WebEx is the leader in web conferencing software. Fast. Easy. Use Free Now.

Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings or presentations over the Internet. In the early years of the Internet, the terms “web conferencing” and “computer conferencing” were often used to refer to group discussions conducted within a message board (via posted text messages) therefore not live, but the term has evolved to refer specifically to “live” or “synchronous” meetings, while the posted message variety of discussion is called a “forum”, “message board”, or “bulletin board”.

In a web conference, each participant sits at their own computer, and is connected to other participants via the internet. This can be either a downloaded application on each of the attendees computers or a web-based application where the attendees will simply enter a “URL” or website meeting address to enter the live meeting or conference. These web-based applications are used either with Flash or Java technology.

A webinar is a type of web conference, that tends to be mostly one-way, from the speaker to the audience with limited audience interaction, such as in a Webcast, which is transmission of information in one direction only, like watching a concert on the internet. A webinar however, can be very collaborative, and include polling and question & answer sessions to allow full participation between the audience and the presenter. A webinar is ‘live’ in the sense that information is conveyed according to an agenda, with a starting and ending time. In most cases, the presenter may speak over a standard telephone line, pointing out information being presented on screen, and the audience can respond over their own telephones, preferably a speakerphone. There are a few web conferencing technologies on the market that have incorporated the use of VoIP audio technology, to allow for a truly web-driven presentation, removing the need for any external devices, such as a telephone.