If you are using Web Conferencing for large groups, you could save money and time.


Web Conference vs Webinars vs Webcasting

Webcast Webinar Web Conferencing

Web Conferences, webinars and webcasts are all ways people can meet virtually. All three meeting technology platforms provide a virtual environment in which information can be shared, presentations can be displayed and training sessions can be held.

Where these meetings differ can be boiled down to the number of people that need to be connected and the amount of collaboration needed for the meeting to be a success. Using the wrong meeting technology can really hurt your success.

Web Conferences for small collaborative groups

In general, web conferences consist of smaller, interactive groups – People working together in a collaborative nature. The web conferencing host is looking for a good amount of feedback. Participants are encouraged to speak up during the meeting. The host and participants may share files, their screens or slides. Web Conferencing technologies work well for training sessions, group discussions, sales demos and pitches, and internal meetings.

Webinars for presentations to Mid-sized groups with little interaction

Webinars involve mid-sized groups of people and less interaction. One or multiple people may present, but the webinar host is not looking for much feedback. Sometimes there is a question and answer portion, surveys or other forms of engagement, but the main goal here is to disseminate information. Webinars are used for training sessions, sales presentations, product demos and large staff meetings. There are no “Webinar technologies”. Webinars can be held using either a Web Conferencing tool or a Webcasting tool.

Webcasting for presentations to large groups with little to no interaction.

Webcasting makes sense for groups of 150 and above. Like a webinar, one or multiple people may present and feedback from the audience is minimal – Q&A sessions, surveys and polls. The goal of a webcast is to disseminate information on a large scale. Web Conferencing software can be used for webcasting, but webcasting works better with dedicated Webcasting technology.

Why does it matter?

In our experience, a client normally starts with a Web Conferencing tool. They’ll use this tool for web conferencing, webinars and webcasting. This seems like a fine idea since many Web Conferencing solutions offer large capacities, allowing 300 to 1,500 people to connect at one time. However, we advise our clients to invest in a Webcasting service once their sample grows to over 150 people. Here’s why;

Despite official capacity limits, Web Conferencing technology works best with small to mid-sized groups (anything under 150). As the audience grows, the quality of the meeting environment goes down. Audience members have trouble connecting, are booted from the room, screen/slide sharing slows and video/audio quality drops.

Webcasting technology offers high quality rich media. Crystal clear presentation audio, video and slides stream seamlessly to large groups of people. Some webcasting solutions automatically adapt to slower connections, allowing each audience member to enjoy the best quality possible.

Webcasting offers detailed analytics. Hosts can easily track attendance, demographics and engagement during the presentation.

Webcasting tools save money in the long run. There is a little more investment on the front end, but we see a significant drop in cost per attendee over time when our clients add a Webcasting tool to their arsenal.

Web Conferencing tools are built to facilitate collaboration. They have a lot of great features that work best when small to mid-sized groups of people meet on-line. When the goal of an online meeting involves engagement and interaction, a Web Conferencing tool is your best option. Webcasting tools are built to facilitate sharing of information to large audiences. When this is the goal, the quality of your presentation environment becomes the most important feature. To ensure your audience of 150 people or more is fully engaged and able to receive your message, a Webcasting technology is your best option.

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