What is Web Conferencing Service Provided?

It is a commercial web conferencing service called CISCO WebEX (or WebEX). This new service is arranged and supported by the Computing Services Centre (CSC) and is now available for application.

As one of the leading applications in the market for holding online meetings (“web conference”), it is an interactive two-way video and voice communication application running on a desktop computer. Similar to other web conferencing tools, WebEx has a function to share anything on a presenter’s desktop to its participants, such as a PowerPoint presentation, a Word document or even the whole desktop. This helps a lot for meetings that need to share and show programs and data among members joining the web conference. The following are some of the features that you may find in WebEx:

Features	Description
Inviting participants
Schedule meeting	Schedule a meeting at anytime and inform participants using email invitation.
Create instant meeting	One-click Meeting allows users to start a meeting instantly with a single click.
During meeting
Invite participants when a meeting is started	More participants can be invited even after a meeting is started.
Expel attendee	Unwelcome participants can be expelled from the meeting room.
Transfer mouse and keyboard control	With presenter's permission, other participants are allowed to control the presenter's desktop using the mouse and keyboard.
Sharing selected applications/desktop	For collaborative work, participants can share applications or desktops to others provided that the share options are allowed.
Instantly change presenters	The host or the current presenter can transfer the presenter.
Whiteboard	Similar to a physical whiteboard, the whiteboard in WebEX can be used as a writing and drawing area to facilitate discussion.
Text Chat	There is a text chatting panel in WebEx for communication with other participants by means of typing.
Mute participant	Presenter has the authority to mute any participant in a meeting room whenever it is necessary.
Multiple videos control	Up to 6 participants can be communicated with each others in a video window.
Survey	Questionnaires can be presented and collected using WebEx application.
Recording conference	If the option is allowed, participants can record the conference in their local computer for future use.
Restrict Access	The host or presenter can disallow anyone to enter the meeting room.
Integration
Outlook integration	WebEx can share the MS Outlook's calendar and address book to make meeting schedules and attendee records conveniently.

Who will need it?

As the WebEx offers all functionalities of a regular meeting in an online location, the following users may find WebEx particularly beneficial:

How can you apply for using WebEx and what are the options?

There are two service options centrally provided by the CSC. They are: “Shared Host Option” and “Named Host Option”. Here, we refer a “host” as the organizer of an event (such as meeting, interview, seminar … etc.) who will start a conference session for participants to join. Only the “host” but not the participants require an account to operate.

1) Shared Host Option

Service Aim	This is for meetings with known schedules. One host account is shared by different users at different times.
Registration	Registration through CSC Work Request is required. The service is on a first-come-first-served basis. The requester should register at least ONE WEEK in advance.
Participants	Maximum number of participants in a meeting room is 15.
Charge	Free of charge for academic or administrative use by staff.

2) Named Host Option

Service Aim	This is for frequent meetings and/or no defined schedule. One host account is owned by one user.
Registration	Registration through CSC Work Request is required. The Computing Services Centre will help to purchase the required host account from the supplier. The requester has to give a lead time for purchasing a licence prior to the first meeting.
Participants	Maximum number of participants in a meeting room is 15.
Charge	Around HK$600 (US$75) per host per month (contract period applies) and may vary from time to time.

What is the equipment requirement?

You should have a Pentium 4 (3.0MHz or above) with 1 GHz memory. Basically, you should also need to have a webcam, a microphone and a speaker to enable video and audio options.

Learn More from WebEx Official Sites

User Guide:

https://cityuhk.webex.com/mc0800l/meetingcenter/support/support.do?siteurl=cityuhk&Action=user_guides

Downloads:

https://cityuhk.webex.com/mc0800l/meetingcenter/support/support.do?siteurl=cityuhk&Action=downloads

Live Training:

https://cityuhk.webex.com/mc0800l/meetingcenter/support/training.do?siteurl=cityuhk
(Sign in with a guest account)

FAQ:

https://cityuhk.webex.com/docs/T26L/mc0800l/en_US/support/faq.htm