Video Conferencing for Beginners

Video Conferencing for Beginners: There’s More Than Zoom

If you haven’t begun videoconferencing yet, you’re ignoring a tool that can be valuable for the growth of your business. You can set it up quickly, easily manage it and use it to connect with clients, employees, vendors or anyone you communicate with for your business. Zoom isn’t the only video conferencing tool that people use, but it is one of the most well-known and versatile ones on the market. With a few simple steps, you can master this technology and use it to grow your brand. Video conferencing for beginners is just in its infancy and can grow your business exponentially.

What Is Zoom and is it the Best Choice for Video Conferencing for Beginners?

Zoom is software, technically known as video conferencing software, that can be used for video chatting across multiple devices all at the same time. It can be used by businesses as well as for personal use, such as with keeping in touch with family members when distance separates you. It can be used for things like distance education with kids as well as with adults with online learning. You’re allowed to choose between either video or audio calling. This feature lets you talk to someone you’re collaborating with for a business project or host a meeting with multiple team members.

The software can be integrated with other helpful tools and resources, such as online calendars and more. There is both a free and a paid version of Zoom. While the free version comes with some limitations, if your business is still small, the free version should suit your needs since you can video with as many as 100 people for just over half an hour per Zoom meeting. If you have more people than that or need longer meeting times, then you would have to use their paid version. There are several tiers within the paid version. These are the Pro, Business, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus options.

With these plans, you can hold larger meetings than just 100 people. One plan allows as many as 1,000 people in the meeting – and that’s the Enterprise Plus choice. Note that the paid version does have some great perks, too.

For example, when you pay for a plan, you can choose to record and save whatever you used the software for in the Cloud. Plus, you’ll also be able to share files and archive the meetings thanks to the Past Meetings feature.

The software also has something known as Local Recording. This feature can be used by the free as well as the paid plan members. What this does is it lets users make a recording of whatever video they’ve created and turn around and share that video with others by placing it on a file site such as Vimeo or YouTube that others can access.

But if you do that, you would want to make sure you’re not discussing sensitive business information, since anyone can access YouTube (unless you mark the video private or unlisted).

Vimeo can be password protected, too. What most people like about Zoom is that it’s easy to set up – and joining in a Zoom chat or meeting is also easy. It’s cheaper to use Zoom than it is to hire IT members for your business for your own video chatting system.

Plus, there’s a support team on the other end of the platform that handles any issue that crops up. The video and audio that users are provided with Zoom is in high definition. It has a strong security feature because of the encryption abilities, too.

Life Beyond Zoom: Video Conferencing for Beginners with Meetn

The newest kid on the block is Meetn. This innovative technology is from creator and founder Rick Raddatz. I first met Rick while we were in a marketing group and Mastermind back in 2007. He had just launched a teleseminar service and I was in the first group who signed up and tested out the features as he and his team rolled them out. Thousands of recordings later, I still use Rick’s service several times each week for meetings with colleagues, friends, family members, and the various charities and non-profits I am a part of in both of my communities. In addition, I use this service for all of the courses, programs, and trainings I create and host.

Give Meetn a try, at least for a 14 day trial. In my quest to grow my business exponentially without suffocating in technology, I highly recommend this service. Knowing that Rick and his team members are almost always on call means that you receive personalized assistance even while you are just trying it out. Call up a friend or neighbor and invite them to join you on a call. Video conferencing for beginners is an adventure that is sure to increase your bottom line.

I’m author, publisher, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you. If  you have an interest in hosting video live streams, even if you’re an introvert, to help you skyrocket your way to success, please check out my comprehensive training for beginners at Video Live Streaming for Introverts so you may get started right away.