Patent ID: 8515044

Claim:
A method of providing an online communication platform, the method comprising: providing the online platform, by a conferencing server, to enable a moderator to establish a conference setup, wherein the conference setup enables the moderator to initiate a conference call via control panels offered through the online platform, further wherein the conference setup enables the moderator to engage in real-time bi-directional communication with one or more guests that are invited via the online platform to participate in the conference call initiated from the online control platform by the moderator; initiating, by the conferencing server, a first conference call subsequent to receiving a request from the moderator via the online platform, the initiating further including providing, by the online platform, information enabling the moderator to invite one or more guests to participate in the first conference call; and streaming, by the conferencing server, audio associated with the first conference call to the moderator, to the one or more guests, and to one or more listeners, wherein the one or more listeners listen in on the audio, the one or more listeners connecting with the first conference call using one or more online interfaces offered in conjunction with the online platform, the first conference call available to the one or more listeners via the one or more online interfaces, wherein the one or more listeners are provided unidirectional communication capability of receiving information associated with the first conference call.