Web conferencing may be used as an umbrella term for various types of online collaborative services including web seminars ("webinars"), webcasts, and peer-level web meetings. It may also be used in a more narrow sense to refer only to the peer-level web meeting context, in an attempt to disambiguate it from the other types of collaborative sessions.[1] Terminology related to these technologies is inexact, and no generally agreed upon source or standards organization exists to provide an established usage reference.
In general, web conferencing is made possible by Internet technologies, particularly on TCP/IP connections. Services may allow real-timepoint-to-point communications as well as multicast communications from one sender to many receivers. It offers data streams of text-based messages, voice and video chat to be shared simultaneously, across geographically dispersed locations. Applications for web conferencing include meetings, training events, lectures, or presentations from a web-connected computer to other web-connected computers.
Web conferencing was designed as an upgraded audio bridge with pictures. It made it possible to share presentations with audio participants located around the globe, and its features, like recording and presenter video, make it great for dissemination of information from few to many. It can still be used for smaller meetings, but it really lacks the features that today’s savvy user has come to expect with collaboration tools.
Video conferencing, on the other hand, gives everyone a seat and a face at the meeting and is intentionally designed around collaboration. The best solutions focus on enabling communication in all of the different ways people meet—direct and meet-me, instant and scheduled, on any device and in multiple languages. Conference rooms and huddle rooms can be set up with video systems that can connect to other conference rooms and to remote users on laptops, tablets and smartphones. Participants can share their screens with the group and can dial in via an audio bridge if video isn’t convenient to them at that moment.
Simply put, if the meeting matters and collaboration is important, you’ll want the high-definition image and audio quality that only video conferencing can provide. Web conferencing works great for broadcasting a single speaker’s speech to a large audience, but if quality, reliability and dialogue are important to you, nothing beats video conferencing.
Traditionally, web conferencing has been used for traditional one-to-many communications like content sharing while video conferencing offers an engaging two-way, face-to-face interaction that resembles a real-time in person meeting. Web conferencing has historically been used when there is a large group to be addressed; events such as a training, town hall meetings and webinars. Web conferencing was also designed for individuals to join from their desktop. The options for participant interaction during a web conference is via chat, desktop sharing or a postage stamp sized video chat.
On the other hand, video conference participants can join from just about anywhere: a desktop or laptop, conference room video system, universities, home offices, mobile devices, the list goes on. Traditionally, video has been used for meetings between two different locations utilizing specialized video equipment at both locations. Blue Jeans video conferencing solution has moved beyond the boundaries of specialized conference rooms and into the mainstream offering connectivity to anyone with an internet connection and camera (or if you don't happen to have a camera handy you can even join via plain old audio!).
While the differences in these two platforms has historically been application based, today the difference between these two conferencing tools is blurring. Today, web conferencing applications are adding two-way video capabilities and video conferencing solutions are including the ability to share content and present in unison with the video. Today's worker doesn't want to have multiple tools for different meetings. A single tool that supports the needs of any meeting use case is in high demand.
Blue Jeans Web and Video Conferencing Solutions – The Game Changers
As more business users grasp the benefits of online face-to-face interactions, Blue Jeans Network is seeing the adoption of collaborative video solutions skyrocketing and being used in a number of different ways.
Blue Jeans cloud based video conferencing solution expands meeting capacity and flexibility without the expensive price tag of an on-premise solution. Blue Jeans provides room-based video conferencing support, multi-party video, audio-only capability, mobile device support, with flexible pricing to meet the needs of any organization.
Besides being a proven, cost-effective solution, Blue Jeans is a tool that IT can easily get behind. It's a win-win for everyone. Partner with Blue Jeans today for a single tool that replaces the need for separate audio, web and video conferencing solutions.