I need advice.

I am a web developer who uses subcontractors spread over the world. I use basecamp and IM as my primary form of collaboration with them. No phone or skype. I am finding that I need some kind of online meeting service that will help me work with subs to visually show them what I want or mean. In real time. Either going over a graphic mockup of a web layout or going over the layout in a browser.

It’s gotta be quick to setup a meeting and be Mac friendly.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

thanks
jack
affinityav.com

Are you the one using a Mac?
If your not, then gotomeeting would work for PC or Mac as long as the meeting host is not on a Mac.

We use BC chat and take screen shots or use the build in camera in the Imac, sometimes we use acrobat pro to indicate changes on drawings that we then again post as pict to discuss.

Of course you can also use the new features in Ichat of Leopard to take over control of the desktop of your subcontractor.

Acrobat Connect is nice. http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatconnect/

They have a free trial and anyone with the free Acrobat Reader plugin can login. There’s a 1-800 phone number to conference your meetings also. Lot’s of nice other features and not expensive.

It does like Powerpoint slides but you can also present your computer screen, or specific application windows, or allow others to present their screens.

I don’t know if it’s Mac compatible, but you should check out WebEX, it’s what we use to support our “less-than-PC-literate” customers. It uses port 80, so firewalls don’t create a problem.

Your contractors would have to wait through a couple minutes of quick download and setup, but then you can:

• Share your desktop with them while presenting.

• Share their desktop with you for troubleshooting.

• Transfer files directly to or from your/their harddrive.

• Built in chat window function (I use Windows Live Messenger instead of Skype).

• Nothing happens without the user’s permission. The user can always regain control simply by clicking his mouse.

• Sessions are recorded (my built in laptop mic pics up my side of the conversation) and stored on your hard drive. You can review them for accountability or save and use them as training tools.

• Since I carry the license on my laptop, I can use it from work, home or on the road. I’ve even used it to help friends and family members with PC problems from home.

We also use WebEx. We used to use Microsoft Live Meeting, which used to be Placeware. There is also Gotomeeting which I’ve never used.

We use Microsoft Live Meeting. It works very well and it’s secure.