5 Types of Web Conferencing

Web conferencing is a very common term used for describing various types of techniques that allow conversation between two or more people situated at different locations through internet in a live conference. In general the history of Web conferencing starts with the evolution of many aspects of advanced technologies in 1990s like powerful processing hardware and internet etc.

What Is Web Conferencing?

Generally,web conferencing can be defined as a term that covers various types of collaborative services available online like webinars,webcasts,and web meetings. It can be made possible by using IP or TCP connections over the internet. Earlier internet was used to send text messages through web conferencing tools then it started sending audios and today it can send high definition videos also. Today different types of web conferencing tools are used for its different formats which can be between multiple participants or one-on-one level.

5 Types of Web Conferencing

Sometimes it becomes more important to see the facial expression of the person with whom you are speaking instead of what he or she is saying. Similarly you cannot possibly review the online documents unless you can see the marked up or updated changes on them. All these things can be made possible just with the help of web conferencing. Normally web conferencing can be classified into three types depending upon their formats like meetings,presentations and collaborations. But these three formats can be used in different ways that increase the types of web conferencing. In this way,web conferencing has been classified into different types on the basis of their use.

The different types of web conferencing are briefly discussed her under to know them more closely.

Webinars:

Actually the seminars conducted on internet are referred as webinars. In webinars,on one hand the presenters can share information with the participants and on the other the participants can respond or ask questions regarding that information. Though,this web conference option shows possibility of interaction between the presenter and the audience but to a limited extent.

Webcast:

It is web conference's another type that is similar to a broadcast made on TV but both of them are different from each other on the ground that this broadcast can be done by using web instead of a TV. Though webcast can be broadcasted to large number of people as a time still there are least or no possibilities of interaction between the presenter and the participants in this format of web conferencing.

Web Meeting:

The virtual meetings on the internet fall in this category of web conferencing. It makes the participants in the meeting interactive to each other. The flow of information can be both way,forward and backward i.e. from the host to the audience as well as from the audience to the host. The conversation in web meetings can be initiated by any of the participants and other participating members can respond to what the initial presenter has said. For web meeting various types of web conferencing software options like ezTalks Cloud Meeting etc are used to allow the presenter and participants to share documents,images,videos and chat in real-time instead of uploading pre-recorded conversations.

Online Collaboration:

The web conferencing of this type is very commonly used for a number of useful purposes. It can be an audio conference if only text messages are shared whereas it can also be combined with live videos to make it more functional. Online collaboration format of web conferencing allows you to view shared files,documents and papers live along with making changes in them to modify their style instantly on the internet. The participants of a web based online collaboration can do much more than seeing and speaking to each other on internet. They together can also exchange and edit any document effectively. The participants are also allowed to share the existing information along with the data complied recently in an interactive manner through online collaboration tools. During web collaboration all the alterations and changes are made in real-time without using any specially designed software or program. Thus it helps the people living at different locations but want to meet together to work on files or documents to complete the project mutually.

Online Presentations:

Web conferencing can also be used for presenting presentations online. The online presentations can be presented online with the help of web based chats,streaming videos or audios and slide shows. The participants have to log in to the web conference to see these presentations. They can also interact with the presenter of the presentation through web based chat or through their phones.

Conclusion

In this way,web conferencing can be used in various manners for exchanging views,documents,images and videos between many people located at different locations. But the ways of using web conferencing helps in deciding its different types. All the activities of all types of web conferencing can be performed in real-time like sharing the files,videos and images as well as editing and modifying the documents and files and discussing the viewpoints. Thus web conferencing is a useful tool for many businesses,regardless of their size and genre.