Web Conferencing Service Types

Looking at web conferencing services and the different types available to you? Well, you should because plenty of companies have not only gained huge returns on investment but have also generated MORE business since using web conferencing.

Each business has specific needs that can be addressed by a certain web conferencing service type. Should the web conferencing service type you get simply allow you to make presentations with some question-and-answer capabilities? Or should it allow you to share files as well, and maybe illustrate your point by making diagrams during the meeting?

Knowing the various web conferencing service types will help you sift through the sea of choices in this upcoming, competitive market.

3 Web Conferencing Service Types

1. Web Meeting
Telecommuting is becoming an increasingly popular way of getting the job done, creating a growing need for better virtual meeting places.

A web meeting is the web conferencing service type that gives you the basics of online, real-time conversation, while allowing you to share documents via file transfers.

This web conferencing service type can range from the simple to the sophisticated. Its basic requirements are a webcam and broadband connection.

2. Webcast
A webcast is similar to a TV broadcast, the difference is that this web conferencing service type takes place on the Internet.

Its nature allows very little interactive capabilities between presenter and audience. Though primarily a presenting tool, its advantage lies in its capability to reach hundreds of people simultaneously.

3. Webinar
This web conferencing service type marries the best of both worlds; it is a presenting tool that gives you some of the interactive features of a web meeting.

A webinar is, as its name suggests, a web seminar. It is the web conferencing service type that allows you to conduct a seminar with hundreds of delegates, while giving you a greater level of interaction than a webcast.

Through this web conferencing service type, a presenter can conduct an open forum with the audience, allowing question-and-answer sessions during the meeting.

Web Conferencing Service Type Add-Ons

If you want to make presentations with the web conferencing service type you ultimately select, you will want to check for add-on features, such as slide shows and audio or video streaming. Online presentation features are great for making sales pitches, performance reporting, and training remote company employees.

You may also wish to increase the level of interaction of the web conferencing service type you choose to allow online collaboration. This is ideal for multi-location companies that require a high level of coordination between workers. Online collaboration not only has file-sharing capabilities, it also allows participants in a meeting to update files in real time.