Sir,
Due to the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown, there has been an upsurge use of virtual platforms to conduct classes, seminars, webinars, and continued medical education programs (CMEs). These platforms have also been used in every field like cooking classes, yoga classes, fitness, schools, colleges, and businesses. The virtual meeting platforms are also used in surgical fields as well to spread knowledge and science. The virtual platforms have an option of presenting a screen and thereby sharing the PowerPoint presentation. There is a two-way interaction with the audiences happening in real time.
Here, we have various reputed company platforms like Google Meet, [1] Zoom, [2] Microsoft Teams, [3] Cisco Webex, [4] GoToMeeting, [5] YouTube, and Facebook. Platforms like YouTube and Facebook can be used for streaming to the audience and have a one-way video interaction. In these two platforms, the questions can be asked through the comments sections. The other platforms like Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and GoToMeeting have a two-way discussion with many participants. Most of the platforms need high-speed internet connectivity preferably 4G connections.
Table 1 shows the comparison of the various platforms.
Table 1.
Comparing various platforms of virtual platforms
| Google Meet [1] | Zoom [2] | Microsoft Teams [3] | Cisco Webex [4] | GoToMeeting [5] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maxium participants | 250 | 1000 (paid version) | 250 | 200 | 250 |
| Separate app in mobile | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Laptop | Chrome browser | Software | Software | Software | Software |
| User friendly | Easy | Easy | Difficult | Moderate | Easy |
| Recording option | Yes in paid version | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stream to YouTube | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Subscription price | Free and paid in G-Suite | Rs: 1138 [15.5$] | Rs: 380 [13.5$] | Rs: 1024 [13.5$] | Rs: 910 [12$] |
All the features mentioned are as of May 15, 2020. It may change with time.
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Conflict of Interest
The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.
Footnotes
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References
- 1.https://apps.google.com/meet/ Accessed 15 June 2020
- 2.www.zoom.us Accessed 15 June 2020
- 3.https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software Accessed 15 June 2020
- 4.https://www.webex.com/ Accessed 15 June 2020
- 5.https://www.gotomeeting.com/en-in Accessed 15 June 2020