GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, and GoToTraining have started rolling out a new release (v7.22.1, build 5530). Along with the usual and expected bug fixes and small enhancements, the most prominent upgrade is a change to audio selection. Participants will be able to choose between telephone and computer audio before entering a session (Windows users could already do this, but it's a new capability for Mac). If you select computer audio, you are immediately directed to a menu to select and test your input and output devices.
If you select telephone audio, you get your dial-in codes and an optional country selector for local numbers.
That should help to reduce confusion for first-time users. I find that web conference participants often have difficulties in finding the proper audio settings and getting their speakers, headsets, or microphones hooked up and operational in whatever conferencing software is in use. Things are even worse for products that rely on Adobe Flash or WebRTC to negotiate the local hardware/software interface, as those platforms insert their own authorization and settings windows outside of the conferencing vendor's control. GoTo products get to avoid that step, as the software runs as a locally downloaded and installed application.
I see in the release notes that GoToWebinar and GoToTraining operate slightly differently from GoToMeeting for first-time users. GoToMeeting newbies will see the audio selection screen, while GoToWebinar and GoToTraining newbies get computer audio assigned and are taken directly to the hardware selection and setup options. They can choose to switch to telephone audio as an alternative.
I'm happy to see additional thought and development efforts being spent on simplifying the conference joining experience. This can be a frustrating step in webinars and web meetings for hosts and participants alike.
