Open Source Web Conferencing Apps Make Meetings Easier

So many meetings, so little time. With the amount of remote teams spread out all over the globe while working together on projects, it's amazing anything gets done. The advent of Web conferencing has made group collaboration a lot easier and, for some businesses, it's the only way to keep everyone on the same page. Let's take a look at some popular open source Web conferencing apps that keep everyone chatting happily while they get things done.

We've covered Dimdim a lot here at OStatic. It's a full-featured free Web conferencing app that raised $6 million in Series B funding last year and has taken aim at expensive commercial options like Cisco System's WebEx and Microsoft's Placeware. Up to 20 people at a time can get together withDimdim's free version which also includes audio and video sharing, event recording, whiteboards, and private messaging.

The next time you need to hold a Web conference with your team or customers, consider giving VMukti a try. This real time audio and video conferencing tool includes just about everything you need to hold a good meeting over the Internet or your own intranet and, best of all, it's open source and free-as-in-beer. VMutki includes a meeting scheduler, whiteboard, image and desktop sharing, and full contact list management right inside the app.

Available in more than 20 languages,Openmeetings is a highly customizable Web conferencing app that includes desktop sharing and whiteboards, along with remote adminstration tools, a moderating system, and a tool for importing documents in 32 different formats. Openmeetings also integrates well with the educational learning management system Moodle.

Webhuddle is a simple, easy-to-use conferencing tool with a very small footprint (about 125 KB). Designed for small business use, Webhuddle runs in any Web browser and encrypts all data by HTTPS protocol. Users can upload all types of content for meetings, including PowerPoint and Impress presentations, ZIP files, JPEG images, and more.

This is by no means a complete list of open source Web conferencing tools so I'd be interested in hearing about others. Let me know your favorites in the comments.

Flickr image courtesy of Sir Adavis.