2011 Update: Dimdim has been acquired by Salesforce.com, and is no longer allowing new account creations until the transition has been finalized.

Original post:

During my entrepreneurial journey, I have discovered many cost-effective tools that are very helpful, especially for small-businesses and freelancers. I’m going to start a new category labelled as “Small Business Tools” so that I can share these resources with those who are just starting out on their journey to run their own businesses, and anyone else who may find these tools useful!

The tool I’m referring to today is called “DimDim”. Yes, it’s a bit of a strange name, but definitely an easy name to remember, which is a bonus!

Have you ever attended an online webinar where the presenter shows you a powerpoint or keynote presentation, and perhaps they’ve also shared their browser and showed a few different website? Or perhaps you’ve attended an online training session where the trainer has guided the attendees in a how-to lesson and thought to yourself, “Wow, was that ever cool! Wish I could afford to use this tool!”

The two “biggies” that I’m aware of out there are WebEx and Go2Meeting – both completely out of my price range. They do have a competitor, though, that is much more affordable, and even allows you to have more people on your online webinar than these two providers for less money (and in some cases, for free!). This competitor is DimDim!

I’ve had the pleasure of using DimDim a few times now in the past year or so, and I must say that I’m very impressed with their offering! If you’re just starting out, you’re in luck – you can use DimDim without paying a penny! Yes, they have a free option, as well as a pro option, and webinar option. Below is a small chart profiling what they offer and how much each option costs.

I first discovered this type of service through my day job in the corporate world. My present employer uses WebEx, but they charge $49/month for up to 25 participants. I’ve also heard a lot about GoToMeeting, but their minimum is $49/month for up to 15 attendees, and the plans just go up from there for both… as you can see, DimDim is more cost effective.

Another aspect of DimDim I really like is that your attendees don’t have to install anything at all – it’s all browser-based, so there’s no download required! This is an awesome feature, especially for those who have online meetings with people who are not necessarily the most technically savvy.

If you go with one of the paid options, you can also access the collaboration function where you can have more than one presenter – another great option for people who work in partnerships. Want to use a whiteboard? Yet another option that’s available to you!

DimDim’s Features and Benefits:

• meet instantly
• share your desktop
• use mics, webcams, and chat
• use widgets to spread the word
• record and embed meetings
• whiteboard and annotate
• leverage the social web

In my (humble) opinion, DimDim is definitely the easiest and most cost-effective way to organize and attend online meetings.

You have absolutely nothing to lose – go try it for FREE!

Have you ever held an online meeting or conference or webinar? What service do you use? Have you ever tried DimDim? I would love to hear your opinions!

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