Unlike the forward looking internet based online conferencing providers like WebEx and GoToMeeting, Microsoft have gone for a traditional client server approach. What this means is that rather than  setting up meetings from any computer connected to the internet in your web browser, with Microsoft Live Meeting you need to download and install a large piece of software. However, the counter balance to this lack of portability is that Live Meeting is feature packed and there is a web only version available for those who havent installed the client.

When a participant joins your meeting they are given the choice to either download the client or run the Live Meeting Web Access client (requiring no install). The web client has the basic features (such as online chat, presentation windows) but lacks the support for webcams and VoIP (voice over the internet).

Microsoft offer a range of methods for running live meeting. With Live Meeting Online Microsoft take care of the server for you, providing Live Meeting as a service. If you are a larger company that requires more customisation or in house meetings, you can buy a license to run your own Net Meeting server. There are add ins to enable you to schedule meetings within Outlook, email and MSN.

Unless you are setting up your own server installing  Live Meeting is very simple. Simply download the Live Meeting 2007 Client and run the install wizard, then if you want to host meetings sign up on the site to get an account. Once you have created an account you can send invites.
Once actually participating in a meeting the simple user interface makes finding actions very easy. Microsoft spend alot of time considering user interface design, and Live Meeting is no exception.

There are some complications in setting up more intricate parts of the meeting, such as setting webcam securities and installing drivers.

Another impressive feature is the live meeting recording of meetings. Unlike some conferencing packages (such as WebEx MeetMeNow) the recording features are included by default and attendees can be given permission by the host to record them meeting to. The meetings can than be played back in a number of supported formats.

Microsoft also bring in some of their other contenders into Live Meeting. For example, the new Windows search which is at the heart of Windows Vista allows users to search through archives of past meetings for content. Combined with full duplex VoIP and multiple web cam views Live Meeting is feature packed, however I did notice it suffered in terms of reliability. In particular, they were timeouts which resulted in pauses in the meetings. This may have due to my end of the connection, however I didn’t encounter these problems with WebEx MeetMeNow and GoToMeeting.