Russell Labs Computing Knowledgebase

Web Conferencing

As web conferencing becomes more popular as a solution for communicating with colleagues across the globe a challenge becomes how to choose from the number of options available.

Here in Russell Labs we have a camera and microphone available for checkout to use in various conference rooms.
We do not have a dedicated room for conferencing, although the Schorger room and Rm. 594 are used often for this purpose.
The Schorger room has a large monitor with a Mac mini connected to it which has Skype installed. There are also USB webcams and a microphone and speakers in the cabinet below the TV. We also have a PolyCom system attached to the monitor if you need to use the PolyCom setup. 
Please contact Laurie Ballentine to reserve the Schorger Room and/or the video setup and email help@russell.wisc.edu if you'd like an overview of using the system.
Room 594 also has a large monitor with monitor connections which can be used for web conferencing.
 
We've been experimenting with Zoom meeting (http://zoom.us) which is free for less than 25 participants and 40 minutes. If you have need for more than this, let us know and we'll look into educational licensing for that package.
Skype has proven to be a popular option with the limitation of one to one with the free version. We have a Pro version that we can use to login to your meeting, allowing you to have multiple Skype presences. Contact us for more info if you need to have multiple connections.
As always, contact us at help@russell.wisc.edu in order to have us help you walk through the process and determine which product might best meet your needs.

DoIT's overview of Web Conferencing:

Adobe Connect (no longer licensed by UW, but some folks may have gotten used to it):

And the kb article on setting up Web Conferences using Collaborate via the My UW portal: