Web conferencing - The origins

The idea that the participators should be able to see each other is not new. In fact video conferencing has been known to have been used by the German postal service as far back as 1936. So teleconferencing is essentially the old video conferencing in a new bottle. People at either of a closed circuit were able to view each other. This was the starting point that later lead to web based conferencing which is so popular now.

There were several other situations where the concept of closed circuit conferences was used. For example space agencies like the NASA used this to communicate with their astronauts in space. Video conferencing was held to maintain contact between the spaceship and the home base. Similarly TV stations also used video conferencing to telecast reporters talking from a remote place to the host in the studio.

The satellite connection for conferencing

Point to point communication was then hooked up to satellite links. This allowed point to point communication to various parts of the world but this was very expensive. It could not be used for business or teleconferencing for long hours. The other important thing was that the quality of transmission could not be trusted.

It was necessary for technology to develop further to resolve the issue. In the 1990’s the cost of satellite transmission did come down but the unreliable quality of images continued to be a stumbling block.

The emergence of internet as a viable tool for conferencing

The internet invaded planet earth in the late 1990’s. This changed the face of video conferencing forever. Traditional video conferencing continued to be used but the charm of the internet worked irresistibly on the conferencing sector. Costs came down; finally teleconferencing became accessible to the common man and was not exclusive to space stations and TV studios.

You did not need complicated and expensive equipment to make it happen. Teleconferencing finally found its place as a winner in telecommunications technology.

Undeniable advantages of web conferencing

If an official conference was needed as it often is; hotels needed to be booked for lunches/dinners or even stays. The hotel had to have a conference room with equipment. Travelling or commuting charges were picked up by the company.

The most obvious disadvantage was the loss of productivity at the workplace as the employees were physically displaced to attend the conference. The web conference can short a two day affair to a two hour one. Employees can sit at their desks and still participate. Documents and reports can be shared, edited and saved.

Quality of images and audio is high. It is a saving on expenses, time and resources. Clients are not left in the lurch because the employee is away.

Web conferencing is undoubtedly a feather in the cap for the internet.