I want to start doing a lot more with teleconferences, and was wondering if anyone has first-had experience with excellent bridge providers?

For many, this free (up to 100 person) one sounds ok (is it? pros/cons?):

Free Conference Call - Free Conference Call Services

And there's other commercial ones like:

Bridge Line Rental | Telephone Conference as well.

Any other suggestions?


Ken

Ken,

I use Free Conference Call on a fairly regular basis. And overall I am pleased with them.

The main Pros are:

• It's free.
• Recordings are only $10.
• You can have up to 99 callers (you count as one yourself for the 100 caller limit.)
• The call quality is pretty good. (Low line noise.)
• No need to pre-schedule.

Cons:

• It's free. (For me this is as much of a con as it is a pro... I usually prefer paying for things. That way I know that I can hold them accountable for availability and service.)
• When your participants call in they hear a "Free Conf. Call" branded message.
• While it's never happened to me. I think their TOS says that they can't guarantee lives will be available during high usage times. So if there is a larger paid call that needs the lines, you may not be able to use all 100.
• I did have problems on one call with the recording function not working properly. So if you are counting on having the recording (such as creating an audio product), you may want to have a back-up recording source.

I have never personally used Rent-a-Bridge, but I do have a coaching client who has used them for a couple of years (he has a monthly lease line through them) and he swears by them. (I think this is the one Michel uses too.)

On a few occasions I have used Conference call services - Free conference calls, Conference calling but I can't wholeheartedly recommend them due to excess noise on the lines (at least the few times I tried them.)

I know that Alex Mandosian and Tom Antion use VoiceText: VoiceText.com - Teleconference, audioconference, webconference

Unfortunately, I have yet to find an ideal provider for one-time large calls.

So far I have not done enough large calls to justify leasing a 600 caller line on a monthly basis.

Eric

PS - If you find one that allows you to do a one-time 600 or so participant call without a monthly rental let me know. I'm still looking myself.

Ken,

I don't recommend Free Conference Call for any teleseminar for which you are charging money. They don't have good tech support, the quality is not reliable and it gives a very bad impression to attendees that you are using a free service.

I recommend Voice Text (www.voicetext.com). I never had any technical problems on a call with them in more than 2 years. They're a little more expensive than some other services, but remember, you get what you pay for.

Regards,
Marcia Yudkin

I've been using Free Audio Conferencing - Free Reservationless Conference Calling Service for some time. I pay $49/mo for unlimited mp3 downloads.

And no "branded" message at the front of the calls...

my 2 cents!

thanks very much to everyone for your terrific suggestions; I'll check out all the vendors and test them individually, to see which is best... I have many niche lists I can use for testing..

re mp3 recording, I just use the "beat" recorder to tap the phone line, which then plugs into the pc via usb port for instant mp3..

ken

Ken,

Mind providing a link for this? I tried googling and couldn't find it.

FYI: On EVERY recording, I run the conference call service's recording option PLUS a back-up on my RCA 64 M - ModelRP5030A.

I would NEVER trust only one record source!

That RCA gadget is simply a small voice recorder -- but what I like is the "flash" memory... which means it records directly into MP3 format onto flash memory and the files can be copied over just like files from your digital camera or "flash drive."

Good quality. 4.25 hours in high... up to 13 hours in lower quality.

This is also what I strap on when I speak live. I plug a simple wired clip-on mic and I'm off and running.

I could -- if I wanted to -- go back to my hotel room, dump the file, add a little music intro and exit, and have a product from each live presentation.

I use FreeAudio Conferencing too. I haven't been too impressed with the recordings, though. The hiss is too loud. I just pay $10 whenever I download a MP3, and $99/month for up to 250 lines.

JP, Where can I pick up that RCA recorder you have? That sounds like just what I need for a backup recording.

John

It's a local store... don't know if you have one where you live... WAL-MART!

Seriously, I've tested and owned several of these... and this one is clearly the best I've ever used.

BTW: I hear you can use an IPOD to record in MP3 if you get a little gadget to hook onto it.

Product Detail

thx to Dr Mike Woo-Ming, he's the guy who told me about it.. works great..
also be sure to find an ac adaptor somewhere, as it eats batteries..

there's a kit somewhere I bought that has that in it, along with a phone tap.. that's what you need..

ken

They have the telephone kit here:
Product Detail

But I couldn't find the AC adapter...

Wish I would have talked to you before I dumped $399 on my EDIROL R-09.
Don't get me wrong... It's a great recorder. But I feel like a bit of a chump for "overspending" when it looks like Ken's EVR-500 would have done the job for a whole lot less.

Live and learn...

Eric