Conference Calls A Conference Call is a telephone call in which the calling party wishes to have more
than one called party listen in to the audio portion of the call. The
conference calls may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call, or the call may be set up so that the calling party calls the other participants and adds them to the call. In most cases, the participants are able call into the
conference call themselves. In some cases the called party merely listens into the call and cannot speak. Businesses use conference calls daily to meet with remote parties, both internally and outside of their company. Common applications are client meetings or sales presentations, project meetings and updates, regular team meetings, training classes and communication to employees who work in different locations.
Conference calling is viewed as a primary means of cutting travel costs and allowing workers to be more productive by not having to go out-of-office for meetings. Conference calls are increasingly used in conjunction with web conferences, where presentations or documents are shared via the internet.
Conference calls are also beginning to cross over into the world of podcasting and social networking, which in turn fosters new kinds of interaction patterns. Live streaming or broadcasting of conference calls allows a larger audience access to the call without dialing in to a bridge. In addition, organizers of conference calls can publish a dial-in number alongside the audio stream, creating potential for audience members to dial in if and when they wish to interact.