White board sharing is a fantastic tool. If you are not already using conference software then I suggest you take a serious look as the tools and functions which come with it are incredible. In this example I am using GVO Conference.

What is white board sharing. White board sharing is a tool which comes with most online video conferencing packages. When you register for your conference solution, simply check what functions it has on signup. A good package will offer a range including things such as desktop sharing, file sharing, white board sharing, PowerPoint sharing, video sharing, browser sharing, full way video, full way multiple chat, record function, and more.

White board sharing enables you to run a conference using a white screen and drawing tools. This is replicating that of an ordinary white board which you use with a marker pen. We have all seen and most have used a white board before, in fact it is still widely used in small office meetings to help explain and draw out examples.

With video conferencing software the white board function acts in a similar fashion to that of the regular offline white board. Once the white board tool is open you have access to a range of tools such as pen, draw, graphs, pie chart, write, and more.

Because video conferencing software enables audio and all attendees can hear you, you are able to use this online white board in the same way you would as an offline traditional whiteboard. I think the tools are self explanatory but here is a brief run down.

The pen tool, also known as draw enables you to write directly to the white board. This is a commonly used tool as it feels very simple to use. While you engage with your audience you can use the pen tool to jot down, draw, and scribble away. It feels very natural to be drawing examples to help you explain. In fact many prefer to run the whole conference with this tool alone. You can use this same tool to write but you usually have a write tool for this purpose. The write tool is much neater, in fact it should be called type, because this is exactly what it is. If you could imagine drawing a couple of diagrams with the pen tool which you want to label, well, this is where you would switch to the write tool. At the click of a button you can label your work. This is very simple to use also.

The pen and write tool work fantastic together and really help to perform a very streamlined informative conference. It is great interaction and really engages with the audience.

The extra tools are also self explanatory. Graphs, shapes and pie charts can also all be done at the click of a button. Simple toggle on the tool you require, such as pie chart, and then place it on the white board, select how many segments, colours, labels, percentages.

I hope this article has given you a great example of the online video conferencing white board function. As you can see it is very simple to use and is also really effective.