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Redefining Skype: the search for a multiparty video conferencing tool – discovering MeBeam
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Last week, I set out on a mission to find a solution that would enable multiparty video conferencing in order to be able to talk and see my old friends at the same time. Gone are the days when we could walk down the stairs and say hello. As the years have passed, we grew up, some stayed, some moved away. Now, thousands of miles separate us.
As most of you know Skype allows for one on one video conferencing and audio conferencing for up to 5 parties. While, one on one video conferencing is great, multiparty conference call proves to be boring and the conversation dries up after a little while.
I wasn’t looking for anything robust, such as Microsoft’s Live Meeting business video conferencing solution, but more of a simple multi-party video. Low and behold I stumbled upon, www.mebeam.com. The site, based in the Sydney, Australia, enables you to create your own room, name it, and send a link to your friends. You friends are then able to enter the room and using a Flash see each other faces via webcam. The capacity is 18 people. The site is video only so your audio conference call is still through Skype.
Upon further inspection of the application, I discovered a button called Random Room (top right hand corner of your conference). The button teleported my curious friends and me to random rooms where grim faced men were doing inappropriate things to themselves. My dear readers, beware, under no circumstances should you venture into rooms you did not create! You do not want to see what people do on the internet! This behavior, which is in clear violation of the MeBeam terms of service, appears to be common practice as we raced from room to room.
After conducting further research on the tool, I discovered that companies use MeBeam to host mini-conferences, while others for pornography. What is the response from MeBeam as well as the company’s goals and dreams: “As Mebeam is still in beta phase and under heavy development, we will learn from the things we experience and Ashod (Apakian, creator of MeBeam) will take measures… Ashod … (is) working hard to get things the way it should be. If you are talking about the current state of Mebeam: you are right (business conferencing and pornography), but the current state is a process in development and Ashod will find a way to get things under control.”
Overall, this appears to be the only tool of its kind and is offered for free. The application proves to be useful, but please proceed with caution, and under no circumstances let your children use the tool while the content is not monitored.
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