MSHOW.com Unites WorldWide Webcasting Conferencers.

• Author: LUSKY, MARK
• Position: Brief Article

Move over, videoconferencers! Worldwide webcasting is riding to the rescue. Cost-effective, versatile and adaptable, webcasting a Ia MSHOW.com is equally at home in the boardroom, schoolroom or just about any other room imaginable.

In a world premiere, Denver-based MSHOW.com broadcast Gov. Owens' January State of the State message "live" to roughly 5,000 "interactive registrants," including students in 90 schools.

Any audience member with a question could e-mail it to the guy during the presentation and receive a response later.

Corporate clients, such as 3Com, Lucent Technologies, US West and Merrill Lynch, have MSHOW's full two-way interactive presentation option. Typically, a video camera records the main presenter or moderator, and participants respond either by clicking on an "audio" option, to speak, or an e-mail icon, to write a message. For video linkups, participants need only a simple web camera mounted on their desk and voila -- instant two-way, three-way or more-way video communication.

Of course, video (and sometimes audio) requires more computer capability and bigger bandwidths than e-mail. But, armed with enough megahertz and DSL or a cable modem, you can be among the audio-video elite in no time.

The average 1 1/2 -hour MSHOW presentation, with 80 to 90 people, can run from $5,000 to $50,000, or for as little as $800 to $900, according to MSHOW.com President and COO John Rouse. That's turnkey, starting with the call to inquire about setting up the webcast, right through the show.

The company handles all logistics, graphics as required, and any other special requirements to get the on-line presentation off the ground. A special computer...