Some seemingly simple questions can be hard to answer. For example, what is the difference between a webinar, a webcast and web conferencing, and does it really matter?

We could go on all day about this, but for now, we’ve distilled down a myriad of definitions from Wikipedia, major service providers, the US Patent Office and others, to either clarify (or confuse) the issue! 

Webinars (Web seminar)
Webinars in the traditional sense are ideal when there is purpose to bring colleagues together in real time for an online learning experience. Envision peer group interaction, creating energy through dialogue, and having access to subject matter experts to converse about best practices. Like a seminar, a webinar can include presentations, multiple presenters, audience interactivity, and more. Leave it to the government to clarify this for us all! They define the term “webinar” to include any and all iterations of web-presentations [http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=75478683].

Webcasts (Web broadcasts)
These are often multimedia presentations typically provided on demand. They are appropriate for content that is best pre-recorded and replayed as needed, or when there is no additional benefit to presenting the program live. Like webinars, they can include many features and can be produced in a variety of ways, including a hybrid of live video streaming from an onsite audience to an online audience.

Web Conferencing
A general term for live web presentations where people are collaborating using slides, video (live or prerecorded) and audio (either phone or VoIP).

Does it really matter?
Still confused or crystal clear? We agree it can be overwhelming, and it’s best not to get too hung up on terminology. When CommPartners is asked about this, we take the "does it really matter?" approach, focusing on all the important factors that help us determine how to best produce the results our customers want. Ultimately, the technology is defined by the requirements of your event. You need only communicate what you want to accomplish and allow the service provider to deliver the best solution, regardless of what it’s called!