I have been asked about online conferencing/webinar software for meeting use and training. The Wimba tool that ICFL uses is part of the Community Partner agreement with WebJunction. ICFL uses this tool to facilitate its meetings and trainings.

Wimba can be secured through WebJunction by individual libraries or library districts to use as a tool, however, the cost ranges around $2000+ for a year. Since there are many advantages to online conferencing and training for everyone, I have compiled information regarding available tools – some free – some not so free! This list is by no means complete.

I have used Yugma, Moodle, Gotomeeting and Wimba. They are similar, each having positives and negatives.
Most vendors will let you try the software for 30 days to see if it will work for you.

Survey of Online Conferencing Tools (an independent review)

Real Time Web Conferencing (an independent review)

Comparison of web conferencing software (provides basic information for further research)

• ATutor
• Adobe Acrobat Connect
• Convenos Meeting Center
• Dimdim
• Glance
• GoToMeeting
• IBM Lotus Sametime
• Microsoft Office Live Meeting
• Moodle
• WebEx
• WebTrain
• Wimba
• Yugma

This is a great opportunity to post comments about these various tools -- and others not listed -- everyone will be interested in your experience and knowledge.