Difference between Webinars, Web meetings, and Live Streaming.
These terms are often confused or used interchangeably, although they all take place online. Before clarifying the difference between Webinar, Web meeting, and Live Streaming, let’s give a definition of these 3 terms.
What are Webinars, Web meetings, and Live Streaming?
A Web meeting is the remote transposition of a physical meeting where predetermined topics are discussed as an agenda. The only difference is that the event takes place in a virtual space and not in a typical meeting room.
A Webinar is a digital seminar, i.e., a public event held through an online platform open to numerous participants, where there is a speaker who transmits the information.
Live Streaming is an online real-time transmission of audio and video content through dedicated platforms. It is often held on social media channels, but there are several more professional platforms to choose from if the event is dedicated to a professional audience.
Usually, Live Streaming is a one-shot event chosen for specific occasions such as product launches or the release of a book or album.
What is the difference between webinars, web meetings, and live streaming?
The main differences between a webinar, web meeting, and live streaming are:
- The purpose for which they are held
- The level of interactivity among participants
During a webinar, participants can ask questions using a chat or a Q&A function, but they cannot interact with each other in real-time.
A web meeting, unlike a webinar, allows for greater interactivity among participants, who can share their screen, discuss, and work together in real-time.
Live streaming, being a real live broadcast, does not allow direct interaction among participants.
Webinar, Web meeting, Live Streaming: which one to choose?
We have seen that the difference between webinars, web meetings, and live streaming is mainly based on the objective and degree of interaction. Let’s now delve deeper so that we know which of the three tools to use depending on the type of communication we want to convey.
When to choose a webinar?
Webinars are mainly used for distance learning and education, sharing information on a specific topic, or promoting an idea or activity. It is preferable to choose a webinar for:
- Sharing lessons with distance students
- Holding a conference to discuss an important topic
- Training employees on new software or process
When to choose a web meeting?
It is convenient to choose a web meeting for real-time information sharing and problem-solving. For example:
- Hold a meeting between different departments, even if employees are in different locations
- Project that requires collaboration between teams of different companies
- Hold an emergency meeting with representatives of an organization
- Share presentations or documents with clients or partners
When to choose live streaming?
It is worth choosing live streaming to broadcast live events on the internet, such as:
- Important events, such as a press conference or presentation of a new product or service
- Concert that an artist wants to share live with their fans
- Charity event or fundraiser created by an organization
- Sport event of particular appeal that a television broadcaster intends to propose live on the internet.