Web Conference Services

Edit: Apparently spellcheck doesn't work in the title block since I butchered "Conference" in the title.

I know this is a bit way off topic but anyone have a recommendation?

We've been using GoToMeeting for a while but the latest interface design really managed to piss me off. It's slow, clunky, hides chat, and doesn't provide the kind of admin tools for large meetings that it used to.

WebEx is already out because it's also obnoxious.

I need:

1. Screen share is a must as I do 3 to 4 demos a week.
2. Support for phoning in on a landline/VOIP connection as many of my prospects and clients use rooms with a conference phone.
3. Conference recording so I can post to a Basecamp. Preferably one that doesn't take multiple hours to encode like G2M.
4. I'd prefer there not be an add-on which prospects need to install prior to the meeting.
5. I also need a service which offers a bulk concurrent user plan as my technical services group, sales team, and occasionally development will often run concurrent sessions.

Join.me seems ok but I'm open to suggestions if you really like a particular service.

While I know you said you didn't like WebEx...  I do a crapload of conference calls/screen sharing.  I've used pretty much every single service out there.  Zoom, RingCentral, GtM, and a couple others.  The only one that is worth a damn is WebEx.  Better host controls, better integration with Outlook, good mobile apps, html5 browser app, and - most importantly - it calls you when you join the meeting instead of you having to dial the phone yourself like some sort of peasant.

I get to use WebEx semi-regularly and I'm not a fan. This might be because it doesn't seem to play well with macOS Catalina.

I use Zoom a lot and it mostly seems to work. Can't comment on the bulk concurrent user plan but it should tick all of the other boxes. I use it for simple conference calls all the way up to full-on webinars.

Is it the be all and end all? Nope, but it generally works well enough.

Webex is still the best, clunky in some things but the newest update with app based calling is pretty dang good.

It may be because WebEx might be implemented on overloaded local servers where I work, but the reliability sucks ass. 
 

Within the company, google hangouts works much more reliably.   So we are ditching it to move to Microsoft Teams. 

We moved from Webex to Zoom. The phone/video quality is noticeably higher and the connection more reliable. 

We use Webex and I have a pretty strong distaste for it.  I can either see the user or their screen, but not both.  I mean you can, but one is incredibly small/terrible detail.  The markup interface is not intuitive.  The chat window is minimized by default so most people never see the chats.  Etc.

Some parts of our company use Google Hangouts and it is superior in pretty much every way.

It bothers me that its 2020 and web conferencing is still so difficult.

My company uses Zoom.us , works quite well

We currently use Adobe Connect for all of our online training but use Zoom for meetings, webinars, etc. AC is a bit clunky but very stable while Zoom can often freeze based on users' connection speeds.

I highly recommend against using BlueJeans.  I sucks beyond belief with respect to clarity, and maintaining connectivity.  GoToMeeting was much better in both regards before we switched at tge workplace.

On a webex call right now.  Why does my mic work with it so inconsistently?  Having to use my desk phone is infuriating.  When I call in with my desk phone and it *still* doesn't work, its a special kind of hell.

Thanks everyone. I'll give Zoom a look.

I had the same issue with Webex ProDarwin, plus the browser plugin didn't work quite right the first time and I needed to reinstall it. That was enough to turn me off for good.

The0retical said:

Thanks everyone. I'll give Zoom a look.

 

I had the same issue with Webex ProDarwin, plus the browser plugin didn't work quite right the first time and I needed to reinstall it. That was enough to turn me off for good.

The fun part is I can host & start meetings all day long with my Webex account.  But when someone from corporate, which is under a different Webex service or something, hosts a meeting it kills off my mic.  Nobody can hear me, and if I look into mic settings in Windows it somehow drops the volume to an extremely low value.  Fun.

ProDarwin said:

The0retical said:

Thanks everyone. I'll give Zoom a look.

 

I had the same issue with Webex ProDarwin, plus the browser plugin didn't work quite right the first time and I needed to reinstall it. That was enough to turn me off for good.

The fun part is I can host & start meetings all day long with my Webex account.  But when someone from corporate, which is under a different Webex service or something, hosts a meeting it kills off my mic.  Nobody can hear me, and if I look into mic settings in Windows it somehow drops the volume to an extremely low value.  Fun.

 

Are you sure they don't just have it setup so that everyone is muted? That's very common, for me at least, when I have to be in on meetings with those much higher up the pay scale. They just put everyone on mute who isn't presenting until it's Q&A time.

As for the other thing about it being difficult in 2020, I suspect that is almost purely down to company politics. For example, there are companies who have good/better solutions for what we need at work, but since they compete with us in some areas, we don't use any of their products.