Difference Between Webinar and Webcast

Gone are the days when seminars and meetings occurred in conference rooms and auditoriums. The new and more advanced digital age has revolutionized everything; technology has created some amazing tools, bringing a treasure trove of information at out fingertips. Now there are multiple ways to spread your word and let your message heard loud and clear. Technology has changed the way we conduct business meetings and conferences. And the best example of it is webinar. It has changed everything, that is, of course if you understood what it actually did. However, the term webinar is often confused with yet another similar yet different broadcasting technology called webcast. While both the terms are often used interchangeably, they are quite different in terms of functionality and responsiveness.

What is a Webinar?

Webinar, which derives its name from web and seminar, is a web-based seminar or a meeting that takes place over the Internet. It is like a radio broadcast, similar to a webcast, but with a more specific context which is instructional by nature. Webinar is more like an online event, a kind of web-conferencing, held over the Internet and attended exclusively by interested parties or audience. The term meeting can refer to a lot of things, but in the context of the webinar. It simply refers to the means of using the power of Internet to create a virtual space that’s accessible via nearby computer screens or Internet-supported mobile devices, as opposed to a conference room or a banquet hall. The virtual space follows no geographical boundaries or time zones, meaning participants can participate actively in the webinar from just about anywhere in the world in real-time.

What is a Webcast?

The term webinar is often confused with the term webcast and even both the terms are used interchangeably to describe web broadcasting technology. But while many people think of webinars and webcasts as the same thing, they are very different in terms of features and functions. Webcast is a form of web broadcasting distributed over the Internet using streaming media technologies. Webcast is simply a means of broadcasting delayed audio and video transmissions to a large number of web users either live or on-demand. Webcasting describes a variety of the commercial multimedia services such as Internet TV and movies, remote education, etc. Basically, it is an expensive way to hold conferences and meetings where the presenter broadcasts via one of many webcast platforms available worldwide and the participants can access the meeting from anywhere in the world.

Difference between Webinar and Webcast

Meaning

– Webinar, which derives its name from two terms web and seminar, is a web-based seminar or a meeting that takes over the Internet with no geographical boundaries or time zones. It has a similar structure to a conference hall, but with an added benefit of visual communication. A webcast, on the other hand, is a form of web broadcasting, similar to webinars, but with the purpose of entertaining or educating its participants via streaming media technologies. It is an expensive way to hold conferences and meetings online via one of many webcast platforms available out there.

Purpose

– Both webinars and webcasts are typically means to facilitate one-way communication from a presenter to its participants or attendees, but with different functionality. A webinar simply refers to the means of using the Internet to create a virtual space that’s accessible via web-enabled mobile devices or computer, as opposed to a conference room or a banquet hall. A webcast is typically one-to-many communication from a presenter to its attendees in which the speaker disseminates information using slides, much like a traditional TV broadcast. Webinars are more collaborative in nature and typically smaller than a typical webcast.

Collaboration

– Webinars are usually more collaborative in nature than webcasts. Although, a webinar is typically smaller, it often employs interactive techniques such as polling, chatting, or whiteboard annotating. Webinars are a great tool for marketers for lead generation. Webinars also allow attendees to involve in communication through polls and other brief interactions. Webcasts, on the other hand, facilitate communication through tailor-made conferencing and collaboration solutions. A webcast is solely one-way collaboration from a presenter to its attendees. A webcast has little or no interaction with the audience.

Webinar vs. Webcast: Comparison Chart

Summary of Webinar vs. Webcast

While both the terms webinar and webcast are often used interchangeably and they are a mean to facilitate one-way communication from a presenter to its participants, they are quite different in terms of functionality and responsiveness. Webcasts are solely one-way collaboration from a presenter to attendees, whereas webinars are more collaborative in nature, but is typically smaller than a webcast. Webcast, on the other hand, has little or no interaction with the audience. Both the terms are used interchangeably to describe web broadcasting technology. Webcast is simply a means of web broadcasting over the Internet using streaming media technologies, while webinar is more like an online event held over the Internet and attended exclusively by interested parties or audience.

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