Video Conferencing Shootout
Right now, you can have a face-to-face meeting about anything, with a bunch of people, from just about anywhere. When you think about it, it’s a pretty Jetsons-like ability we take for granted. In The Jetsons, however, nobody had to wait for an update to install, figure out the Mac-to-PC ratio, or apologize for their 3G-in-the-city connection. Video conferencing is futuristic, but the future still requires troubleshooting and planning.
Dispatch uses Google Hangouts for most of its meeting needs. Developers in the Southeast and New York City, and a writer in Buffalo, NY, can quickly jump into a video call without needing to ensure that they’re “visible” on Skype, or getting distracted by Skype messages from old college friends. But Google Hangouts still require the installation of a specific plug-in, and requires some understanding of how Google+ and its sharing model works.
Video conference alternatives appear seemingly every week. Which are worth keeping in mind and setting up? Here’s a handy pro/con chart for your time-saving pleasure:
| Skype | |
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| + Pros | - Cons |
| Name recognition. Nearly everybody who has used a computer knows Skype). |
Software installation needed. It’s a big file, requires administrator privileges, and often installs secondary plug-ins. |
| Availability. Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and more. |
Sign-in assault. If you use Skype for group or one-on-one chats, Skype has this crazy, annoying tendency to bombard you with everything that happened inside those chats the moment you sign into your account. Blergh. |
| Facebook fallback. Two Facebook friends can use Skype through a browser, via Facebook, if necessary or easier. |
Separate username/password requirement. Skype isn’t tied directly into your Google account or Mac account (it is, however, now part of your Microsoft sign-in). Password hunts cause the occasional delay for infrequent users. |
| Can be recorded. Given its popularity, there’s a wide range of Skype recording software available. Take note, Dispatch users, of Callnote’s save-to-Evernote functionality. |
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| Google (Google+) Hangouts | |
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| + Pros | - Cons |
| Tied into Google. Most people are signed into their Google/Gmail account in a browser, so launching a Hangout doesn’t require any separate sign-in. |
Requires browser plug-in. Some versions of Chrome come with the required Google Talk plug-in, but those that don’t need to install a small software package. |
| Browser-based, mobile-friendly. Nearly any computer that can launch a browser can join a Hangout, and the Google+ app for iOS and Android devices is quite nice. |
Lots of features, not all necessary. The Docs/Drive integration is convenient, but can be distracting if you have to work out your Drive sharing and such. There are also games, moustaches, pirate hats, sound effects, and other goofy elements that are incongruous for professional settings. |
| Really handy Docs/Drive integration. If you want to take notes, draw a sketch, or modify a spreadsheet with your team, that’s easy. |
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| Bring in participants through phone calls. That one person in an airport with no Wi-Fi? Call them for free from inside the Hangout, and she’s chatting with everybody there. |
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| Great auto-correction for video & audio. Google’s using some of its own server space and speed to ensure smooth connections, and the built-in tools for echo and static reduction are handy. |
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| TeamViewer | |
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| + Pros | - Cons |
| Scheduling features. TeamViewer can send invitations with direct, app-launching links to attendees. Skype, Hangout, and many others require notifying people in other channels about your conference. |
Another software package. If installing software isn’t easy or convenient for a meeting participant, than TeamViewer won’t fly. There’s no web-only version of TeamViewer. |
| Very easy to set up. Lifehacker recommends TeamViewer as the best tool for troubleshooting your parents/grandparents/Uncle Jed’s computer, which is no small endorsement. |
Another software package. If installing software isn’t easy or convenient for a meeting participant, than TeamViewer won’t fly. There’s no web-only version of TeamViewer. |
| Smart screen sharing and remote control. If the thing you’re meeting about involves an app or computer issue, TeamViewer makes screen sharing super simple and relatively secure. |
Screen-sharing-focused: You can, in fact, use webcams for video chatting through TeamViewer. But the software is geared toward screen sharing and toubleshooting, and the spacing and design reflect that. |
| Android & iOS apps. Neat. |
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| MeetingBurner | |
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| + Pros | - Cons |
| Web-based and easy to join. Nobody needs to install anything (unless they’re on iPhone, and all that’s needed to join the meeting is a link. Screen sharing and webcam video included. |
Impermanence. As noted, the meetings exist only at the link you create, so bringing in outsiders late to the meeting requires outside contact. |
| Security through obscurity. Once your meeting is done, it’s gone. That’s a security feature, but it also instills focus: nobody can just read the notes later. |
Recording and other extras are extra. MeetingBurner’s Pro plans start at $40 per month, which is competitive with other players in the field. But you need a plan to unlock meeting recording, full VoIP support, and other features. |
| No advertising. Unlike many other free-on-web video conferencing tools, MeetingBurner uses an ad-free freemium model to generate revenue. |
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That’s our take on the free video conferencing solutions available to you, your cousin, and your friend working in a startup. What are you using to meet up with other people and their webcams, and why do you like it?
