Webinar

A Webinar is a virtual meeting conducted using the Internet and phone lines. The visual portion of the meeting is viewed on the participants' PCs and the audio portion is heard over the phone using a teleconferencing service. A Webinar can be small with only a couple of participants or large with hundreds of participants.

Short for a Web-based seminar, a Webinar can also be an online presentation, lecture, or workshop. The main feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements, in other words, the ability to give, receive and discuss information during the Webinar. As opposed to a Webcast, in which the data transmission is one way and does not allow interaction between the presenter and the audience, a Webinar enables people from locations all over the world to participate.

A Webinar is primarily a marketing and sales tool that allows users to log in to the Internet and view either a PowerPoint presentation or an actual demonstration of a product while listening to the presenter via a conference call line. There are a variety of off-the-shelf software programs you can use as well as proprietary services.