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Over the past several years, web conferencing has seen a steady rise in adoption across different industries. And as the technology develops further, conferencing solutions have become more sophisticated, giving businesses a host of collaborative options. This, however, also gave rise to lots of questions.
How is web conferencing different from video conferencing? Are there any similarities? Do free web conferencing solutions exist?
Let’s clear things up.
What does web conferencing mean?
Web conferencing is any type of online meeting that involves two or more participants in different locations.
These participants could be anywhere in the world. With a reliable internet connection and conferencing software, they can see, talk, and hear each other in real-time.
What is the difference between video conferencing and web conferencing?
It isn’t uncommon for someone to think that video conferencing and web conferencing are the same technology that goes by different names. But the truth is, there’s a big difference between the two terms.
Web conferencing allows for the sharing of web-based content, and is often used as an umbrella term for different types of meeting solutions.
Video conferencing is one of these solutions. As the name suggests, it’s the technology that enables the sharing of video (and audio) in real-time.
Who are the people that make up a web conference?
To give you a better understanding of how web conferencing works, let’s define the contributors:
Types of web conferencing
Presenting slide shows, explaining spreadsheets, and transfering files—you can do all this and more with web conferencing. This technology has brought an unprecedented level of communication and collaboration to businesses, and it’s one of the main reasons that so many companies have embraced it.
So what are the practical applications of web conferencing?
Interactive team meetings
Online conferencing technology makes virtual meetings interactive.
When the flow of information goes both ways, participants can make better decisions. Everyone can bring up ideas, share their opinions, and have access to numerous collaborative features like annotation and screen sharing. They can also use a webcam to support other visual cues.
Video conferences
The main purpose of a video conference is to establish a visual link between the participants. It does have potential for collaborative capabilities, so it can also be used for team meetings.
Companies maximize the experience by setting up specialized equipment (screen, camera, and microphone) in a dedicated room. This way, everyone from the office can join a meeting from that specific location.