Web Conferencing

Web conferencing is used to conduct live meeting or presentation over the internet. In the early years of the Internet, the terms “web conferencing” and “computer conferencing” were often used to refer to group discussions conducted within message board (via posted text messages) therefore not live, but the term has evolved to refer specifically to “live” or ” synchronous” meetings, while the posted message variety of discussion is called a “forum”, “message board”, or “bulletin board”.

In a web conference, each participant sits at their own computer, and is connected to other participants via the internet through an application which a “host” company provides and charges for its use. This can be either a downloaded application on each of the attendee’s computers or a web-based application where the attendees will simply enter a “URL” or website meeting address to enter the live meeting or conference. These web-based applications are used either with Flash or Java technology.

A webinar is a type of web conference, although the direction of the presentation more often than not is primarily one way from the presenter to the audience as in a webcast, which is transmission of information in one direction only, like watching a concert on the internet. A webinar however can be designed to be interactive between the presenter and audience. A webinar is ‘live’ in the sense that information is conveyed according to an agenda, with a starting and ending time. In most cases, the presenter may speak over a standard telephone line, pointing out information being presented on screen, and the audience can respond over their own telephones, preferably a speakerphone. The word ‘webinar’ is a portmanteau combining the words web and seminar. 

 

 

 

 

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