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Jason Parker
Set up an online face-to-face. Here's how

Jason Parker
Contributing Editor, Downloads
Monday, Oct. 27, 2003
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Communicating over the Internet via e-mail and instant messaging can be both efficient and easy on the pocketbook. But sometimes the written word is not enough. Especially in business, some important or delicate issues require voice- and eye-contact. The problem is, sometimes the people you need to talk to are across the country or even around the world.

That's when videoconferencing comes in handy. With a decent Webcam and some good software, you can conduct meetings with faraway colleagues that are almost as good as--and a lot less expensive than--being there in person.

Here are three programs I recommend for setting up long-distance meetings.

Microsoft NetMeeting lets you set up a videoconference and share data with any number of computers. I've found this app's whiteboard and the ability to share files quickly extremely helpful in getting everyone on the same page. (Free/Windows)

FlyConferencing Suite offers a shared whiteboard like NetMeeting. It also gives you the option to create a video of your meeting that you can e-mail to others. You can use this for archiving or to keep those who were unable to attend in the loop. (Shareware/Windows)

VideoLink Pro allows you to meet over the Internet as well as across an internal corporate network. It takes advantage of your Mac's multimedia capabilities, offering high-quality video. Use this one while we wait for Apple's iChat AV to come out of beta. (Demo/Mac)

Bringing people together for a videoconference is not as hard as you might think. And, while the picture quality isn't as good as TV or a movie, it's better than only hearing voices on a conference call or reading words on a screen.

What are your favorite videoconferencing apps? TalkBack to me below!

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