ClearMeeting: Web conferencing, Online Meetings, Net Meeting, Online Training, Web Conference, Presentation Software, Web conferencing solution, Web collaboration, Web conferencing service, Collaboration software, Web Conferencing Software

What is ClearMeeting™?
ClearMeeting™ is a tool that allows you to create and run your own online meetings and presentations. It adds a variety of visual elements (PowerPoint® slide shows, graphics slides, Web tours, display of proprietary applications) and interactive elements (chat room, instant polls, surveys, sharing of mouse/keyboard control, etc.) to make traditional conference calls more productive. It consists of two products - Slide Show and Desktop Sharing.

What is the Slide Show Product vs. the Desktop Sharing Product?
ClearMeeting™ consists of two distinct products - Slide Show and Desktop Sharing. If you purchase ClearMeeting™ Complete, you will have access to both products. If you purchase ClearMeeting™ Express, you will have access only to the Slide Show product.

The Slide Show product is optimized for sales prospecting, webinars, and other applications where the computer resources of the Participants are not known, or when the Presenter desires a low tech, worry free way to run a webconference. That's because the Slide Show operates on minimal bandwidth and requires no downloads or hidden downloads of any kind. Features include: PowerPoint® slide display, graphics slides, Web tours, surveys, instant polls, reports, text chat and more.

The Desktop Sharing product is optimized for active collaboration, but does require that Participants have a broadband Internet connection and the ClearMeeting™ Launcher download. With Desktop Sharing, Participants can see programs running on the Presenter's computer, and the Presenter can share mouse and keyboard control with the Participants. Participants can request to share their Desktop, allowing for a roundtable style collaborative meeting.

We urge Presenters to complete our free training before conducting Desktop Sharing meetings so they know what to expect and how to prepare their Participants.

What is a Slide Show, in contrast to an event or meeting?
A Slide Show is something you create in advance of a meeting - and it lasts after the meeting is over and may be reused. A Slide Show is Meeting Content + Meeting Formats. Meeting Content consists of PowerPoint® or graphical (GIF or JPEG) slides, Web tour pages and Survey pages. Meeting Format consists of your checkmark selection of various attributes - for example, do you want this to be a shared Slide Show that your colleagues may use to run meetings? Once you create a Slide Show, you and your colleagues may use it over and over to conduct any number of live events or meetings (including simultaneous meetings with different groups of Participants). You build a Slide Show by first uploading a PowerPoint® presentation, and then adding surveys or Web tour pages, and then selecting preferences such as the amount of required registration data for Participants.

Are my Slide Shows saved on the ClearMeeting™ server?
Yes, until you delete a Slide Show you created, it is saved for your future use -- or, if you designated it to be a Shared Slide Show, it is also saved for the future use of your colleagues. Think of it as an alphabetized collection or Slide Show Library with all of the Slide Shows available for you to conduct your meetings and presentations. Shared Slide Shows may be scheduled and run as meetings by any Presenter on your account, however only the creator of a Slide Show may edit or delete it.

How do most people use ClearMeeting™?
Most people use ClearMeeting™ in conjunction with a traditional telephone call or conference call. Typical uses for the Slide Show product include: sales prospecting, sales presentations, webinars, multi-office meetings (sales staff training and weekly meetings, 401(k) reviews and benefits meetings, marketing meetings, company policy and compliance). Typical uses for Desktop Sharing include: remote help desk, software demonstration, web site demonstration, and remote collaboration with spreadsheets and CAD-CAM.

Most people already have their own commitments or options to purchase traditional phone services - so we focus on providing a webconferencing tool to meet the needs of sales professionals (ClearMeeting™ Express) and the needs of small and medium businesses (ClearMeeting™ COmplete). We are not trying to sell you telephone service.

What are other ways to use ClearMeeting™?
ClearMeeting™ is also used in conjunction with streaming media, especially for large webinars and web events, where streaming media reduces the cost per Participant, and where Participants are typically in a "Listen Only" mode. However, the streaming media involves additional technical requirements and necessitates live event support. Please contact sales@ClearMeeting.com if you specialize in streaming media events and are interested in using ClearMeeting™ Services in combination with streaming media.

ClearMeeting™ may also be used with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. Please contact sales@ClearMeeting.com for any questions about customization or integration with your existing or planned VoIP services. If you are a developer or provider of VoIP services interested in "bolting" your product to ClearMeeting™, please contact us.

How does ClearMeeting™ integrate with other technology, such as VoIP and streaming media?
ClearMeeting™ is platform agnostic - that means it integrates and inter-operates well with a wide variety of other technologies.

What makes ClearMeeting™ different than its competitors?
ClearMeeting™ Express is optimized for sales prospecting and presenations - it eliminates technical barriers for your audience. ClearMeeting™ is the best overall value for small and medium businesses with a variety of webconferencing needs - and ClearMeeting™ has NO hidden costs. ClearMeeting™ is backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee -- within 60 days of signup, we will completely refund the amount you spent on ClearMeeting™ if it doesn't meet your needs.

What types of customers find ClearMeeting™ the best fit for their needs?
ClearMeeting™ Express is ideal for sales professionals and users of salesforce.com. ClearMeeting™ Complete is often the best fit for small and medium businesses, especially in the following industries: consulting, distribution, eCommerce, manufacturing, professional services, software and technology.

Typical job titles of Presenters using ClearMeeting™ include those with responsibility in the following areas: sales and marketing; eCommerce; corporate communications; training; event planning; project management; human resources; technology/telecommunications.

Anyone needing to reach a universal audience - for example, for sales prospectors and webinar leaders - makes a perfect match for ClearMeeting™ Express. We achieve nearly Universal Reach with our Slide Show product(minimal bandwidth, no downloads or hidden downloads, compatible for Participants running Wintel, Apple and Linux computers).

ClearMeeting™ is also a good fit for individual employees and departments within large companies who are unhappy with their online meeting tool, or whose access to the tool is limited for budgetary or other reasons. For these employees and departments, ClearMeeting™ is an extra tool they easily expense with a credit card purchase - there's no need for an enterprise rollout to use ClearMeeting™.

What types of customers find ClearMeeting™ is NOT the best fit for their needs?
ClearMeeting™ is often NOT the best fit for running online universities - other tools are designed specifically for that market. ClearMeeting™ does not have archiving capabilities, so it is not suitable for someone who only needs an authoring tool to create "canned" presentations. ClearMeeting™ is not currently on the GSA schedule for government purchasers. ClearMeeting™ is not intended as an enterprise solution for large corporations.

What is the difference between ClearMeeting™ Express and ClearMeeting™ Complete?
ClearMeeting™ Express includes only the Slide Show product; it is scheduled to become part of AppExchange for salesforce.com users, and is tailored to sales professionals. ClearMeeting™ Complete includes both the Slide Show product and the Desktop Sharing product, making it ideal for a wide variety of webconferencing needs for small and medium business.

Getting Started and Purchasing ClearMeeting™

What is the difference between ClearMeeting™ Complete and ClearMeeting™ Express?
ClearMeeting™ Complete includes BOTH the Slide Show product and the Desktop Sharing product, making it the ideal multi-purpose tool for small and medium business. ClearMeeting™ Express is optimized for sales professionals and includes only the Slide Show product (not Desktop Sharing), and is the edition for salesforce.com users.

How is ClearMeeting™ Complete priced?
ClearMeeting™ Complete pricing is primarily a function of the number of simultaneous users (Presenters + Participants) that can be using ClearMeeting™ at any one time. For example, if you purchase capacity of 10, at any given time you could be running one larger meeting with one Presenter and 9 Participants, or you could be running five small meetings each with one Presenter (such as a sales rep) and one Participant (such as a prospect). The key limiting factor is how much capacity is set aside for your company, regardless of whether you use the capacity every day or ocassionally. The ClearMeeting™ Complete license allows a certain number of additional named Presenters, making the license very flexible for team use. That means for one license fee, multiple members of your team may conduct simultaneous meetings. Please see Web site "How to Buy" section for current details. Pricing subject to change.

Once you select a capacity, you can choose from a monthly subscription plan, or pre-pay for 10 months and receive two months free. No long term contract is required, however you receive a discount when you make a 10 month purchase.

How is ClearMeeting™ Express priced?
ClearMeeting™ Express pricing is primarily a function of the number of Presenters who need access to ClearMeeting™ -- you pay a fee for each Presenter based on activating that Presenter's login. The login is the same email address that the Presenter uses for his or her salesforce.com login address. Since ClearMeeting™ Express is optimized for sales professionals, there is a low cost option to allow each sales rep to conduct small scale prospecting and presentations, along with higher cost options for sales managers and marketing managers to conduct team meetings, webinars, and larger presentations. Please see Web site "How to Buy" section for current details. Pricing subject to change.

What is a monthly subscription plan vs. a prepaid account?
Whether you are purchasing ClearMeeting™ Complete or ClearMeeting™ Express, you may choose from a monthly subscription plan, or pre-pay for 10 months and receive two months free. No long term contract is required, however you receive a discount when you make a 10 month prepaid purchase.

Do I need to sign a long term contract?
No, you don't need to make any purchase commitment or sign a long term contract. However, you do receive a discount when you make a 10 month prepaid purchase.

How do I customize ClearMeeting™ with my company logo or my photo?
After logging in to the Slide Show, go to the MyAccount tab and you'll see the field where you can upload a photo of yourself or a logo of your company. Then, when your Participants log in to your Slide Show meeting, they will see the photo or logo you uploaded in the upper right hand portion of their screen. This is a great way to make the meeting more personal and customized for your needs.

Technical Questions

What are the system requirements for a meeting Presenter?
ClearMeeting™ requires average system resources for the Presenter. A Presenter's experience will depend on a combination of system resources (primarily available memory, and lack of spyware/malware) and the quality of Internet connectivity. Please see specifics below:

Minimum Hardware Requirements: PC with Pentium II Processor running at 400 Mhz., 64 MB RAM, Optimal Hardware: PC with Pentium III or newer, 128 MB RAM, or greater. Presenters need to maintain their hardware (e.g., deleting spyware) so that memory and other system resources are actually available to ClearMeeting™.
Minimum Software Requirements: Windows 95 and above, Microsoft Internet Explorer browser version 6 or above; PowerPoint® to create, edit and upload PowerPoint® slides; and the ClearMeeting™ Launcher download. Special Requirements: Not supporting Windows ME or Windows XP Home Office operating software. Not supporting Linux or Mac OS desktops (unless running a Windows emulator).
Minimum Connectivity: For ClearMeeting™ Slide Show meetings, a minimum connection speed of 28.8 kbps is required. For ClearMeeting™ Desktop Shared meetings, the minimum is 56 kbps although it must have steady throughput. Optimal Connectivity: any type of broadband connection with steady throughput.

What are the system requirements for meeting Participants?
ClearMeeting™ Slide Show is nearly universal for Participants, and Desktop Sharing only requires an average computer. A Participant's experience will depend on a combination of system resources (primarily available memory and lack of spyware/malware) and the quality of Internet connectivity. Please see specifics below:

Minimum Hardware Requirements: As a rule of thumb, Participants may use any Mac or PC machine purchased within the last 7 years. Works well with as little as a Pentium PC running at 166 Mhz with 32 MB of RAM. Optimal Hardware: PC with Pentium III, 128 MB RAM, or greater, especially for Participants in Desktop Sharing sessions.
Minimum Software Requirements: For Slide Show meetings, any common operating system: Windows 95 or above, or any Linux or Mac OS. Any common Web browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 and above, Firefox, Safari, or Netscape 4.x and above. For Desktop Sharing meetings, the Participant will need the ClearMeeting™ Launcher, which is only compatible with Windows (or a Mac OS running a Windows emulator).
Special Requirements: Recommended screen size 1024 x 768 to eliminate scroll bars. XP users must turn off Fast User Switching.
Minimum and Optimal Connectivity: Same as for the Presenter, as described above.

Who needs the ClearMeeting™ Launcher download?
The Presenter must have the download in order to upload slide show presentations and to conduct Desktop Sharing meetings.

Participants in Desktop Sharing sessions must have the download. Participants must join Desktop Sharing sessions by entering the Meeting ID number into the Launcher. The Launcher is configurable and helps Participants navigate firewall and proxy issues related to Desktop Sharing sessions. (Participants may join Slide Show meetings simply by entering the Meeting ID number into the Join Meeting link on the ClearMeeting™ web site; optionally, Participants may also join a Slide Show meeting by entering the Meeting ID number into the Launcher.)

Currently, the download only works for Windows operating system users (or Mac OS running a Windows emulator).

Troubleshooting - my Participant can't see the meeting I started
Make sure all Participants are accessing the same Meeting ID number when they sign on. If you are running a Slide Show meeting, the Meeting ID number will be your permanent 5 digit number you received at signup. If you are running a Desktop Sharing meeting, the Meeting ID number will be your 5 digit number with the letter "A" at the end.

Troubleshooting - one Participant says the Slide Show isn't advancing to the next slide
If a Participant's Internet connection is very slow or intermittent (i.e., the data goes through in large bursts, rather than in a steady fashion), a slide may occasionally "hang" or seem to get stuck for that Participant. Simply ask the Participant to manually refresh his screen, by clicking the Refresh button near the bottom of his screen. The slide will then advance. (This applies only when the Presenter is in Presenter Push mode, meaning the radio button in the upper right of their screen shows "ON" for Presenter Push. If Presenter Push is "OFF", then each Participant will control the pace of their slides with Forward and Back arrows that replace the Refresh button.)

Using ClearMeeting™

As a Presenter, how do I get into the ClearMeeting™ tool to create or run a meeting?
Please follow the instructions when you sign up, or on the Quick Start Guides. To summarize, to create or start a Slide Show meeting, you may login either at the ClearMeeting™ web site (www.clearmeeting.com) or via the Launcher. Or, if you are have a salesforce.com account and are using ClearMeeting™ Express, you will be able to enter the Slide Show tool via ClearMeeting™ tabs within salesforce. To start a Desktop Sharing meeting, you MUST login using the Launcher.

How do I start a Slide Show meeting vs. a Desktop Sharing meeting?
To start a Slide Show meeting, you may login either at the ClearMeeting™ web site (www.clearmeeting.com) or via the Launcher (if you login with the Launcher, follow the prompt to select Slide Show rather than Desktop Sharing). Or, if you have a salesforce.com account and are using ClearMeeting™ Express, you will be able to enter the Slide Show tool via ClearMeeting™ tabs within salesforce. Once you are at the Slide Show home page, simply click on the Start button next to the Slide Show you wish to run. That will take you to your Meeting Lobby -- when you're ready to move from the Meeting Lobby into the presentation itself, simply click the large Start button in the lobby.

To start a Desktop Sharing meeting, you MUST login using the Launcher. At the next screen, select Desktop Sharing instead of Slide Show. You will then be given a floating Toolbar to start the Desktop Sharing session and run the meeting.

What are the different ways I can invite people to join the meeting as Participants?
There are three basic ways a Participant can join a meeting: 1) by downloading the meeting Launcher, and entering the Meeting ID number into the Launcher; 2) if it is a Slide Show meeting, you send them an email invitation, generated by the ClearMeeting™ system, that includes a link to the meeting entry page; or 3) if it is a Slide Show meeting, the Participant may join via the Attend a Meeting link at the ClearMeeting™ web site.

Regardless of how a Participant joins a meeting, they will ALWAYS need to use the Presenter's 5-Digit Meeting ID number to enter a Slide Show meeting; to enter a Desktop Sharing meeting, the Participant always uses the 5-Digit Meeting ID number followed by the letter "A".

How much training is needed to use ClearMeeting™?
ClearMeeting™ Slide Show is very intuitive - it requires no formal training if you are comfortable surfing the Internet and preparing PowerPoint® slide presentations. We do offer and encourage free training for frequent online communicators looking for tips and best practices.

ClearMeeting™ Desktop Sharing has more technical considerations. We urge you to complete our free online training session before using Desktop Sharing -- or at least play with the product until you are comfortable using it, before attempting to conduct a business meeting.

I'm the Presenter and I don't see the Toolbar to start Desktop Sharing
Check to see if it is minimized - if you can't find it, that means you started a Slide Show Meeting. You need to close this meeting, log in via the Launcher and follow the prompts for Desktop Sharing.

Billing Questions

If I need additional services above and beyond my regular subscription (special events, custom training, premium support, etc.), how will I be billed?
You will be billed based on the posted rates - HOWEVER, a ClearMeeting™ Rep will first obtain your verbal authorization for any additional charge up to $100, and your written authorization (email, fax or mail) for any charges over $100.

What does ClearMeeting™ mean by "No Hidden Charges"?
We mean No Hidden Charges, Period. When you sign up for a particular capacity and corresponding price level - YOUR BILL WILL NEVER BE MORE, UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZE THE INCREASE IN ADVANCE. We don't charge "overage fees" or "bucket breaker" fees. If you exceed your capacity beyond certain thresholds, we will contact you to request that you either increase your subscription level or be subject to a hard cap on your capacity.

How can I increase or decrease my capacity for my month-to-month subscription?
Simply email sales@ClearMeeting.com or contact your Personal Rep.

How can I increase my capacity for a 10-Month prepaid subscription?
Simply email sales@ClearMeeting.com or contact your Personal Rep. You may decrease the usage of your 10-Month prepaid subscription, however that will not generate a refund or credit for you.

May I cancel my 10-Month prepaid subscription and receive a refund?
No, ClearMeeting™ is a pre-paid service, and to provide the great values that we offer, we do not give refunds on prepaid subscriptions. Please purchase a month-to-month subscription if you are uncertain of whether ClearMeeting™ will meet your needs.

How do I change the credit card or billing information on my account?
Please email info@ClearMeeting.com if you have more questions, or contact your friendly Personal Rep.

Will I receive a receipt for my transaction?
Upon request, you will receive an email receipt for your transaction. Otherwise, your credit card transaction record is your proof of purchase.

Do you keep my credit card on file?
No, for your protection we don't keep your credit card on file, although we do keep some partial data such as the last 4 digits. If you sign up for a recurring month-to-month purchase, your credit card information is conveyed to our credit card processing company to establish the recurring transaction, however we do not maintain all of the card information in our databases. So, if you make additional purchases, we will ask you to re-enter your credit card information.

How do I cancel my paid monthly subscription?
Simply email sales@ClearMeeting.com or contact your Personal Rep.

Will I be charged anything for my subscription after I cancel it?
If you cancel by the 20th day of any month, you will not be charged for the next month. If you cancel on the 21st day through the last day of the month, you will be charged for one additional month. Subscriptions are a prepaid service, so we do not offer credits for unused services.

What happens when my 10-Month prepaid subscription expires?
If you purchase a 10-Month prepaid subscription, at expiration it will automatically be converted to a month-to-month subscription unless you either renew for a longer term or cancel. This prevents any interruption to your service, and saves your meeting data in ClearMeeting™.

Who can help me answer any other billing questions?
Please email info@ClearMeeting.com?SUBJECT=ClearMeeting: Account Inquiry if you have more questions, or contact your friendly Personal Rep.


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