No Web conference will run smoothly without adequate planning.
Planning a Web conference doesn't have to be complicated.
Think of your Web conference planning as like that for any
live presentation -- but with some technological
considerations thrown in.
Probably the first step is recognizing that you can't wait
until the last minute to plan a Web conference. You'll need
to start early. For instance, you'll need to line up
a hosting company, if you don't already use one for your Web
conferences or handle them in house.
While every Web conference varies, here are some steps to
help you in planning yours.
1. Define what you plan to accomplish and limit yourself
to what can be covered in the Web conference time allotted.
2. Contact the hosting company, if you're using one, to
arrange a date and time for the Web conference, to cover
basic details (like system requirements for the computer you
will be using), and to get links and access codes to send to
participants. Consider scheduling an extra half hour in case
the conference runs long.
3. Decide who should attend, and use the conferencing
software to invite them. Include the link and access code
they'll need to participate.
4. Create a one-page, timed agenda. Based on that, gather
content for the meeting, including spreadsheets, presentations
and documents. Create or assign someone to prepare the
material for use by the conferencing software. Pretest these
materials.
5. Recognize that simply watching someone talk isn't going
to keep participants' interest. Keep it lively! Use the
technology available to vary activity with video or slides,
interactive polling, application sharing or whiteboard.
6. Create at least one slide that will appear when
participants log in so that they know they're at the right
Web conference. This could include the agenda or resources
cited during the conference.
7. Determine participants' expectations, let them know how
they should prepare, and send them any needed materials in
advance. Include a reminder of the link and access code.
8. Prepare an online survey that you can have participants
complete (or that you can e-mail to them) after the
conference to get feedback.
9. Practice enough so that you know how to use the
moderator tools to respond to questions or let participants
show their material to the group.
10. If possible, run a dress rehearsal of the Web
conference -- or at least any presentations -- a week in
advance and make changes as needed.
11. Have someone else in your company act as on-site tech
support during the Web conference so that you can focus on
hosting it.
12. Arrive at least half an hour early to open the
conferencing software before the meeting starts. Make sure
connections and content are working properly.
13. Record the conference for those who can't attend.
14. After the conference, send a thank-you e-mail to
participants asking them to complete the survey. Tally and
use results of the survey to improve future Web conferences.
Security is a vital consideration in planning a Web
conference. You want to make sure only invitees attend -- and
you want to know that system security is tight.
Web Conferencing Standards for Privacy and Security
As the use of Web conferencing has grown, both companies that
participate in it and the companies that provide Web
conferencing software and hosting services have recognized
the need for Web conferencing standards for privacy and
security.
Web conferencing privacy protects personnel records, as well
as the private information and participation of individuals
involved in a conference. Web conferencing security protects
information that a company or government agency doesn't want
to share because it could affect the company's plans or
profits, or national security. Web conferencing standards
would help to protect both of these needs.
As with any activity that uses the Internet, Web conferencing
comes with the risk that hackers and company rivals may
listen in on a conference or take information from it. During
a Web conference, data is stored temporarily on a shared
Internet server -- belonging either to the company itself or
to the company providing hosting services. That's the time
when the data becomes most vulnerable to theft.
As protection, most Web conference hosting companies take
a three-part approach to data security during a Web
conference:
1. Encryption with Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to
make the data unreadable to anyone other than the intended
recipients.
2. Non-persistent data flow. Encrypted data is kept
switching constantly between the host's computer and the
participants' computers instead of being stored on one
computer.
3. Intrusion control, which scans the network for
unauthorized users and shuts down a transfer port to deny
them access.
While each hosting company has its own security architecture,
they all conform to informal industry standards. Internet
standards -- like those for Web conference security -- often
are based on specifications developed by the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF). Manufacturers, Web hosting
companies and others then voluntarily agree to standards and
follow them.
Recognizing the need, the IETF set up the Centralized
Conference Working Group (XCON) in 2003 to recommend
standards for Web conferencing. XCON is developing
a standardized suite of protocols for multi-media conferences
where strong security and authorization requirements are
needed. While XCON is still working on parts of this,
companies are using some completed recommendations in their
security architecture. That's why you may see XCON mentioned
in hosting companies' descriptions of their security systems.
As the host of a Web conference, you can take action to make
sure the conference has adequate security. Here are some
things you can do:
1. If you're using hosted services, check how the company
ensures conference security and make sure that meets your
needs. The companies usually provide detailed information on
their Web sites and can answer your questions. Look for
compliance with IETF or XCON standards and certification by
a third party.
2. Send invitations over secure e-mail and only to
a carefully culled list. If the conference involves sensitive
information, you may not want to publicize it outside this
group.
3. Screen new entrants during the conference. Watch for
uninvited participants and terminate their access. Web
conferencing software often has this capability.
4. Decide which information should be made available to
which participants -- and at what point during the
conference. Everyone may not need access to sensitive
information, and it may only need to be "on the table" for
a short time.
Finally, don't stop thinking about security when the
conference ends. For example, make sure a hosting company
deletes confidential data from their server immediately after
the conference. Limit access to the recorded conference and,
if you're providing a podcast of the conference, edit
carefully to remove sensitive information.
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