What to Look for in an Effective Online Meeting Platform
A well-organized online meeting platform is vital for an efficient, smooth meeting experience. A platform must have features that allow participants to collaborate effectively in capturing ideas and tasks, and to share them with team members from remote locations. It should also offer tools for taking notes in real-time, sharing a digital whiteboard, and creating mind maps and Kanban boards to illustrate the progress of projects. The ability to plan in advance, and the up-time and reliability of the platform are important aspects to be considered.
The most popular video conference platforms include Skype, Zoom, Webex and Google Hangouts. Google Hangouts, a free tool, allows instant messaging, video calling for up to 10 people, and collaborative document sharing. It is a great tool for team meetings, video conferences, and webinars. It is compatible with Google applications and services, and offers HD streaming video as well as cloud-based recordings and screen sharing. Its interface is easy to use, but can be susceptible to audio and video display issues such as buffering delays, dropped calls and dropped calls.
Other features you should look for in a reliable online meeting platform include the ability to build and manage an agenda for a meeting, and to add participants. Some platforms allow you to drag and drop files into your virtual meeting room. This is great for UX designers who want to utilize their wireframing tools in the same virtual space, or software developers who provide a URL to code repositories or a new feature. You should also look for an application which allows you to effortlessly access documents, applications, and websites. The ability to access this information will allow your team members to swiftly download documents, screenshots, notes from previous meetings, or their bug tracker without having to leave the meeting.
