Audio Conference Call

Writen by Eddie Tobey

Audio conferencing allows people in different locations to connect simultaneously through conventional telephone services. Any number of participants can communicate without being in the same place. It is used to hold group meetings or live presentations through audio channels. Audio conferencing can be conducted over telephones, but usually an audio conferencing system or service is used. Often, along with audio exchange, audio conferencing involves video conferencing, so that people can see each other and communicate better.

Accessing audio conferencing is as simple as dialing a phone number and entering an access code. It is widely used in fields such as education, commerce and business to allow participants to connect when they are physically unable to be present. Audio conference calling helps in maximizing business communication efficiency and reducing wasted resources. It's the answer to reducing wasted travel, expenses and time away the business. It can be used to arrange meetings, training, interviews, professional development, consultation, and specialized or expert advice.

A new breakthrough in audio conferencing is Need Reservationless Conferencing. It is an entirely automated audio conferencing service which enables you to quickly and easily communicate with up to 125 participants at a time. Simply dial your toll-free number and enter your unique conference ID and PIN to instantly start a conference without a reservation or operator assistance. It comes with many value-added features like pre-call notification, audioconference recording, transcription services, translation services, and participant lists.

Audio conferencing is a very safe in terms of privacy and confidentiality. Utilizing conference IDs, tracking capabilities, entry tones, PIN entry, conference call lock features and encrypted software for web conference applications, conferencing hosts can be assured of call privacy. Also, by giving employees their own unique conference ID and PIN, a good amount of time can be saved, which was previously spent on scheduling the conferences. This streamlines internal and client communications.

Conference Call provides detailed information on Conference Call, Conference Call Services, Audio Conference Call, Conference Call Providers and more. Conference Call is affiliated with Cheap Conference Calling.

The Conference Call Monster How To Tame It

Writen by George F Franks III

Whether working from office or home, leading and participating in conference calls are essential for doing business in the twenty-first century. Some key points to keep in mind when participating in conference calls are noted below.

- Be on time whether the organizer or participant.

- Make sure you introduce yourself including name, organization or company and why you are relevant to the call.

- If you are the lead on the call, be clear as to the purpose of the call, the agenda and the time limit.

- An agenda sent out in advance of the call is always helpful.

- Additionally, any background material should be distributed to and reviewed by all participants at least one business day in advance of the call.

- Listen to others.

- Do not multi-task. If you are too busy to be on the call or if it is not important to you, assign someone else to participate and represent your function or role.

- Mute the call when you are listening. Others do no want to hear your dog, child, sneezes, lips smacking, etc.

- When you do break in to speak, state you name first and be clear and concise.

- Do not speak over other people or "step on them".

- It a debate breaks out on the call, the lead on the call should moderate and put the item on a parking lot for follow-up if appropriate.

- Someone should document the purpose of the call, participants, agenda and key decisions made. It is not a court transcript word for word.

- Five minutes prior to the end of the call, the lead on the call should wrap-up. This should include a summary of any decisions made, any to do's including who owns what and by when, any open issues and how they will be handled and when the next call will be scheduled.

Following these steps makes calls more productive for everyone and better spends the money related to the business or organization's people costs.

George F. Franks III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants and the International Coaching Federation. His web site can be found at: http://www.franksconsultinggroup.com His blog is: http://consultingandcoaching.blogspot.com

Providing Service And Support Through Audio Conferencing Web Services

Writen by Christopher J Enders

Audio conferencing web technology and video conferencing web technology have taken away the barrier to personalized service and voice-to-voice or face-to-face communications that internet business presents while enabling the sharing of files and materials over the internet to facilitate communications.

Phone conferencing has long been recognized as a tool that enables people in various geographic locations to communicate effectively in group settings. Audio conferencing web services have intensified and improved upon the benefits of phone conferencing adding a greater range of features for conducting conference calls and communications. Video conferencing web services add even more personalization opportunities for long- distance communications.

Audio conferencing web technology or video conferencing web services can be used to conduct sales presentations, to hold service calls, to provide training and technical support, and to hold meetings of any kind.

There are quite a few audio conferencing web services and video conferencing web services to choose from. Different service providers offer various options for audio conferencing web and video conferencing services.

Some require that conferences be preset with invitations to the conference sent out while others enable you to instantly set-up and conduct audio conferencing web meetings or video conferences without making advance arrangements.

Real-time audio conferencing web capabilities and video conferencing web capabilities, desktop sharing, internet voice options, and collaboration services such as transferring of files are all features of video and audio conferencing web services that have the potential of improving sales processes, customer service, technical support, training, and communications for your internet-based business.

Global availability of the video and audio conferencing web services is something else to consider when selecting a video or audio conferencing web service provider.

Using video or audio conferencing web services can improve your productivity and levels of service as well as providing instant cost savings. Because the use of video and audio conferencing web services eliminates the need for travel for the purpose of communicating face-to-face, making presentations, holding training sessions, or conducting meetings, a lot of money in travel expenses can be saved by using such services.

There are also time-saving benefits associated with video and audio conferencing web services because people don't have to take time out of their business schedules for travel. The ability to transfer files and documents through the use of the web before, during or after video or audio conferencing web meetings diminishes the need for postage and for printouts as all supplemental information can be delivered to conference participants electronically.

While using video and audio conferencing web services is rather inexpensive, there are some options to using such services. Video and audio conferencing web software can be purchased. Whether you use video or audio conferencing web services or software, there may be some specific equipment needs although the equipment needed is pretty basic.

Most times a computer with an internet connection, speakers, a microphone and a webcam are about all that is needed to host or to participate in a video or audio conferencing web session.

Some internet business operators view up and coming, state of the art technology as being too complex, or they may think that the use of such technology is cost-prohibitive for a small internet- based business.

The truth of the matter is, the popularity and use of video and audio conferencing web options is growing which has resulted in a greater number of providers and relative competition. As with any industry, when the competition increases, prices decrease making the services use of technology more cost-effective for individuals and businesses of all sizes.

Don't assume that your internet business is too small or too simple to use advanced technology or communication options such as video or audio conferencing web technology. It may just be the touch of class and personalization that sets you apart from your competitors giving you a competitive service advantage.

Copyright Christopher J. Enders. Are you at the end of your rope, fed up and confused by all the scrambled internet marketing advice you're getting? Whether you are new to internet marketing, or a website owner who wants to make more money from your website, learn the proven strategies that will sky-rocket your internet business at http://BiznessTips.com

Dialup Vs Broadband Video

Writen by Howard Becker

The decision to pay the extra fees and move from dial-up to broadband usually involves meeting three wants: faster downloads, faster uploads and live streaming video.

The transmission of live streaming video is dependent on bandwidth, video codecs and the ability to transmit as many frames per second as possible. Let's review how these variables effect video on dial-up and broadband.

First a little background on bandwidths and speeds. A lot of people use the terms bandwidth and speeds interchangeably, so it's important to clarify the difference. Think of a water pipe. You can get more water through the pipe by increasing the pressure to send it through faster. This increases the "speed." You can also get more water out the end by increasing the size of the pipe. This increases the "bandwidth"

When you go from a dial-up ISP to a broadband ISP, you increase the size of the pipe by getting more bandwidth. This way you can get more data through the pipe in the same amount of time, thus allowing faster uploads and downloads. Video is data, too, but good video requires enormous amounts of data. Because of this, video is often referred to as a bandwidth hog. When you increase the bandwidth, you allow more video through in the same amount of time.

Programmers can use creative and complicated mathematical formulas called algorithms to put the data into packets that allow more packets to go through the pipe. This is comparable to increasing the speed of the water in the pipeline. In the world of video, the algorithm is called a codec. Well known codecs include MPEG-4, MPEG-2 and JPEG.

In order to evaluate codecs, a definition of quality is necessary. The number of frames per second (fps) is usually the objective measurement of video quality. "Broadcast quality video" is an overused term that typically means 25 to 35 fps. Independent of theoretical rates, most live video streamed on the internet through broadband is in the range of 10 to 15 fps. It's not like HDTV or like movies in the theater, but it is sufficient for the purpose.

JPEG transmits video like a movie. Each full picture frame from the "film strip" is transmitted and viewed. When the individual pictures, called frames, are accumulated together rapidly, they appear to display motion, just like a film strip.

MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and others don't send a full frame each time. They send what's called an I-Frame, which is a full frame, only once in a while. In between the I-Frames, they only send the video data that change. So, if the image is from a fixed camera in a room where someone is walking, the wall doesn't change, so the image of the wall is not sent with each frame. Only the spots where the person is moving are transmitted between the I-frames. This eliminates a lot of data without changing the quality of the video. So, with the same amount of data, the end result can be more frames per second. This is why MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 are said to offer higher quality video.

What is bandwidth? Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be sent in a second, typically measured in kilobits per second (kbps). Did you ever notice how TV reporters on satellite phones sometimes look weird? They are usually transmitting at very low bandwidths of less than 5 fps. Have you asked yourself why cell phone voice plans typically can only transmit still video images, or video clips that are so slow that motion is not apparent? That's because their maximum bandwidth is 9.6 kbps, also considered very low.

Cell phone data plans and dial-up telephone service fall in the less than 56 kbps range. Broadband is above 56 kbps. Cable companies typically offer it in 128 kbps or 256 kbps increments. However, these are maximum rates. For example, dial-up telephone usually fluctuates between 30 and 45 kbps in the real world, even though it is theoretically 56 kbps.

MPEG-4 and its many variants are pretty much the standard for sending video over broadband. Many different companies have developed their own unique twist to try to take into account variations in bandwidth that result in interruptions, pixilation and video tears. But, with a 256 kbps bandwidth, video can stream on average at 10 to 15 fps, and may even peak at 20 or 25 fps depending on the fluctuation. Unfortunately, on dial-up, the number of frames per second that these standard codecs can deliver is less than 5 frames per second, and often only 1 frame per second.

Some new video codecs are allowing frame rates of 12 fps over dial-up services, in many ways comparable to the video offered over broadband. This has expanded the ability to transmit quality video through dial-up.

To summarize the water pipe analogy, different video codecs can increase the water flow by increasing the number of frames per second at the end of the pipe without increasing the size of the pipe. Switching from dial-up to broadband is a way to increase the size of the pipe so that more frames per second can come out the end of the pipe.

Cost is always a consideration, with dial-up being less expensive. Also, many people worldwide do not have the availability of broadband, so dial-up is their only option.

Comet Video Technologies develops products and services for the low bandwidth transmission of video through satellites, cell voice plans, cell data plans, telephone dial-up and broadband. http://www.cometvt.com

Readers have permission to duplicate and distribute the above article in its entirety. We request that the final paragraph be included in each reproduction.

Howard Becker is CEO of Comet Video Technologies. For the past 20 years, Becker has been CEO of consumer product and video technology companies as large as $25 million in sales, as well as a consultant for start-up technology companies. He has an MBA is from the University of Chicago and a BS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a former CPA with Big Four Experience. He developed the first published integration of the Fama-Miller efficient market model and the Black-Scholes Option pricing model, thus creating a theoretical justification for the trading of derivitives on index funds. He is author of a number of published papers on semiconductor based heating elements, as well as a paper on the objective measurement of job placement for individuals with disabilities.