Most of us have probably participated in at least one online conference call for training or tech support.  If your experiences have been like mine, these sessions can be very frustrating as you often need to install software to your computer before the session.  And, if you’re a Mac user you know that many of the popular online conference solutions have little or no support for Apple products.

For this technology review, I’ll be taking a look at Dimdim.  Dimdim is an online conference tool with some very powerful features.  It has the standard features such as desktop sharing and whiteboards, but it also adds video and audio capabilities.  Dimdim also allows you to record a conference for later playback or even embedding on a website or blog.  Even better, Dimdim supports Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Strengths:

• Free for up to 20 users
• Moodle integration
• VoIP capabilities in free version
• Supports Mac OS X and Linux in addition to Windows
• Recording capabilities

Weaknesses

• You can only share .ppt, .pptx, and .pdf files
• Free edition only allows for host to have webcam
• “No installation” means “little installation.”  Some plugins may need to be installed
• Difficult to determine the differences between the various editions

Dimdim should be of interest to anyone who needs a quick and easy online conferencing solution.  Because it supports all three major operating systems and has a free edition for up to 20 users, it is an excellent tool for teachers wanting to conduct online interactions with authors, scientists, historians, etc. or even with other classrooms in collaborative projects.

The basic edition of Dimdim is free and requires a free user account.  You will also need a computer with a modern web browser, Flash, and internet access.  A microphone and webcam are optional, but recommended.  You will want to have your technology staff make sure that Dimdim will work correctly with your network’s security settings.  The Pro editions of Dimdim are very reasonably priced, starting at $9.95/month or $99/year.