Conference Call Glossary

Conference Call Glossary of Terms

Term	Definitions
Access Code	A set of numeric digits entered after dialing the conference call dial-in number and being connected to the conference bridge. The access code directs the caller to the appropriate conference.
Address Book	An online contact and group management system.
Alternative Dial-in Number	This is the additional Dial-in Number provided for international callers participating in a Web-Scheduled Premium 800 conference. Since only callers in the 50 United States and Canada can access our toll-free numbers, the Alternative Dial-in Number guarantees access for callers anywhere else in the world. A caller who uses the Alternative Dial-in Number pays the rates charged by his or her long distance telephone company to call the U.S. As Organizer of the conference, you pay $0.04 per minute for every caller, regardless of the Dial-in Number used.
Computer Download	The means to retrieve and save your Conference Recording for playback on multimedia computers and digital audio players. Download is only available when Conference Recording is selected for a Web-Scheduled Premium 800 conference. We provide you with a hyperlink to your recordingin MP3 format. Once you download the recording you can burn it to a CD-ROM, save it on your computer, or send it by e-mail to your friends and colleagues.
Conference Bridge	The equipment used to join three or more telephone lines.
Conference call	A telephone meeting which involves three or more telephone lines connected via a conference bridge. This is also known as audio teleconferencing.
Conference ID	An optional label you can use for your own tracking purposes (e.g. department, project, client, expense, etc.) that will appear on your receipt and downloadable statement. Conference ID is only available for Web-Scheduled Premium 800 conferences.
Conference Recording	A digital audio file of your conference in industry-standard MP3 format for Computer Download and Telephone Playback. Conference Recording is only available with Web-Scheduled Premium 800 conferences.
Conference Transcription	A text copy of your Conference Recording, prepared by a qualified third-party service. Transcription is only available when Conference Recording is selected for a Web-Scheduled Premium 800 conference.
Conference Starts when Organizer Arrives	When this conference control is enabled, the conference begins for all Participants when the Organizer enters the special Organizer Access Code. If more than one conference Participant uses the Organizer Access Code, the conference begins when the first Organizer Access Code is entered. This allows the Organizer to prevent the conference from starting in his absence. CAUTION: If the Organizer is late for the conference, the conference will not start until his or her arrival! Participants may abandon the conference or think they cannot be heard.
Conference Ends when Organizer Leaves	When this conference control is enabled, the conference will end when the Organizer exits theconference. If more than one conference Participant uses the Organizer Access Code,the conference ends when the last person who entered the Organizer Access Code exits the conference. CAUTION: If the Organizer accidentally hangs up or is disconnected from the conference, everyone else will also be disconnected! For this reason, the Organizer should not use a cell phone or any phone likely to drop the call and should make sure that any Call Waiting features are turned off for the duration of the conference!
Conference Manager	An online system that stores your upcoming scheduled conferences, including e-mail invitation details, conference Participants and RSVP statuses.
Conference Bridge	A computer dedicated to managing the resources available for conferences.
Consultation	A private, two-party sub-conference. Any Participant can take advantage of this control by first obtaining his Caller Code using the "2" on the telephone keypad, exchanging Caller Codes with the other consultant and then using the "1" on the telephone keypad to enter the consultation.
Contact	A person whose contact information is entered in your address book.
Conversation Mode	This mode provides an open, un-muted conference in which all Participants can speak freely. This mode works best for small groups of conferees. At any time during a conference, conference Organizers can switch between Conversation Mode, Q&A Mode and Presentation Mode by toggling the "7" on the telephone keypad. Conversation Mode can also be specified in advance during the Web scheduling process on Web-scheduled conference calls.
Dial-in number	The telephone number each Participant dials to access a conference.
Entry Chimes	When this conference control is enabled, a sound will signal when a new Participant has joined the conference. This is useful for the Organizer to welcome new conference Participants, and is accessible by entering the Organizer Access Code at the start of a conference. At any time during a conference, conference Organizers can turn the Entry Chimes and Exit Chimes on and off by toggling the "9" on the telephone keypad. Entry Chimes can also be set in advance during the Web scheduling process on Web-scheduled conference calls.
E-mail Invitation	A message sent to a contact requesting participation in a conference.
Exit Chimes	When this conference control is enabled, a sound will signal when a Participant exits the conference, and is accessible by those who provide the Organizer Access Code when entering a conference. At any time during a conference, conference Organizers can turn the Entry Chimes and Exit Chimes on and off by toggling the "9" on the telephone keypad. Exit Chimes can also be set in advance during the Web scheduling process on Web-scheduled conference calls.
Internet Call	A telephone call that is transported on the Internet using TCP/IP rather than the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). This is also known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).
Interstate Call	A telephone call between states, regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.
Locking the Conference	This can be used for increased conference security, by preventing additional Participants from joining the conference, and is accessible by those who provide the Organizer Access Code when entering a conference. At any time during a conference, conference Organizers can lock or unlock the conference by toggling the "5" on the telephone keypad. Note that if the conference is locked and a Participant is disconnected (e.g. cell phone) from the conference, the room must first be unlocked before that Participant can rejoin the conference.
Meet-Me conference	An automated conference, which allowsParticipants to join the conference without operator assistance.
Mute	To prevent sound from your telephone reaching the conference call. See our Conference Call Hotkey Quick Reference
Organizer	The person who is responsible for arranging the conference, and is usually the host or leader of the conference. The Organizer enters the conference using a special Organizer Access Code.
Outlook� and Lotus� Integration	Our Conference Confirmation page and e-mail invitations include a vCalendar attachment, which allows you and your Participants to automatically save (or drag-and-drop) your conference appointment into any calendar program that supports vCalendar technology, such as Microsoft Outlook� 2000/2003/2007, Apple iCal�, Lotus Organizer� 6.0, Entourage, Act!� 4.0, GNOME Office, many GSM mobile telephones,Nokia 9110 Communicator� and select Palm� handheld computers. For additional information on programs supporting vCalendar and the vCalendar standard, visit the Internet Mail Consortium. Microsoft Outlook Express�does NOT support vCalendar at this time.
Panel	A group of speaking Participants in a conference who usually enter a conference using the Organizer Access Code so that they will not be subject to muting.
Panelist	An individual member of a panel.
Participant	an individual who is a member of a conference call.
Participant Access Code	This code is entered by conference Participants in order to join a conference call. It allows Participants to access basic conference controls, suchas the help menu, self-mute and enter consultations.
Playback Access Code	An access code used to enter Telephone Playback of a Conference Recording. This access code is provided to you by e-mail after the conference has ended, when the recording becomes available.
Playback Dial-in Number	A telephone Dial-in Number used to access Telephone Playback of a Conference Recording. Toll-free access is not available for Telephone Playback.
Pre-authorization	A set amount of money your bank holds against your line of credit. Contact your bank to get details of their policy. Back \|Top
Presentation Mode	This mode automatically mutes members of the conference call who entered the Participant Access Code, enabling conference Participants to listen without being able to speak to others on the conference. This mode works best with large groups of conferees for reducing background noise, and is accessible to those who provide the Organizer Access Code when entering a conference. At any time during a conference, conference Organizers can switch between Presentation Mode, Conversation Mode and Q&A Mode by toggling the "7" on the telephone keypad. Presentation Mode can also be specified in advance during the Web scheduling process on Web-scheduled conference calls.
Q&A Mode	This mode allows Participants to un-mute themselves, permitting a ‘question and answer' or interactive session to be held during a conference call that was preset to Presentation Mode. This mode is accessible to those who provide the Organizer Access Code when entering a conference. At any time during a conference, conference Organizers can switch between Q&A Mode, Presentation Mode and Conversation Mode by toggling the "7" on the telephone keypad. Q&A Mode can also be specified in advance during the Web scheduling process on Web-scheduled conference calls.
Reservationless Standard Conference	A Meet-Me conference that does not require advance reservations. See our Reservationless Standard page for further information about this service.
RSVP Receipt	An e-mail sent to the conference Organizer containing the RSVP response and reply comments of an invited conference Participant.
RSVP Status	shows the RSVP response of an invited conference Participant. The status can be "accepted," "declined," or, if a response has not yet been received, "waiting."
Reply comments	A message sent from a potential conference Participant included in the RSVP.
Self-mute	Conference Participants may mute and un-mute their own line by toggling the "6" on the telephone keypad. See our Conference Touch-Tone Quick Reference.
Toggle	To alternate between two states, such as operating a light switch. On our conference bridges, touch-tone "6" on the telephone keypad functions as a toggle because if it is pressed repeatedly it alternates the caller's muting between the muted and un-muted state.