Web Conferencing Guide

Conferencing on the Internet is a new technology and a new way of meeting and team collaboration. As we work with it more and more we are learning what to do - and what not to do - in order to make it most effective. The following are a few tips that can help you avoid problems such as poor audio or disconnects and make the most of every web conference.

DON'T DO ANYTHING ELSE - when you are in a web conference there MUST be no other applications running. No email, no surfing the web, no Word or Excel, etc. Why you ask? Well, obviously we would like to have you only focusing on the conference but there are other very good reasons:

(1) The conference window "knows" when you are away, i.e. focused on another window or application. After a certain time period it will automatically disconnect you from the conference. Why? - because the system thinks you left and forgot to disconnect.

(2) Other applications "steal cycles" -- Web Conferencing is computer-intensive. In other words, it requires much of the internal resources of your system (memory, processor speed, etc.). When you are working on another application, you may be inadvertently "stealing" resources from your PC that were being used for audio or slides. As a result your entire computer slows down, audio is broken up and lost, and you can even be disconnected. Email is an especially bad "cycle stealer" but it's not the only one.

We suggest that if you have been using your computer for some time and have had various programs running, that you should do a complete SHUTDOWN and restart just prior to your scheduled meeting. This will free up the maxi amount of RAM for you voice chat application to run efficiently.

YOUR SPEAKERS - laptops don't always have the best speakers, and at best the sound is still "tinny". A headphone really improves your listening quality.

LEARN TO USE THE TEXT CHAT BOX - the easiest way to ask a question or make a comment is to use the chat box. Internet Conferencing only lets one person talk at a time. If you want to speak, indicate it in the chat box so the moderator can recognize you and let you talk.

I CAN HEAR THE MODERATOR BUT I CAN'T HEAR SOME OF THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS! - Yes, you can usually hear the moderator simply because the moderator is in a studio and using the highest quality microphones and audio equipment to optimize volume and sound quality -- and we can hear most everyone, often no matter how faint their voice. Occasionally however you may notice that you could not hear a conference participant who made a comment or asked a question (although the moderator could hear them). Chances are this is because of a weak microphone being used by the participant (such as a built-in laptop mic or poor headset) or because he/she did not configure the mic settings. The moderator will typically restate the question or comment, but again this is a good reason to use the Chat Box whenever practical.

DESPITE OUR BEST EFFORTS - sometimes you can simply have a poor connection, referred to as a "dirty line". This means that you are encountering line static or poor transmission quality that can be caused by anything from the local telephone company to a storm. With fiberoptic networks now being pretty much the norm this is less of a problem but it still happens. You can also experience problems because of loading - many people trying to make calls or connect at the same time, such as when you are in a hotel. When in doubt, hang up and reconnect!

If you are experiencing other problems connecting to the Voice Chats, go to Connection Fixes and review the suggestions given, especially about UPGRADING your Windows System and Security Patches.

Also recommended is a visit to our Help and FAQ Page.

We trust that the above suggestions help improve your Opportunity Technologies, Ltd. experience.