Show AllIn addition to scheduling an in-person meeting using Microsoft Outlook, you can schedule an online meeting, a "virtual meeting" that people can attend from their computers. Different programs are available for this purpose, but the one to use depends on how many people you want to invite, their location, and what you need to conduct the meeting, for example, the ability to share documents or transmit live audio and video. An online meeting can range from a quick, impromptu document sharing session between two people to a scheduled group meeting or training session involving several people in different locations and time zones.
NetMeeting is typically used for one-to-one or small group meetings that require document sharing, Chat, file transfer, a Whiteboard, or audio/video conferencing. To use NetMeeting, you must provide the following information in your meeting request:
To automatically include or share an Office document in the meeting, you must also provide the name of the document and its location on your computer.
To join and participate in a NetMeeting online meeting, attendees need NetMeeting version 2.1 or later.
Microsoft Exchange Conferencing is typically used for "many-to-many" conferences that require real-time voice and video, such as a roundtable discussion attended by people in different geographical locations. For example, you can use Exchange Conferencing to meet online with coworkers located at corporate offices around the world. You can also invite people who are outside your company's network and require them to enter a password before joining the conference.
To join and participate in an Exchange conference, attendees need a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Windows Media Services is typically used for "one-to-many" events such as a company-wide broadcast or an online training course. Windows Media Services can provide network access to digital media broadcasts of:
Your meeting request must include the event address. An event address can take many forms depending on the type of content and its location.
The following are a few examples of event addresses:
mms://wmserver1/meeting.wmv A digital media content file located on a Windows Media server.
file://computer1/presentation.asf A digital media content file located on a local or network disk. This method uses a file share to make digital media content available. It does not require Windows Media Services or a Web server to distribute the content.
http://webserver1/path/event.asx A text file, located on a Web server, that contains one or more references to digital media content from other locations, such as a Windows Media server. This type of event address is often used for live broadcast events and multicast events.
To view or listen to the event, attendees need a player, such as Microsoft Windows Media Player.
The person who creates and sends the meeting request needs to provide only the name and location of the digital media content. Other members of the organization may be responsible for creating and preparing the digital media content for delivery.
For more information about digital media file formats, see Windows Media Player Help.
Examples of event addresses