Too many people confuse the terms webcasting and web conferencing, believing them to be the same thing.
Not so…
While both solutions & technologies are somewhat similar in functionality, their features & what they can actually do vary quite considerably & it is important to convey to your audience exactly what they will be experiencing & why.
The basic differences are laid out below…
A Web Conference can also be described as a sort of group meeting – an event during which multiple, remotely located computer users, can see, speak & communicate with each other simultaneously over the internet, mostly using their webcams. A perfect example of this is a Zoom or Skype Meeting, where users can see each other, share screens and present slides. Audio may be is transmitted either through the computer/webcam mic itself, or as in the past, through your phone line or VoIP. Web Conferencing can be considered a Many-to-Many solution, that is useful for small, collaborative meetings – usually well under 50 remote users – where there is a lot of cross-interaction between participants.
Live Webcasts are presentations streamed in real-time over the Internet. It generally involves one or more speakers (presenters) and is ideal for reaching large audiences, unlimited in size. It is a One-to-Many solution (even though there may be multiple presenters or panels) that typically streams at a much higher quality and often utilizes interactive features Live Chat, surveys, polls and Q&A. To put it simply, a Webcast resembles a TV News broadcast, which you can watch without interacting with it directly (except for the Interactive features mentioned above).
Both Webcasting and Web Conferencing each have their own individual benefits & applications
Both can be recorded and then played again as On Demand video.
Interactive Components:
Web Conferences & Webcasts include both audio and visual components. However, Web Conferencing offers features like instant messaging, document collaboration, and breakout rooms, while Webcasts offer feedback capabilities to the audience in the form of Interactive Chat, polling and Q&A formats.
Video Setup:
Webcasts can use a multi-camera setup, while Web Conferences only use the webcams of each participant.
Event Management:
Web Conferences are relatively easy to set up on the host’s laptop and a PowerPoint presentation. Webcasts on the other hand, require much more preparation which could include things like finalizing speakers’ agendas, content preparation, sending out invitations preparing promotional material, setting up surveys and polling questions, etc.
Editing Capabilities:
Web conferences can be recorded and shared, but the audio files may be difficult to edit and often best serve as an archive of a meeting’s discussion. Webcast recordings allow for a lot of editing. This provides presenters the flexibility to add, remove, or reorganize content before sharing the content, or archiving it for on-demand access for later viewing.
Analytics & Reports:
Web conferencing offers basic audience analytics. This includes things like the number of attendees, participant names, the duration of the meeting, and poll or survey results.
Webcasting offers a more comprehensive set of features. In addition to the features offered by web conferencing, webcasts can track audience interactions and behavior, providing event hosts with a deep insight into their audience, which is a useful guide for holding future online events.
To Summarize:
Audio & Web Conferencing services are ideal for interactive meetings like sales presentations, while Webcasts are best for reaching a large global audience.
Whichever solution you employ, you will be best served by providing your audience members with a detailed explanation of the type of event they are or will be attending, along with their features and limitations.
Neither technology is better than the other, but they do serve very different needs. Selecting the right one really depends on your goals. If your goal is to allow small groups to collaborate in a virtual setting, then a web conferencing solution is a better choice. If your goal is to communicate & broadcast to very large audiences, you will be better served with a Live Webcasting solution.
The difference between Webcasting & Web Conferencing is still confusing to some and it’s important that your audience members understand what they will be experiencing and what kind of participation may be required of them. Informing your audience in advance with clear instructions, will go a long way in optimizing the experience for both the audience as well as the presenters.
For more information on Live Webcasting, visit us at MediaStreams.ca