At last there's hope that Web conferencing can bring conviviality to a universe of billboards, marketplaces, and manifestos. In late 1994, the Þrst generation of Web conferencing software, on PathÞnder and HotWired, proved that it was possible to engineer group conversations on the Web. It also showed that Web servers, bandwidth, and sophistication of the user interface had a long way to go.
In early 1996, a new generation of Web conferencing software emerged. So far, two packages stand out.
I've been using Motet for several months to participate in discussions on Café Utne and The Gate. Motet is extremely fast, at least with a small message base, and it has a conference and topic list structure that makes it easy for online habitués. HTML is deliberately not allowed in messages, except for URLs, so conversations don't get clogged up with huge inline GIFs.
I've also been experimenting with Web Crossing in a private conference with a group of college students. Web Crossing has a different interface, which displays a "tree" of embedded topics and conversations instead of a linear format at the top of every page. This makes it easier to move around the entire web of conversations, and to know where you are. But overall I'm not in love with branching. It diffuses conversations into small subgroups and doesn't foster a larger sense of community discussion.
Both Motet and Web Crossing do the job. For the Þrst time, it's possible to sustain a group conversation, using links and inline graphics, without waiting forever for pages to serve. The Web lowers the barriers to multimedia publishing worldwide, giving individuals and small organizations global reach. But email and Usenet are still the social life of the Net. Motet and Web Crossing are promising signs for a greater Web future.
Motet: go to www.utne.com/ and register for Café Utne. Web Crossing: www.lundeen.com/.
STREET CRED
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