Web conference tools summary

August 2009

In April of 2009 we surveyed IEEE Section leaders on webinar and web conferencing requirements. The 74 responses we received have helped us to determine necessary requirements and make recommendations to meet your growing conferencing needs.

After analyzing the survey results and free edition web conferencing tools, we selected five (5) tools that offer viable, stable, no-cost solutions.  These are Dimdim, WiZiQ, YUGMA, VYEW and ZOHO.

Overall, Dimdim is our choice.  It provides a stable, reliable and free web conferencing solution with many additional features.  The limitation is that the free version only supports up to twenty users.

WiZiQ supports up to 500 connections, but only allows file sharing, so if your meeting requires a web site visit or application demo, stick with Dimdim.

The three other tools, YUGMA, VYEW, and ZOHO are also very stable and worth trying.

We have created a spreadsheet listing the five (5) tools selected and their features.  We have also made available a selection wizard that can help you to determine which of these tools meet your specific requirements.  An online tutorial for each tool will avalable in the near future. 

Download the survey results (PDF: 20Kbs)

If you want to explore commercial web conferencing products such as Microsoft LiveMeeting, Adobe Acrobat Connect, Webex, Genesys or PresenterNet, please visit the IEEE Web Conferencing site for service and pricing options.