What is a webinar – Definition, meaning and examples – Arimetrics

Definition:

A webinar is a live educational presentation in which viewers participate and can submit questions and comments.

A webinar is a short form of “webinar”, it is a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted through the web using some type of video conferencing software. A key feature of a webinar is its interactive elements, as it possesses the ability to give, receive and analyze information in real time. Through the webinar software, participants can share audio, documents and applications with attendees, this being very useful when the webinar host is holding a conference or an information session.

While the webinar host is speaking, applications or documents related to the topic can be shared at the same time.

Difference between a webinar and a webcast

The concept of webinar stands in contrast to that of Webcast, where only data is transmitted in one direction and interaction between the presenter and the audience is not possible. A webinar expands the idea of a webcast in a more interactive format. The experience tries to replicate the benefits of attending a live seminar, in which members of the audience can ask questions of the presenter and the presenter in turn can ask them to the viewers, obtaining feedback on how he is performing the presentation.

How a webinar works

To keep these elements interactive, you need a webinar technologyprovider, which also performs the basic service needed for audio and video. Many software packages also include the ability to schedule events with automated registration for attendees. Some integrate billing and payment processing, for those seminars that have registration fees. Chat functions and questions and answers are often subject to greater control, where presenters can view audience messages and choose whether they want to transmit those messages to all participants, ignore them or respond privately.

Webinars are characterized by the use of slides and projections, streaming content with live communication, functionalities such as chat communication, surveys and questionnaires and the possibility of downloading additional content. To be able to participate in a webinar it is necessary to have a good internet connection, in addition to the corresponding hardware equipment to be connected to the seminar, that is, microphone, webcam and headphones.

Pros and Cons of Webinars

Undoubtedly, the appearance of webinars has meant a change for distance learning, and more and more users are benefiting from this type of seminars that nevertheless have both advantages and disadvantages. Among the main benefits of webinars we find:

• Exchange of information:this is a great advantage over traditional seminars since thanks to the power of the internet we can be in a constant flow of exchange of content, opinions, suggestions, questions and all kinds of information before, during and after the webinar.
• Savings:being able to attend these conferences without leaving home means a great saving both in the economic costs of travel and derivatives, as well as the time we save avoiding having to move.
• Greater capacity:unlike a standard seminar that is limited by the capacity, webinars have a much larger capacity, which can be practically unlimited depending on their characteristics.

As for the disadvantages, we can highlight:

• Connection dependency:any failure in the internet connection or technical problems can lead to the suspension of the webinar or the impossibility of witnessing it by the one who suffers from the technical problems.
• Less presence:the fact that everything is developed online causes the impact that the west can generate in a physical way to be lost, and minimizes the interaction between speakers and participants.

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