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May 1, 2009

DimDim – Full Featured Web Conferencing for Less

ss-dimdim

By no means is DimDim the only web conferencing app around. In fact, it’s one of many and a new kid on the block. What separates DimDim is unlike other web conferencing apps, users don’t need a conference call number to access the conference. If a visitor has a microphone, as most computers do, any user can correspond with other members of the web conference.

Through DimDim, users can share whiteboards, computer desktops, PowerPoint presentations, and other files. The whiteboard feature allows for multi-page, instant collaboration. What makes DimDim highly competitive with other conference apps is that it is free to use and there’s no additional software to download unless you are using the screen sharing feature. It is also open source, which means that companies can integrate DimDim into their existing infrastructure.

For small businesses, these elements are key, as they’ll cut down on travel and communication expenses, while still offering a full-featured web conferencing app. One of the marks against other conference apps is that they’re priced for corporate accounts, and DimDim is affordable for those on a tighter budget, without necessarily sacrificing functionality.

Practical Uses:

  • Record your monthly international sales meetings
  • Share your screen with your techie nephew so he can fix your most recent computer malfunction
  • Share video, audio, and text in real time to your students
  • Cut down on travel time by effectively collaborating online in real-time

Insider Tips:

  • Make sure your computer is connected to a consistently-fast internet connection
  • Invite people ahead of time using an independent email client, as the invite system in DimDim is a bit clunky and doesn’t always work
  • Go Pro if the free version does not have enough functionality – the pro version has improved audio/video quality and is significantly cheaper than WebEx

What we liked:

  • It’s free and open source
  • It’s full featured: able to share audio, video, whiteboard, PowerPoint docs, and more
  • No additional software necessary
  • No conference call in number necessary, saving you long distance costs

What we didn’t like:

  • Can be slow-moving even with fast connections – especially when using PowerPoint. Really, this might overshadow everything else, because at times it’s unusable
  • Not entirely user-friendly, though the site boasts about how much easier to use it is than other apps
  • Limited functionality for free accounts – such as poorer video quality

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: 2007
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Methuen, MA
  • Founded by: DD Ganguly, Jayant Pandit, Saurav Mohapatra, Sundar Subramanian, and Rohit Shankar
  • Web site: http://www.dimdim.com

Costs:

  • Free or $19/month for a Pro account

Comments

  1. May 8, 2009

    Reply
    Kevin Micalizzi, Dimdim Web Conferencing

    Henry-

    Thanks for reviewing Dimdim (and for the 4 out of 5 rating). Let me know what you think we can improve, especially on making Dimdim more “user friendly.” Almost all of the updates that went into Dimdim version 5 were based on customer requests/suggestions. We’re always looking to improve.

    Thanks!

    -k
    Kevin Micalizzi, Community Manager
    Dimdim Web Conferencing
    e: kevin@dimdim.com
    twitter: @dimdim
    facebook: dimdim.com/facebook

    Experience the Dimdim Live Webinar! Register at:
    http://www.dimdim.com/aboutus/events.html

  2. October 17, 2009

    Reply
    big brother

    Thank you very much for sharing your insight regarding on DIM DIM, this would help the manufacturer improve their product and as a user, we have an insight of what the product is made of, again thank you

  3. February 16, 2014

    Reply
    Kevin Douglas

    You can even try RHUB web conferencing appliance as an alternative to DimDim. It’s more economical as it is only onetime cost and has more features.

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