Microsoft announced

NetMeeting as an included component in
Internet Explorer 3.0.[17] At the time,
Microsoft called NetMeeting "the Internet's
first real-time communications client that
includes support for international
conferencing standards and provides true
multiuser application-sharing and data-
conferencing capabilities."

In 1996, PlaceWare was founded as a

spinoff from Xerox PARC. In November of
that year, PlaceWare Auditorium was
described in a public talk at Stanford
University as allowing "one or more people
to give an interactive, online, multimedia
presentation via the Web to hundreds or
thousands of simultaneous attendees; the
presentation can include slides (made in
PowerPoint or any GIF-image editor), live
annotation on the slide images, real-time
polls of the audience, live audio from the
presenter and those asking questions,
private text and audio conversations in the
auditorium's "rows", and other features."[18]
PlaceWare Auditorium was formally
announced in March 1997 at a price of
$150 per simultaneous user.[19]
Unveiled in 1996 by InSoft Inc., CoolTalk
was a multimedia software tool that let PC
users view data displayed on a shared
whiteboard, exchange real-time messages
via a chat tool or speak with each other via
a TCP/IP voice connection. The product
worked with Microsoft Sound System-
compatible audio boards and was
available in a 14.4-kbit/s version or 28.8-
kbit/s version. CoolTalk was later
packaged with popular Web browsers of
the time.[20] CoolTalk 14.4 and 28.8 sold
for $49.95 and $69.95, respectively, in
1996.[11][21]
In February 1998, Starlight Networks[22]
released StarLive! (the exclamation point
being part of the product name).[23] The
press release said "customers can access
familiar Web browser interfaces to view
live and pre-recorded corporate
presentations, along with synchronized
slides. End users can communicate
directly with the presenter using real-time
chat technology and other Web-based
collaboration tools."

In June 1998, PlaceWare 2.0 Conference

Center was released, allowing up to 1000
live attendees in a meeting session.[24]
In February 1999, ActiveTouch announced
WebEx Meeting Center and the webex.com
web site.[25] In July 1999 WebEx Meeting
Center was formally released[26] with a
1000-person meeting capacity
demonstrated.[27] In September of the
same year, ActiveTouch changed its
company name to WebEx.

In April 1999, Vstream introduced the

Netcall product for web conferencing as "a
fee-based Internet software utility that lets
you send business presentations and
other graphic information via e-mail to a
Vstream server. Vstream converts the
content, again using streaming technology,
and makes the presentation available for
viewing by up to 1,200 people at a time."[28]
Vstream changed the company name to
Evoke Communications in 2000, with a
further change to Raindance
Communications in 2002. In February
2006, Raindance was acquired by the
InterCall division of West Corporation.

In December 2003, Citrix Systems

acquired Expertcity, giving it the
GoToMyPC and GoToAssist products.[29]
The acquired company was renamed as
the Citrix Online division of Citrix Systems.
In July 2004, Citrix Online released
GoToMeeting as its first generic web
conferencing product.[30] In June 2006,
GoToWebinar was added, allowing
additional registration and reporting
functionality along with larger capacity in
sessions.[31]

In January 2003, Macromedia acquired

Presedia, including the Breeze
Presentation product.[32] Breeze Live was
added with the 4.0 release of Macromedia
Breeze to support web conferencing.[33] In
April 2005, Adobe Systems announced
acquisition of Macromedia (completed in
December 2005) and changed the Breeze
product name to Adobe Connect.[34]
A trademark for the term WEBinar (first
three letters capitalized) was registered in
1998 by Eric R. Korb (Serial Number
75478683, USPTO) and was reassigned to
InterCall.[35] The trademark registration
was cancelled in 2007. Learn.com filed a
claim for the term "webinar" without
regard to font or style in 2006 (Serial
Number 78952304, USPTO). That
trademark claim was abandoned in
2007[36] and no subsequent filing has been
made.

Software and service

providers
Notable vendors include:

3CX Phone System: owner of 3cx.com,

3CX WebMeeting
ACT Conferencing
Adobe Connect
AnyMeeting
Apache OpenMeetings
AT&T Connect
BigBlueButton
BigMarker
Blackboard Inc.: owner of Elluminate,
Wimba
Blue Jeans Network
BrightTALK
Cisco WebEx
Davinci Meeting Rooms
Dimdim closed to new registration as of
January 6, 2011
Elluminate
Epiphan Systems
Fuze Meeting
Genesys Meeting Center
Glance
IBM Sametime and IBM LotusLive
iMeet by PGi
InterCall
Livestorm
LogMeIn: provider of join.me, Netviewer,
GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar and
GoToTraining
Microsoft Lync Server
Mikogo
Nefsis
Netviewer
OmNovia Technologies
ON24
ooVoo
Oracle Beehive
PGi
PowWow365
ShowDocument
Skype
Starlight Networks StarLive
TalkPoint
TeamViewer
TimeBridge
VenueGen
VIA3
Voxeet
VSee
WizIQ
Yuuguu
Zoho Corp.
Zoom
See also
Comparison of web conferencing
software
Collaborative software
Electronic meeting system
Hybrid event
Videoconferencing
Web television
Webcast

References
1. "Webinar Or Webcast - What's The
Difference?" .
2. "Editorial Emergency: Webinar" .
3. "2008 List of Banished Words" .
4. "Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Webinar" .
5. World Web Event Services Markets -
N100-64, Frost and Sullivan, page 10, 2006,
"The main features within the web event
services market"
6. "Centralized Conferencing (xcon)" .
Ietf.org. 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
7. "Binary Floor Control Protocol" . Internet
Society IETF. November 2006.
8. . 196202.pdf. "Computers, Teaching
Machines, and Programmed Learning -
Computer Teaching Machine Project:
PLATO on ILLIAC" . Computers and
Automation. XI (2): 16, 18. Feb 1962.
9. Two users limit was caused by ILLIAC
memory limitation, program could handle
more users (pp. 19, 23).
"MISCELLANEOUS: 2. University of
Illinois, Plato II, Urbana, Illinois" .
DIGITAL COMPUTER NEWSLETTER. 14
(2): 18–24. Apr 1962.
10. IDG Network World Inc (31 October
1994). Network World . IDG Network World
Inc. pp. 53–. ISSN 0887-7661 . Retrieved
7 February 2012.
11. Copeland, Ron. "INSOFT SHIPS
INTERNET APPS FOR WORK GROUPS. (THE
INTERACTIVE COLLABORATIVE
ENVIRONMENT INTERNET MULTIMEDIA
APPLICATIONS AND TOOLS)" . 1996-01-08.
The Data & Analysis Center For Software.
Retrieved 14 February 2012.
12. "Nefsis: Video Conferencing History" .
13. "Global SchoolNet History" .
14. "Video: Global Schoolhouse in use -
1993" .
15. "PICTURETEL INTRODUCES LIVESHARE
PLUS; DATA CONFERENCING SOFTWARE
FOR COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING" .
16. "Letters of Note: The Internet Tidal
Wave" .
17. "Microsoft NetMeeting Conferencing
Software Provides Easy Voice, Data Internet
Communications; Available on the Web
Now" .
18. "The PlaceWare Platform: Web-based
Collaborative Apps Made Simple" .
19. "InfoWorld: March 31, 1997" .
20. Sliwa, Carol. "INSOFT UNVEILS TOOLS
FOR 'NET. (COOLTALK MULTIMEDIA
SOFTWARE)" . 1996-01-15. Data & Analysis
Center for Software. Retrieved 13 February
2012.
21. Jiang, Daniel. "CoolTalk: More Than an
Internet Telephone" . Berkeley School of
Information. UC Regents. Retrieved
20 December 2018.
22. "Online broadcasting" .
23. "Starlight Networks Introduces StarLive!
-- Intranet Streaming Media Application for
Enterprise Communications" .
24. "PlaceWare 2.0 Conference Center
Keeps Remote Employees, Partners and
Customers Up-To-Date With 'Live' Web-
Based Presentations" .
25. "WebEx Communications, Inc. -
Company Profile, Information, Business
Description, History, Background
Information on WebEx Communications,
Inc" .
26. "ActiveTouch Launches WebEx Meeting
Center: The First Application Service for
Web-Based Multimedia Collaborative
Meetings" .
27. "ActiveTouch, the Creator of WebEx,
Hosts World's Largest Interactive Web
Meeting" .
28. "The New York Times: June 3, 1999 -
Turn Up the Volume for E-Mail" .
29. "CRN - December 19, 2003: Citrix
Acquires Expertcity" .
30. "Citrix GoToMeeting Corporate Cuts
Unpredictable and Expensive Online
Meeting Fees for Businesses" .
31. "New Citrix GoToWebinar: The First Do-
It-Yourself Affordable Way for Anyone to
Conduct Online Events" .
32. "Macromedia Breeze Product Line
Delivers Rapid Presentation and Training
Solutions for the Enterprise" .
33. "Macromedia Breeze 4.0 Release
Notes" .
34. "Adobe Completes Acquisition of
Macromedia" .
35. "Trademark Assignment for Webinar" .
United States Patent and Trademark Office.
February 6, 2003. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
36. "Trademark Status for Webinar" . United
States Patent and Trademark Office. July
10, 2007.
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Web_conferencing&oldid=874651578"

Last edited 2 months ago by LuckyL…

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless

otherwise noted.