[ammjr]

BB have got to improve their customer service. Can't find an answer to a simple question online. BB had a rep call me who knew absolutely nothing about the software. She asked me to call a toll free number for support, where I couldn't speak to someone without a support agreement in place. I'm not even a BBM Meetings user. Why would I have a support agreement? And I can't try the software for free. I have to subscribe for a year at $150 to test it. Here's the deal: I need an audio conference bridge service to conduct conference calls with attendees scattered all over the country and from various different companies. These potential attendees will not have BBM on their devices and may be calling in from ... wait for it ... an office phone! Here's the simple question: Can someone join a BBM Meeting as an audio-only attendee without having BBM installed on a device?

[anon(9208252)]

I'm going to say no, that wouldn't make BBM very secure.

[ammjr]

If the answer is NO, how will BBM Meetings ever compete with other services. It seems it will only be appropriate for internal meetings at companies that have standardized on BBM. For someone conducting meetings with 'strangers' (persons external to their company), and often just a one-time meeting, it would seem rather inconvenient to require that person to download the software to a computer or device in order to join. Can you not join from a land line? Really?

[anon(9208252)]

Well if i had a very secure way of communicating with people , why would i open it up for anyone to be able to hack it, BBM is secure messaging platform so when i'm having meetings within a company or between companies, i don't want just anyone being able to join.

[ammjr]

The point is this: In their marketing materials they position BBM Meetings directly against other popular meeting services - GoToMeeting, Webex, etc. These services allow persons to join as audio attendees and participate over a phone line. If BBM doesn't do this, it will only be a viable option for internal meetings. Participants external to the company, who would not likely have BBM, would not be able to participate. Such persons could be external suppliers, prospects, customers, etc. BBM Meetings will be good only for internal meetings. Now I'll still have to pay for Webex or GoToMeeting for all those meetings where a customer, supplier or prospect will need to attend. Major flaw.

And "not just anyone would join". It would obviously be someone who received a meeting invitation.

[ammjr]

If we're going to "get work done", I'm stumped as to how to run a business that doesn't have customers ... presumably with whom one would need to collaborate from time to time.

[MobileMadness002]

BBM meetings uses BBM as the communications medium. Obviously it requires the use of BBM. Otherwise they could just package webex and send you to a competitor.

Posted via CB10

By the sounds of things, I am wrong......

Thanks Morten.

[ammjr]

Thanks. So answer to the question is: You can not join a BBM Meeting from a land line.

[Morten]

Yes you can!

When you get the meeting invite, there will be call-in numbers for certain countries,

All you have to do, is to dial one of those numbers and give the meeting number when prompted.

But you cannot Host a meeting from a call-in connection

[atribecalledx]

Hey,

Yes. I do this all the time for my clients in the states. When you setup a BBM Meeting it sends out a link for joining on the web (audio or video) as well as toll-free line numbers. My settings have them going out to a Toronto 647 number, a Montreal number, and several state side numbers as well. They also have call in numbers for international participants as well.

BlackBerry has done a **** poor job of making this easy to understand and customer service is slow. I fear this might die a slow death if they dont clean up their act. Apart from the that the call quality is excellent. I will be doing my first video conference call with it next week, so I'll have to reserve my comments on the quality of that one for then.

[MobileMadness002]

I may not use BB Meetings anytime in the future but would love to hear your impressions after a real world meeting has been completed. Video lag, picture quality, sound quality, all the good stuff and bad stuff if there is any. I hope your review is totally impartial and well balanced. Actually I hope the meeting does not bomb.

Best of luck.

[ammjr]

For audio only participants, is there a way to join Without entering the meeting ID? During the call can I as the organizer see who is on the call? Is the call quality good?


Posted via CB10

[ammjr]

Can the audio be recorded?


Posted via CB10

[BrizzadMan]

For audio only participants, is there a way to join Without entering the meeting ID? During the call can I as the organizer see who is on the call? Is the call quality good?


Posted via CB10

Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

Posted via CB10

[BrizzadMan]

Can the audio be recorded?


Posted via CB10

Yes. Audio and video.

Posted via CB10

[ammjr]

Thanks BrizzadMan.
One more question: With another audio conf service I'm currenlty using, I am assigned a conf phone number and PIN that never change. While this is convenient, it means that anyone with a prior meeting invite can join any future meeting. For example, they might just randomly dial in to see if I'm in a conference. If I'm not looking at the web site, I won't know who is dialed in or joining. How does BBM Meetings address this for audio participants? Is there a different number for each meeting or one for the Host account? For a conference that i want to be private, must i specify that it requires a separate code? I'm close to signing up ... Thanks so much for your help.