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Blogcast help

6 comments on Blogcast help

Blogcast help

: What alternatives for videoconferencing from a PC can you all suggest?

To blogcast out on MSNBC, we have been using Microsoft’s instant messenger: It’s easy and works quite well… when it works. Yesterday, minutes before I was to go on air, we couldn’t get the video connection to work. At first, I thought it was because I had the Logitech camera software up (that will cause conflict); but even after rebooting, the video connection kept dropping. They had to delay the segment while MSNBC’s amazing production whiz, Anthony, and I switched to the antiquated Microsoft NetMeeting and it worked, though the quality isn’t as good. I don’t know what cause the IM problem; we suspect it was IM service itself. And we do have a backup in NetMeeting.

But I have to think there are better backups (besides buying Macs for everyone in the world). Any suggestions? Thanks.

6 responses to “Blogcast help”

  1. vanderleun Avatar
    vanderleun

    Other than buying Macs for everybody in the world, there’s no hope. Oh, you’ll get to “better,” you’ll just never get to good.
    I once managed an online department of 30 people in a corporation that had been ruled by the maxim “You’ll never be fired for buying IBM” updated to read “You’ll never be fired for buying Windows PCs.”
    But day after day, I knew and was shown that PCs could not accomplish what we needed to do with any sort of alacrity and only with a good deal of aggro.
    It was clear that any savings made by keeping ourselves within the PC universe was been burned away by loses in productivity and revenue.
    What to do? Since I was the executive, I made an executive decision. Macs all around with some of the PCs kept for cross-platform checking and work. That was is 1999 so it probably wouldn’t be necessary today. Got the money. Did the deed. IT department squealed but was instructed to get over it and make it work.
    They did and ended up getting some Macs for themselves. In time the surviving PCs were phased out proving the old saw,
    “Once you go Mac you don’t go back.”

  2. richard mcenroe Avatar
    richard mcenroe

    Better than PC? Have you tried mass-mailings of paper letters?

  3. Frank Martin Avatar
    Frank Martin

    Jeff, try http://www.ivisit.com/
    I use it daily, my team is distributed worldwide it works for us.
    We also like and use skype – http://www.skype.com

  4. BobbyMasteria Avatar
    BobbyMasteria

    Try AIM 5.5 (and higher) on Windows XP Pro.
    It’s supposed to have the same quality as iChat AV on Mac OSX which is excellent.
    Or a Web based app : http://www.userplane.com/

  5. Jackie Danicki Avatar
    Jackie Danicki

    Try SmartMeeting – it looks incredible, I’ve used it a few times and found it pretty good. http://www.smartmeeting.com/

  6. John Dowdell Avatar
    John Dowdell

    I’m not sure of your exact needs yet, but Macromedia Breeze has been very well received for similar tasks, and offers a 15-day free trial:
    http://www.macromedia.com/software/breeze/trial/?promoid=breeze_home_getstarted_trial_090704
    jd/mm