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Users of Yahoo Messenger with Voice can download the ConFreeCall plug-in for their clients and run conference calls with up to 500 participants. The free service provides several call management and moderator controls for those calls.

The announcement of the ConFreeCall utility for Yahoo's instant messenger client raised the bar for VoIP conference calling options. Ebay's Skype released its Skypecasts feature a few months ago, and that allowed up to 100 participants.

Skype uses technology from Vapps, the provider of the ConFreeCall plug-in. Vapps makes hardware for VoIP conferencing that can support up to 1,000 callers.

"We used to look at the conference call as merely a business solution, with the introduction of services such as ConFreeCall, the landscape has changed to be a tool for online communities as well," said Ben Lilienthal, CEO and co-founder of Vapps, provider of the plug-in.

Vapps provided an overview of the ConFreeCall plug-in features:

Users will be supplied with a conference bridge number as well as participant codes for use by up to 500 participants simultaneously. A variety of services will be available through the ConFreeCall plug-in including, standard call management (volume control, muting, participant announcing, conference locking and recording) along with sophisticated moderator features for Web-based on-demand call control.
Other than a Danny Sullivan chat on search engine topics, it's hard to imagine a full volume of 500 participants on one Yahoo voice session. But it is easy to see a friends and family conference taking place, with a dozen people chatting and seeing Yahoo advertisements.

The plug-in will be available from Yahoo's Gallery of plug-ins for Messenger with Voice later today.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.