Web Conferencing, Webinars and Webcasting - Oh My!

With all the "telecom talk" out today, it's easy for those new to the telecommunications industry to get caught up or confused with certain terms. This article will distinguish the differences between Web Conferences, Webinars and Webcasting.

A web conference is a virtual online meeting room that can be entered via software or simply a web browser. In a web conference you can conduct PowerPoint presentations, share files and documents, even share your desktop with participants. Each web conferencing provider offers its own individual set of features depending upon the service you select, however the majority include collaboration tools such as whiteboards, and sub-conferences where you can speak with select participants privately throughout the duration of the conference. Often during web conferences the host can pass control over to another participant. One of the biggest benefits of web conferencing is the fact that you can view your host and participants via webcam. This allows you and your audience to communicate face-to-face with one another, and gives you the advantage of being able to read both the presenter's and the participant's body language and alter your meeting to keep interest and engagement strong - something you cannot do on an audio conference call. While web conferences work for both large and small groups, they are generally not ideal for vast numbers of participants, simply because it would be very difficult to collaborate with and view everyone effectively.

A webinar is essentially a seminar delivered in real-time via the Internet that is often used to conduct presentations, trainings, and regular meetings. Most webinars require specific software to be downloaded prior to use, and provide features similar to web conferences, such as file sharing, polling, Q&A sessions, and chat capabilities; however unlike a web conference you cannot see the host or participants. A webinar is more suited toward a lecture setting with larger groups and content coming from only one presenter. Additional tools frequently used in webinars include email reminders to enhance attendance, registration pages to be filled out prior to the meeting to collect participant information, and source tracking URLs to monitor how attendees are accessing your webinar, and departure surveys for capturing your audience's feedback quickly at the end of your webinar.

Webcasts include real-time or on-demand presentations that are streamed over the web and frequently include coordinated PowerPoint slides. Ideal for bigger audiences that can include thousands of participants, webcasting is considered a 'one-to-many' type of transmission with a single speaker or panel of speakers that present to an audience. One of the biggest benefits of a webcast is that it does not require participants to download software because it is browser-based, and the audience can listen via headphones or speakers. Generally speaking, webcasts are professionally produced and includes a great number of interactive features, such as social media sharing, polling, and question and answer tools.

Andy Jacobs
For more details please visit: http://www.conferenceshopper.com/

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6398065

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