Video Conferencing Platforms

1. Jitsi Meetings
2. Zoom
3. Google Hangout
4. Microsoft Meet
5. Cisco Webex Meetings

1. Jitsi Meetings

Features

• Host up to 100 participants
•  Audio/Video Recording
•  Call Conferencing
•  Call Recording
•  Chat/Messaging
•  Live Chat
• Play youtube videos
•  Presentation Streaming
•  Private Chat
•  Remote Access/Control
•  Reporting & Statistics
•  Screen Sharing
•  Third Party Integrations

•  Two-Way Audio & Video
•  Video Call Recording
•  Video Conferencing
•  Video Streaming

Prons

• Screen Sharing
• Presentations
• Whiteboarding
• Unlimited meetings
• Real-time polls
• Recording
• One-Click Join

Cons

• Sending files via chat is not supported by default

2. Zoom

Features

• Host up to 100 participants
• 1-1 and group meetings
• Unlimited meetings
• HD video and audio
• Screen sharing
• Scheduled meetings
• Private and group chat
• Host controls

Prons

• Widely-used
• Multi-user screen sharing
• 720p HD video
• Private chat

Cons

• 40-minute meeting limit for free users

3. Google Hangout

Features

• Up to 25 video participants
• Video, audio, and messenger
• Conversations
• Video meeting recordings
• Join calls using Google Calendar
• Screen sharing

Prons

• HD video
• Screen sharing
• Document sharing

Cons

• You need a Gmail account to join video conferences

4. Microsoft Meet

Features

• Host up to 100 participants
• 1-1 and group meetings
• Unlimited meetings
• HD video and audio
• Screen sharing
• Scheduled meetings
• Private and group chat
• Host controls

Prons

• 700+ integration to choose from
• Constant introduction of new features
• The free version doesn’t limit your chat history
• Office 365 compatibility for Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint
• 2GB cloud storage for each user
• Guest access

Cons

• You’ll need a Microsoft 365 plan if you want to host a conference with more than 100 participants

5. Cisco Webex Meetings

Features

• Host up to 100 participants
• 1-1 and group meetings
• Unlimited meetings
• HD video and audio
• Screen sharing
• Scheduled meetings
• Private and group chat
• Host controls

Prons

• 1 GB storage
• Up to 50 participants
• Active speaker view
• Real-time polls
• Calendar integrations
• Full encryption on meetings and recordings
• HD video
• Screen sharing

Cons

• 40-minute time limit on the free plan

The post 5 Free Best Video Conferencing Software Platforms for 2022 first appeared on ECO Design Studio.

The advent of social media platforms and online dating websites allows people to make connections with others at great distances—possibilities grandma would have never dreamed of. But with these convenient romantic outlets have also come scams and frauds—something grandma didn’t have to worry about.

Now you have to worry about being catfished.

Catfishing, Coronavirus, and Cybercrime, oh my, with Tyler Cohen Wood
What Does it Mean to be “Catfished”?

Quite simply, you have been catfished when you have been interacting with a real person who created a fake persona online, whether through social media or dating websites, to form relationships with other people and this imposters flourish not because people are gullible, but also because people can be kind, or trusting, or simply don’t want to give up on honesty.

The term, made popular by the 2010 documentary Catfish, can be applied to people with any number of reasons for creating false profiles.

Some catfishing may be no more than an attempt from a lonely person to find things they are missing in real life: romance, excitement, an emotional thrill. But instead of being open about who they are, they hide behind a persona.

In these cases, their victims—the unsuspecting people they interact with and deceive—usually end up feeling a sense of betrayal, embarrassment, or having been robbed of countless hours investing in a false relationship.

Other catfishing attempts can take their deception to the next level.

When Catfish Bite

Many who have been catfished had experiences that turned into serious financial scams, with some having lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to a person they trusted, but never even met.

In a worst-case scenario, a person may be catfished only to become a victim of sexual assault or murder.

Here are eight signs that you are being catfished and tips on what to do to protect yourself.

Countless stories from those who have been catfished can be found online, and while the circumstances may all be different, the warning signs are consistently familiar.

The relationship progresses quickly.
Most catfishing stories you read will reveal just how strong and quickly a person will come-on to their potential victims. If within the first few exchanges the person seems to be pushing the relationship forward at a rapid pace without having even met you, you are most likely being catfished.

• They never want to show their face.
  If they seem serious, but strictly want to keep to written communication or phone calls (or, similarly, they frequently discuss meeting in-person but repeatedly have circumstances pop up to prevent them from doing so), there is a good chance they are hiding their true identity.

Tip: If you both seem truly interested, request an interaction within the first week that would show their face (anything like Skype or Facetime works if they live far). If they refuse, have recurring excuses, or never respond, delete the connection and be glad you saved yourself time and pain.

• Social media usage is sparse.
  Having a social media account these days doesn’t guarantee someone’s identity. If their accounts show few friends and fewer posts (being tagged in friend’s pictures is most helpful in this investigation), they might be a catfish.
• They ask for money.
  Everyone now and then needs a helping hand, but typically it should be from close family or friends that help is requested—someone you have known for a long time. If someone online has romanced you (remember that you’ve never met in person!) and is asking for funds to be sent to them or a “friend,” take this as a major red flag.

Tip: Never give large or repeated sums of money to a person online that you’ve never met in-person and don’t have history with. Also never give out your bank account information!!!

• They seem too good to be true.
  You know the old adage: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Does every picture look perfectly modeled and flawless? Are their interests broad enough to match with almost anybody? Take these as warning signs and proceed with caution—they may be a catfish.
• Their “job” sends them around the world.
  Not everyone who travels for a living is a con artist, but if the person you met online has a “job” that causes them to travel often (particularly to places like Africa or the Middle East), make a mental note. This may be an excuse for them to never be available for communication where they’d have to show their face, and often money is requested by those who claim to be stuck in a foreign country.
• Proper grammar is lacking.
  If they claim to be from an English-speaking country but there’s evidence that they have little command of the language, don’t be afraid to ask more questions. When it seems like you might be on to them, a catfish will typically end communication and look for someone else to scam.
• They have elaborate stories.
  Whether they are trying to gain your pity or your money, catfishers know how to pull on emotional heartstrings. Tales of childhood trauma shared early on with a stranger should indicate that they are trying to create quick emotional connection. Similarly, catfishers usually have grand explanations for why they can’t Skype yet again, or even why they need an emergency monetary transfer. Beware of someone online with this habit.
  It’s Always Fishing Season

In this day of online everything, we make personal and business connections routinely based solely on online photos and messages. It’s not a bad idea to progress slowly.

If you or someone you know might be developing a relationship online, and any one of these catfishing red flags have been raised, do something!

If you want to be sure, there are services such as socialcatfish.com for people who think they are being catfished. The service can do some investigating and determine the validity of a person’s social media profiles.

What they find out will either put you at ease or put you on alert.

Like anything in life, it’s better to be safe than sorry.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post 8 Signs You Are Being Catfished first appeared on ECO Design Studio.

The next step is to find a web hosting provider, but how do you evaluate web hosting, and then make a choice on which provider to pay your hard earned money too?

Choosing the correct host for your company’s needs is a very important step, if not the most important step when taking your business online. The host you choose is responsible for placing your website online, and keeping it there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is nothing worse for a business to have a website that is not accessible by your customers, if your site is not online it has the potential to cost you a sale, and also sales in the future, if a prospective customer attempts to go to your website only to find it offline, the chances of that customer ever returning again are very slim.

Ok, so what should I look for in a web host?

There are several factors that you will need to evaluate before making your short list of hosting providers, below I will outline the most important aspects that you will need to cover.

1. Firstly you will need to evaluate the requirements of your website. Will you need shopping cart facilities, what type of content will your website be providing, what methods of payment will you offer, you will also need to think in to the future as well, will you need the ability to expand the site, taking a business online is a very big step and should be a long term step as well so you will need to think long term with your planning. Write a short list of what your website will require to properly function.
Details you will need to account for.
Disk space and bandwidth. Disk space refers to the amount of storage your web host will provide you to store your website. You will need to account for the current size of your website now, and also allow for what disk space you will require in the future as your website grows.
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data (pages, files) served from your website to your customers, if your website will be subject to high traffic, you will need to take the amount of bandwidth the host provides.

Also you will need to check what programming languages your website will require, languages such as PHP, Perl/CGI, JSP, Cold Fusion and ASP may be used on your website to perform certain functions, and your chosen web host will need to support the programming languages that your site requires.

Now that you have a list of your requirements, it is time to narrow down your list of providers that support all the features required.

2. Contact each of the hosts you have on your list, confirming what they offer and if it meets your requirements, also ask for a list of references you can contact, some of the best information about a web host can be gleaned from its customers, the question you should ask an existing customer is; “how reliable is the host?”. This question is the most important; it refers to two things, reliability of their hosting when it comes to serving of your website, and also refers to reliability of their mail system. Reliability of their mail system is just as important as serving of your website.

3. Technical support, test it out, call the web hosts technical support line at various times of the day and check how long it takes to get through to support staff, also send technical support an email to test how long it takes to receive a response. If you are on hold for 30 minutes waiting to talk to support about a problem with your website, that is 30 minutes that your site is offline, and also 30 minutes of your own time wasted with which you could be performing more productive jobs.
Finally you should choose a host that meets your expectations and with whom you feel comfortable with, approach choosing a web host the same way you would any other major business decision, because after all it is your money paying for the service.

Source: http://plrplr.com/90090/finding-the-best-host-for-your-company-s-needs-2/

The post Finding The Best Host For Your Company Site Needs first appeared on ECO Design Studio.