In the near future, I will have to work remotely with some colleagues. We are considering using a chat program to hold work discussions. The problem is, much of what we do involves a lot of math and drawings, which is difficult to convey quickly through typing or voice.
I have heard of chat programs that have a “whiteboard” feature where each party can hand draw sketches/equations on a blank screen that is seen by everyone simultaneously. Does anyone know if such a program exists that is both free (or very cheap) and multiplatform (across windows, mac and linux)? I have tried searching, but I am mostly turning up non-chat programs (just for use on a local machine) or links to physical whiteboards for sale at office supply stores.
You can do this on Yahoo, with their “Doodle” IMVironment. It features a row of crayons, thereby lowering the tone perhaps, but it is a free way to exchange freehand writings on a white surface.
You access it by clicking the IMVironment button at the lower-right -hand corner of a PM window, and selecting See all IMVironments >> Interactive Fun >> Doodle.
In my line of work I’ve run across WebEx and Interwise. Both of these firms offer what you’re looking for.
WebEx works on both Windows and Linux. I do not know about MacOS.
I second WebEx. It has a great interactive interface that allows people to raise their hands, utilize a white board, and share applications, powerpoints, etc.