As web conferencing technology evolves, so do the expectations to view them on the go. Many businessmen and women today shell out lots of money for smartphones intended to make their life easier by letting them do everything from making a call to paying your bills or watching a movie. Mobile web conference viewing is the latest demand for these devices.
Sure, people want to view a webinar on a mobile phone, but do they need to?
The consumption rate for mobile devices increases every year around the world. According to comScore (the preferred source of digital marketing intelligence and global leader in measuring the digital world), in December of 2010 almost 47% of US mobile subscribers used media – i.e. accessed the Internet, used applications, or browsed the web – which was an increase of 17% from 2009.
While the ability to watch movies and TV shows are standard features on smartphones and users have come to expect the best of everything – battery life, speeds, and graphics included – however, it is vastly different than viewing rich media, like web conferences. Furthermore, the mobile phone market has been flooded with new smartphones – each with their own technologies inside. This makes it difficult for web conferencing providers accommodate the various requirements needed to develop applications that work with each device, although there are existing applications for the iPhone and BlackBerry offered by PGi, and both InterCall and WebEx have applications available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android users.
One of the biggest issues users seem to experience when viewing a web conference on a mobile phone is not being able to see everything on such a small screen. Conventional web conferences incorporate visual aids, such as PowerPoint slides with graphics, text and/or video that can be difficult to read on small screens. In addition, more engaging web conferences regularly involve collecting feedback from participants via Q&A or polling sessions; this can be difficult or even impossible with some mobile applications, forcing you to be a passive participant as opposed to active.
Another issue users experience is that when they are participating in a web conference on a mobile phone they are often multitasking (driving, walking, etc.). These environments tend to have poor reception depending upon the carrier and are frequently noisy.
In short, trying to participate in a web conference from your mobile phone can lead to complications, so you should plan accordingly. If you choose to employ a mobile application, make sure you have a web conference provider that is proven to be reliable, allows you to be an active participant rather than passive, and that you can allot your full, undivided attention to the conference.
Source: Conferencing Services
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