History

Web-conferencing as users know it today has evolved from text chat programs such as IRC in the late 1980s.
 IRC is still a popular form of exchanging messages throughout the web, together with web-based chatting and instant messaging, which was introduced later on in the 1990s.

Microsoft is generally recognized as the first company to unveil a web-conferencing application that is a true definition of the software itself. Their product was called NetMeeting, and it used peer-to-peer communication. It was also available as a free download. It wasn't until 1997 when PlaceWare first offered a commercial web-conferencing software, and since that year the battle for the lions' share of the market had started.

Not all the software was intentionally developed with a Windows Operating System in mind. This is why in 1999, Workspot unveiled a live desktop-sharing service for Linux desktops. This was based on Virtual Network Computing.
Because the face of business has been changing, technology has done its best to keep up with it as well.
Here is a brief backgrounder on the software which web-conferencing can also make use of:

·         E-mail – It is primarily one of the best ways to get in contact with local and international staff. It is an asynchronous form of communication, meaning that it occurs with a time delay.

·         Voice mail – This is now used for leaving audio messages. It was first used as an answering machine.

·         Audio conferencing – Real time and interactive conferencing between three or more people.

·         Video conferencing – Real time interaction using video, audio, and data communication between two or more locations.

·         Instant messaging – Real time text-messaging tool that is popular for both personal and business use. It is primarily synchronous, meaning it has virtually no time delay.

The market for conferencing services has been growing rapidly. It is expected to reach nearly $14 billion in sales by this year. Businesses have long ago realized that they could effectively reduce travel expenses and increase company productivity with web-conferencing, and much of the business industry has picked up on the enthusiasm of communicating with each other online.
Today, there are many developers of web-conferencing software that offer attractive deals with minimal input. Before you decide to avail of it, make sure that you and your company's needs will be answered or at least well-met.