What Is Web Conferencing?

What is web conferencing? You probably heard of that term dozens of time now, and more if you spend an exorbitant amount of your own time over the Internet. And you also probably have a basic idea of what it is and how it works. But just to make things a little clearer, let us look deeper into the whole concept and find out exactly what is web conferencing.

What is Web Conferencing: A Definition

What is web conferencing? Generally speaking, web conferencing is used to refer to a conference conducted via the World Wide Web. Web conferencing usually occurs between two or more participants in different locations and because it is conducted on a wholly online environment, it is therefore all right to suppose that the conversation is taking place in real time.

What is Web Conferencing: Communication Facilitators

Now that you know what is web conferencing, let’s now go to the next subject related to the topic on hand – communication. The ultimate goal of web conferencing is to facilitate communication between individuals who are in different locations. Based on the definition given above about what is web conferencing, it goes without saying that this communication also occurs in real time or in an asynchronous environment.

Many, if not all, aspects of communication are made use of in a web conference. During its early days, communication was facilitated through the use of posted text messages. But with the increasing flexibility of the Internet and the incorporation of video and audio to the online world, it longer seemed logical to rely solely on text in order to express an idea through the World Wide Web. Thus, audio conferencing and video conferencing came to be.

What is Web Conferencing: Types

What is web conferencing? There is another way of answering that question aside from defining the term. First, it should be noted that web conferencing doesn’t just mean a conference on the web. It has come to mean more than that, as brought by the development in technology. Many vendors are coming up with hybrid products that seek to combine the capabilities of video and audio in order to better facilitate and simulate a real-time “virtual” meeting room. Thus, web conferencing means more than just a real-time online discussion between individuals. It is generally categorized by what type of communication system is used.

Video conferencing is what is used to refer to a conference using video feeds transmitted through the internet. Your computer screen will show you real-time video image of other participants of the conference. It will also allow you to view the desktop of your co-participants and share files while swapping ideas via Voice over IP, phone, instant messaging, and the like.