Web Conferencing Product Review: How Does Microsoft Live Meeting Compare to Webex MeetMeNow

Microsoft Live Meeting is not a good web conferencing solution in my opinion. I have participated in a few Microsoft Live Meeting webinars and all were an exercise in frustration. If a computer professional such as myself has problems using Live Meeting, how is your average user going to fare?

When you first attempt to join a meeting, Microsoft tells you that you have two choices. You may download a 15mb Live Meeting client installation file that needs to be installed on your computer, or, the alternative, which is faster they tell you, is to use the web client.

Many, including myself, would rather choose the faster alternative and have the bonus of not having to install more Microsoft software on our computers. What would you do?

If you join the live meeting with the faster web client, you may find that your presenter is wise and using internet audio, or VOIP (voice over internet protocol), instead of having anyone pay for phone calls.

But then you find out that the faster web client doesn't support internet audio, so back you go to download and install the Microsoft Live Meeting downloadable client, LMSetup.exe. On my first attempt I selected to run the file, instead of saving it, and the file was downloaded but then nothing happened.

By now I am getting close to being late for the web conference and I have to go back and download the file again, this time saving it to the desktop. I then run the installation and it attempts to connect to the meeting.

Attempt is the operative word here, because Live Meeting requires a number of oddball ports on your firewall to be opened. Most office environments will have a firewall - or should - and the only way to know what ports are necessary is to open your firewall all the way - no where does Microsoft inform you of this handy piece of information.

Once the webinar is up and running, you may have no sound! Most people encountering this problem will start clicking around. Unlike Webex, Live Meeting doesn't open the windows you need from the get go. One of those essential windows is Q&A. If you open the Q&A window, you will probably see other people having trouble getting sound as well. (Maybe they have not figured out the firewall issue yet.)

In the meantime, some meeting participants have inadvertently enabled video sharing. In one of my online meetings, one guy is eating pizza and everyone else is watching him. I have written in my free newsletter, available at my website, that keeping a cover on your webcam or leaving it unplugged when not needed is a good idea.

My webcam is a logitech equipped with a cover; but just to make sure, I unplugged it during this meeting. Much to my chagrin, I then lose sound - and it was tedious getting it in the first place! So a bit more clicking around and the "join audio" makes itself available to me again and I am back in business; only 10 minutes into the presentation. But that is no problem, the presenters are having trouble with Live Meeting as well so the meeting is running late.

A much better alternative to Microsoft Live Meeting for online meetings and web conferences is MeetMeNow from Webex.

I have participated in countless technical support sessions with Webex as well as dozens of online meetings and webinars or web conferences. There was never in my recollection any technical problem that caused a delay nor were any of the participants confused as to how to use the software.

An added benefit to MeetMeNow is there are no special ports required to be opened on your firewall in order for Webex MeetMeNow to work; including audio. As a backup to internet audio, all of my web conferences with MeetMeNow had the option of a call in number, usually toll free, just in case there was any problem with the streaming audio.

Microsoft Live Meeting just is not up to the challenge from what I have seen. Webex MeetMeNow is the standard that all others should be compared against, and Live Meeting does not compare favorably.

Webex MeetMeNow has a free trial offer that you can learn more about at GoWebConferencing.com