Facebook Get’s Free Conference Calling

iotum Launches Facebook’s First Conference Calling Application

Alright, I am not going to lie. I am just a little bitter about this application. No, I am not bitter because they stole my idea. I am biter because the man who “discovered” my VoIP blogging, pal and iotum CEO Alec Saunders, forgot to inform me of the launch of this awesome Facebook application. I will put my feelings aside for now and let you know a little bit more about iotum’s free conference calling application for Facebook.

Free Conference Calls Offers More Then Just A Phone Call

There are many other VoIP applications for Facebook. The problem with them, however, is all of them do the same thing. What is special about iotum’s free conference calling application is that it allows for PIN-less dial in using your mobile phone number as your personal identifier and also offers full Facebook integration, allowing for participants to discuss the agenda, RSVP,as well as see in real-time who has already joined the call and who left. If this is not enough, the iotum free conference calling application allows you to view your past conference calls and also join “public” conference calls.

According to Alec, the application has four major “selling points”:

1. The conferencing application feels nearly identical to the Facebook Events application. Our goal was to model a conference call exactly like an event, except that it takes place over the telephone. By integrating with the Facebook portal in this way, conferencing becomes a natural extension of Facebook, rather than a separate application.
2. To make conferencing easier to use (after all, who hasn’t scrambled looking for a dial-in number and PIN), iotum is planning to send you the dial in number by text message before the call (this feature will be implemented in the next couple of days), and we use your mobile phone number as your personal identifier. In fact, if you’re calling from your mobile line, our software simply uses your caller ID to validate you and puts you automatically into right conference room. And there is an added benefit. In 60% of calls today, at least one person is missing. Often, it’s simple forgetfulness. Our text message acts as a reminder.
3. The application also takes advantage of the Facebook integration to allow you to post an agenda, and see who is already on the bridge (a bit of AJAXy magic we did allows that to be refreshed without you having to reload the page…). In future, we’ll do more Facebook integration, with features like a wall to allow notes to be captured, and recordings and documents to be posted. Plus, we’ll add more features allowing for live interaction with users, based on the AJAX work we’ve done.
4. You can operate the conferencing service in two ways – either as a standard scheduled call, or an unscheduled “instant” call. We think instant calls have the potential to change how people use conferencing, and make it much more useful for quick ad-hoc calls to arrange an activity amongst multiple people, or to manage unexpected events and crises.

If This Is Not The Business Application You Were Looking For!

I have been critical in the past of the lack of business Facebook applications, but this application sets the bar for business Facebook applications. What amazes me is the amount of features and functionality that you get from this application (for free) that you do not get with stand-alone free services. If you have not already done so, check-out the iotum free conference calling Facebook application here.

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