(Source: Kolabora.com)
And if you have not already noticed, screen sharing has become a sub-niche in the market for web conferencing, online collaboration and web presentations.
Now there are over ten screen-sharing products free or low cost available online and the number will increase rapidly. Since VNC based solutions , to the latest tools 2.0 free , screen-sharing is being increasingly seen as the easiest and most direct way to collaborate, work and provide training and technical assistance in an environment in real time.
And within this scenario of rapid Citrix has been developing and commercializing a unique set of tools ( GoToMyPC , GoToAssist , GoToWebinar , GoToWebinar ) centered around these core functions shared screens.
Without much fanfare, the Santa Barbara company recently released the newest versions of its flagship web conferencing tool and presentations, GoToWebinar, now in its third release.
GoToWebinar is a tool to improve and refine their already well designed, showing the serious competition that investments in interface design and usability can provide a competitive advantage difficult to close for the many existing alternatives.
In other words, simplicity and ease of use is kept as GoToWebinar key strengths within a set of tools for screen sharing, full benefits and with few weak spots.
The above Citrix GoToWebinar key strengths are a clear reflection of the excellent user interface design and the numerous and highly effective advice / support for a set of functions that provide all the basics you can expect from echnology presentation / collaboration / conference Real-time
invitation system
text chat
screen sharing
Remote control
host change
marking and recording live
recording
Integrated teleconferencing
security-encryption
Skype support
I have spent more than a hundred hours with this new version of GoToWebinar (3), which I have used daily for training, demonstration software and solution of technical problems with my little virtual distributed team of editors and technical staff.
One of the unique features that characterize GoToWebinar is specifically the ability to integrate all those components essential collaboration in a simple, noninvasive, highly effective, in the form of vertical panel. This interface is located on the right side of your screen and in this version you can drag and reposition it anywhere on the screen you want.
Outside Glance , Netviewer and some other conferencing tools, Citrix remain as one of the few screen-sharing companies that have recognized early the need to develop an interface that can be used easily in a non-obstructive conjunction with other applications full screen. This simple but uniquely important difference GoToWebinar placed in a class by itself, since its design strategy contextual interface greatly simplifies its use, facilitates the learning of their duties and makes the rapid adoption is something “natural” for the user.
GoToWebinar price also is accessible to the individual professional, the small company and big business that needs to have large groups of employees ready for online collaboration as Personal and Corporate properly meet the needs of both groups.
But let me dive into more detail about what this new version of GoToWebinar has to offer:
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Key Features
Screen Sharing / Screen Sharing
The functionality of GoToWebinar screen-sharing is extremely easy to use and requires no technical knowledge and greatly facilitates the use of an interface design that looks more like a device that an application of traditional lecture-driven menus.
Large translucent buttons that allow you to share your screen are a natural for anyone who has been exposed to a cassette player unit or command buttons in a CD player. Play button the screen shows all the others, the pause … pause its transmission and the Stop button ends or terminates his “show.” Can not be easier.
Note that although the default mode GoToWebinar share everything that appears on your screen, GoToWebinar is also perfectly capable of sharing screen specific programs or documents you have selected.
The quality of what is shown as seen by those attending GoToWebinar is one of the best I can find on the market using a palette of color depth 24-bit (true color) which works perfect for photographs and graphics color.
Last but not least, GoToWebinar screen always displays to end users all that you are viewing, without reporting the hearing for attendees with lower screen resolutions. GoToWebinar automatically resizes the content of the presenter screen while allowing the end user to fit their specific preferences.
Remote Control and Change Presenter
The remote control functionality GoToWebinar allows you to easily give control of your mouse and keyboard to any of those attending the meeting. Anyone can write remotely on the keyboard and move the mouse on your screen from your remote computer, showing you how to perform a particular task, like using a specific software or co-edit a document creative. Even use it to allow your remote technician to take control of your PC and solve any technical problem you are having, no matter where you are connecting to the Internet.
We must say that you can not use GoToWebinar effectively unless you have a fast Internet connection of at least 56Kbps. ISDN and ADSL lines are quite low OK, although obviously the faster the line, the better. GoToWebinar works very well beyond the 256 Kbps Obviously the type of screen sharing session will also influence the need for bandwidth, with the highest levels of high-speed connectivity when you are solving problems and taking the remote control.
The remote control capabilities complement GoToWebinar largely a function truly effective and well implemented “Change Presenter”, which allows the host to pass the screen-sharing rights to any of the attendees at any time and only with a mouse click. Not only that. Anyone at the meeting may, with the approval of the host, display screen and (optionally) to allow others (including multiple participants simultaneously) to remotely control your computer.
Live Scoring and Marking
The live annotation tools and marking GoToWebinar remain as one of the unique strengths of this screen-sharing technology as a valuable not only add extra functionality to those who need to make visual presentations but exhibits other, only class, an approach to using the traditional tools of blackboard smarter and effective.
What makes it stand out from the rest of the tools G2M is its simplicity and ease of use. With what I have been considering a first in the industry since the advent of GoToWebinar, you do not need more look like a primary school student when using a highlighter marker.
For example, G2M allows you to press Shift to keep their lines straight and offers a thick default visible trait marker for transparent. It may seem obvious that this innovation will be surprised to see how many of the tools industry conference fail miserably in these things so simple.
G2M laser pointer tool that was already built from version 2 is also of great value. Like a laser pointer used by many presenters over the past years, the live pointer G2M shows a red circle moving in real time directed by your mouse. When the pointer moves in real time across your screen and your audience becomes a vital communication device that helps to highlight and draw specific elements displayed on the screen.
Recording
The recording is one of the strengths of GoToWebinar that offers users the ability to record in full any screen sharing session including the audio portion of the conference, when used.
GoToWebinar allows you to automatically record their own proprietary format or convert recordings to standard format file Windows Media Video.
Unfortunately I have not tried this feature enough to give a thorough comparison with alternative tools for screen recording.
Invitation
Invite others to a session GoToWebinar is the most direct he can be. You have an option of asking to set up an automatic email with all the information contained in the meeting, ready to be directed to the selected participants of the event.
Alternatively G2M allows you to simply copy and paste the meeting information to your clipboard so that you can easily include in your favorite instant messenger.
Meetings can be easily programmed to another date / time via a simple and uncomplicated setup menu.
Text Chat
GoToWebinar offers a sober text chat feature that offers the basics of live text chat without giving any of the more advanced and useful features used by many competitors. The main functions include the provision of “private chat” which is available at any time for any of the attendees, “transcript of text” that can be saved at any time from the file menu G2M (chat history records also can be automatically saved by setting the appropriate option in the preference G2M).
Security
GoToWebinar offers the security of password-protected access to any session (do not have to but if you want, is capable) and a communication encrypted 128-bit AES over any screen sharing session. The GoToWebinar encryption is always enabled.
Interface
GoToWebinar’s interface interface is the key to the success of this tool and its widespread adoption. Let me stress again that what makes it so special and effective:
a) The contextual interface allows peaceful coexistence with other full screen applications.
b) The tool tips and help messages pop-up guide and facilitate the user’s understanding of what is relevant to do next.
c) The micro compact version of G2M control panel gives the user a full screen view of the applications / documents selected while maintaining the full access to all key commands with a mouse click.
d) folding panels allow the end user to customize the interface to only what is really needed and removing it the components that temporarily do not have to appear
New in version 3 we also have:
• Support for attendees Mac – Mac users can fully participate in meetings GoToWebinar. Although unable to host, can do everything else.
• More integration with instant messaging – you have now integrated instant messaging clients within GoToWebinar allowing display a shortcut G2M release button in the Skype IM, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Microsoft Live Messenger or Office Communicator.
• Integration with Microsoft Office
GoToWebinar now provides direct integration within key applications including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The integration allows showing the GoToWebinar toolbar in the selected application, using Outlook to send invitation messages.
Key Strengths
The suggestions of information and visual alerts the end user guide are very effective and noninvasive. I see them as one of the best features (if not the most innovative) for the overall design of GoToWebinar, and that are strategically essential to facilitate the understanding and adoption of the type of non-technical user.
The overall interface is kept in a class by itself, taking one of the smallest screen prints from your competitors while effectively integrates all the basic features required in a screen sharing session. All interface elements shaped vertical panel are modules that can be easily opened or closed at will. Even the entire panel can be reduced to a tiny micro-toolbar that lets you direct access only to the most basic functions.
The installation and configuration are very straightforward and require no knowledge or technical skill.
Security, encryption, recording, integrated teleconferencing free (for customers located in USA) and at a fair price makes it suitable for any use that many professionals are looking for when they need to collaborate, present or produce documents and other materials to their online counterparts.
Areas to improve
Visual notification that what is being shared
The user awareness of what is being shared on the screen still has great room for improvement. It is easy to end a GoToWebinar session and leave the show “on” to its previous audience. While in some windows GoToWebinar now clearly shows a dark blue border with a message saying “The-Air – GoToWebinar is showing this application,” this does not happen when I share any window / application / document that is maximized on my screen (and This happens most of the time).
Online time
Login aGoToWebinar is really easy. But the experience truly start screen sharing, it takes a little longer than I’d like. Compared Glance (default) GoToWebinar needs five or six times as long to me ready to share my screen. Consider that I have a fast Intel Pentium processor with 2 GB of RAM and a T1 Internet connection, but when I click the Meet Now GoToWebinar takes me on average between 12 and 25 seconds to be ready for screen sharing.
Whereas another 8 to 10 seconds are used for my PC to load GoToWebinar when released from the start menu, the total time excluding the time it takes me to write my username and password goes well beyond the 30 seconds. That is too much. (Yes, G2M can be initiated automatically when you turn on your PC – but do not want many of those loaded from, so I keep it off – and yes, you can ask G2M remember your username / password but G2M for some reason I seem unable to remember both between reboots.)
Text Chat
Unless the host selected in the dropdown menu if you want to text chat with all attendees or a specific person, via the dedicated drop-down menu, the option to send text chat messages is disabled. This is unnecessarily confusing for the end user and is often not easy to realize what needs to be to activate the chat text. It would be much wiser to pre-configure the default text chat functionality and allow the user to select send private messages to specific users only when they want to. Same as always done in the industry for any text chat functionality.
Auto-URL has yet to become a reality. Auto-URL in the ability to type URLs in the text chat area and the system automatically translates into clickable links that other attendees may keep clicking. This is a basic functionality of text chat is available in other systems for several years.
There are no indicators to alert other users when you are sent a text message. If one of his assistants are not looking interface panel G2M
no visual or audible alerts to tell them that you are receiving a text message chat.
No text format, nor the date and time tag associated with the text in the text chat panel.
Usability annotation and markup tools
Although the integrated set of annotation tools is truly useful and well designed, access to it is not as comfortable and straightforward as could be. Turn on and off the annotation tools should be easier because it is a part of the work of the presenter.
Usability vertical panel interface – position
The G2M vertical control panel, which now can be located anywhere you want on the screen, can also be inadvertently positioned outside the lateral margins of the screen so it is literally impossible to return to full view. This should be avoided.
Registration Problems – Credit card requirements
I have reported before my reservations about the Citrix marketing approach about the tests and requirements to send a valid credit card to gain access to a limited test of its service. GoToWebinar has kindly responded to my extensive comments on the following:
“We discovered that not only is a better option for us as an effective model of acquisition, but also because the use of a credit card in the test model minimizes the risk that people register multiple accounts and are using as they expire
In some ways we are giving our services free of charge to anyone who wants to take advantage of us because our trial version is identical to the purchased version of the software.
But understand that it is a sensitive issue and we respect and appreciate your comments on it. ”
Maybe we can all learn something from this. Ideas enriching.
GoToWebinar Proposals
GoToWebinar is available in a personal version of a plan as well as “Corporate”, offered to manage multiple hosts / organizers and attendees allowing up to 25 people per game.
Moreover, if your needs grow beyond basic functionality and you need to present to audiences of hundreds or more, GoToWebinar Corporate now integrates the latest product Citrix GoToWebinar. G2W offers everything has GoToWebinar and some valuable extras for audiences of up to 1,000 participants.
GoToWebinar Corporate also features unlimited online meetings with up to 25 participants and integrated features to track use.
Cost
GoToWebinar v.3 (personal edition) costs $ 49.00 per month or $ 588.00 if paid annually. The GoToWebinar Corporate plan integrated GoToWebinar is not publicly available and you need to contact a sales representative GoToWebinar for a specific budget for your company.
Free Trial
A free trial of GoToWebinar for 30 days is available immediately to anyone with a valid credit card.
GoToWebinar Corporate also offers a 30-day free trial is available immediately online.
Try GoToWebinar
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