What is a Webcast? Video Transcript
Hi, I'm Clair. Let's talk about some words you probably hear on a daily basis. Words like web conferencing, online meeting, webinar, virtual event,
streaming or webcast. These are sometimes used interchangeably, but is it really clear what the terms mean? Understanding what every virtual solution has
to offer will allow you to see real benefits for your business. Let's focus on webcasting. So what is a webcast? A webcast by definition is a broadcast of
sound or video on the web. Similar to TV or radio, it's a one-to-many solution, and it allows you to reach hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of
viewers all at the same time. A webcast is also sometimes referred to as a virtual event. Webcasts are highly scalable and reliable, and they are designed
to address a widely dispersed audience all over the world.
Webcasting vs. Web Conferencing
There is a common confusion between webcasting and web conferencing. So let's try to clear that up a bit today. Web conferencing is a solution designed for
smaller meetings. It's normally used in conjunction with an audio conference, and it's highly collaborative. Web conferencing is perfect for less formal
day-to-day meetings, and normally has fewer attendees. A webcast, on the other hand, uses audio streaming or video streaming and allows participants to
listen or see the presenter over the internet. Without the need to download or install, or even telephone, the attendee just clicks on the link and joins
the virtual event. As a presenter, a webcast with streamed audio can be run using just a plain old telephone. The beauty of this is that multiple speakers
in geographically dispersed regions can all be presenting at the same time in real time. Perfect.
Webcasts can also include a video element by using a variety of different sources: webcams, on-site camera crews, a professional studio, or even a plain
old video conferencing unit in your company's boardroom. All of these enable you to add video to your webcast. A webcast is so much more than just the
ability to listen or view the speaker over the internet. Webcasts can be fully customized to reflect a company's brand or a theme. They can include a
registration page and can allow for literally thousands of simultaneous viewers. Most corporate webcasts include some form of interactivity. Like the
ability for participants to submit a question or take part in live polls or post-event surveys. The use of slides in corporate webcasts is also really
common. Powerful reporting provides analytics ranging from a high level overview of participation, right down to detailed tracking of each participant. If
you're handling sensitive content, you can restrict access from specified IP addresses, email domains or even add a password for your peace of mind.
Webcasts are also routinely archived online, so a presentation lives on beyond the actual event date. Allowing the hosting company to maximize their events
and make the most out of the content. Webcasts are extremely useful for training, investor relations, internal town halls, medical marketing events, or
continuing education. How do you envision using one?