Every so often, we get interesting screen shots from our users, showing how they’ve been using Fuze Meeting. For the past few weeks, one of our demo guys, Larry has been out of the office. Eventually, we got news that he’s really done a number on his clavicle, more specifically, shattered it into a jillion little pieces doing kung fu (not even kidding you).
So, to answer our questions – sweet Larry very simply sent us all 2 Fuze screen shots of why he’s not been seen in the office lately. (They’re sort of tiny here – if you click on them you can see them in their own window).

Before

After

Ouch!

Unfortunately for Larry (or fortunately?) he does demos for a kick-butt web conferencing company, so he’s totally able to work from home while he recovers.
Feel better Larry, and be more careful next time you decide to become a ninja.

(And to our readers – please note, while Fuze Meeting is beautifully high def…screen shots are not)

Our very own Community Manager (me) was recently inerviewed by a website called FreeCallsto.com. The site was created to share all the cheap and sometimes free (! Did you say free !) ways to stay connected with people across the globe. They write about ways to call internationally for free as well as VOIP, web conferencing, internet fax, calling cards, and any other type of product that helps you stay connected worldwide without breaking the bank. Isn’t that nice of them?!?!

The Interview:

I had a great opportunity to do an Interview with Kristen Isaacs, PR/Community Manager for Fuze Box and learn about the exciting web conferencing software the company provides. Check it out:

What exactly is Fuze Meeting?

Fuze Meeting is a browser based web conferencing software. It allows meeting attendees from all over the world to host or attend an online meeting and share/view content and desktops – just like if you were all in a big conference room, but without the hassle (and expense) of travel.

What are the benefits that users will get from your product?

Well, there are the obvious benefits to online meetings – real time communication, fast paced synergy, huge savings and the like. Specifically Fuze Meeting stands out among competitors because

• Fuze Meeting is browser based – meaning attendees don’t have to download a plug-in to attend a meeting – that’s a big hit with training and sales teams.  One click and you’re in!
• It’s really easy to use. There’s no disclaimer ‘well, once you get used to it and know where to click.’ We went through a TON of user testing to make sure the meeting process was intuitive.
• It handles all typs of rich media really well with a focus on high resolution images and videos – this is a favorite feature of creative and healthcare professionals who have to present intricate images/videos with tiny (and important!) detail.  Plus, you can mark up all content.
• We’re cheaper than the big guys. This (of course!) makes us especially popular with small businesses.

Is it mainly for business or for consumer as well?

Anyone who has a need to collaborate online would benefit from web conferencing in general. Currently, most of our customers are businesses or freelancers, but we’re seeing growing numbers among students as well.

What do you see in the future of VOIP?

As a business, we’re betting on VOIP increasing in usage, especially in the business sector.  Currently 5-10% of users Skype on our meetings, and we’re seeing this trend increase. With our upcoming releases, we’re integrating it further into our software and are embedding VOIP into our upcoming iPad app.

Fuze Meeting’s parent company is Fuze Box. What else does Fuze Box do?

Fuze Box is a leading platform provider of visual collaboration applications for consumers and businesses so we’ve designed our products to fall under that umbrella.

Fuze Messenger integrates all your IM accounts them through a single interface on your iPhone or BlackBerry. It’s similar to Meebo, but Fuze Meeting is the only free app that allows you to integrate OCS (Micosoft’s Office Communicator).

Fuze Movie is a real time review and approval collaboration tool for remote film or video professionals.

Tweetshare is the baby of the bunch but one we’re excited about.   It is Fuze Box’s first foray into Twitter APIs. It’s a third party Twitter service that allows Tweeters to immediately publish any type of content to the web, including HD video, presentations, images and start and monitor twitter threads around their content. It also brings Fan Pages to the Twitter community with branded pages.