The most popular web conferencing tools to choose from are WebEx, Adobe Connect, and GoToMeeting. After asking a few colleagues in the Audio/Visual industry that I am a part of I decided to focus my review on Adobe Connect. My research included three parts: 1) The positive information that I could find about Adobe Connect, 2) The negative information that I could find about Adobe Connect, and 3) Trying Adobe Connect for myself.
For those of you that may not know the basic information about Adobe Connect, it is a collaboration tool in which the presenter can conduct meetings using audio, video, chat, whiteboards, and conduct live polling (n.a, Adobe Connect FAQ’s.
A benefit of any web conferencing tools is that information can be communicated without have to leave one’s location to attend meetings. One of the highlights of Adobe Connect that I found is that the virtual meeting can be recorded and archived for future use. Adobe Connect can be utilized from anywhere in the world as long as the user has a computer, internet, and Flash Player Plug-in from Adobe and it is not limited to only PC or Mac users (n.a. Adobe Connect FAQ’s). Additional benefits include security encryption and reuse of presenter materials.
Some of the potential drawbacks to Adobe Connect include its ongoing cost. This may pose a problem for individual use and there are different costs for education or professional users. Additionally, Adobe Connect has some issues with certain downloads and Mac Audio cards (Thomassattrp, 2008). The resizing of the windows within Adobe Connect can create a delay in visual and audio communication for users.
I decided to try Adobe Connect for myself to see if the promotional efforts and my experiences were aligned. I found that Adobe Connect does everything that the marketers wrote on their FAQ page; however, there is a need for practicing the tools for novice users. While there were some delays and hiccups with my initial experience, I do think that Adobe Connect is a tool that I will use professionally. Do I think that it is worth the cost for businesses or education use? Absolutely! With some training, a lot of time and money can be saved!
-Nick Frush
References
Thomassattrp (February, 8, 2008) [Msg 4] Retrieved from
http://www.connectusers.com/forums/cucbb/viewtopic.php?id=806
Educause Adobe Connect FAQ’s (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.educause.edu/AdobeConnectFAQ
Adobe Connect FAQ’s (n.d.). Retrieved from http://meeting.psu.edu/faq#general1
1 comment:
What a great article. I have always argued that in the end these products will go out the window because the lose of business due to lack of personal communication will by far outweigh the cost of travel.
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