Free Web Based Meetings: A Web 2.0 tool to Connect Doctors

We talk a lot of Web 2.0 and the use of the web as a platform, what is it? in simple words it means that you do not need to install a big software in your computer to do whatever you could wish, in consequence, more than a powerful computer with a super powerful operative system (as Windows Vista pretends to be), what we need is broadband internet connection. In our case, communication is paramount, most of us know how to use a messenger program like Windows Live Messenger, or Yahoo Messenger, etc. But these are not the only programs that exist to talk to other people, and is not the only thing you can do with your computer and internet, you can do much more and do not to have to spend lot of hours trying to learn it. So, is it with the use of messenger programs the only way we can discuss with other colleagues? The answer is no. For example we can use live meeting conferences, what is a live meeting conference? what can you do? check these demos to have a better idea about it: Microsoft demo or Adobe demo. After you watch these demos you will have a better idea of what a live meeting is for, but do you have to pay for that? the answer is no. You just have to be creative. I am going to tell you how: first of all use a program to talk with more than one person at a time, for that I use Skype, then define what you want to do; for most of us something that will be useful is to show to others what you see in your screen, so why not to share your screen with others(while talking with Skype), to do that use Yugma, you and the people you want to share your screen with have to have an account, at any time you can decide who is the one who will show the screen to the others. If you would like to have something like a whiteboard where to write you can use Vyew, you can do annotations, upload PowerPoint presentation, invite more people( up to 20 for Free), but every person has to open an account( what is free) . Or maybe if you just wan to have a whiteboard but do not want to open a account you can use Skrbl, no necessity to open account or install nothing. So why not to use these tools to interact dynamically with others doctors, for example to discuss clinical cases, I think that the possibilities are endless.

Free Live Conferencing Services
Yugma
Vyew
Skype

Payed Services
Gotomeeting
Webex
Office Live Meeting
Genesys
Adobe Connect Professional

Whiteboard:
Skrbl