Webinar software is a computer program that helps arrange, run, and manage a webinar held by one person and attended by others. This type of software is often used in extensive business presentations, as well as public unveiling of new products and online press conferences. A single license for this type of software may cover up to hundreds or thousands of users who can often be connected through the Internet or even listen over the phone. Webinar software can be fairly expensive, though it often has uses well beyond webinars and allows for other professional applications.
A webinar is a type of online seminar typically broadcast live over the Internet or a secured network. Much like a traditional seminar, it will often consist of one or more speakers who address a large crowd of individuals, with varying degrees of audience participation. There can be supplemental materials that go with the actual presentations, and the entire webinar may take several hours or even days to complete. Webinar software is typically utilized to make the process easier and more reliable, though this type of program is not always mandatory.
One of the most common features that webinar software includes is the ability to easily stream a webcam image across the Internet. This is done in a way that can be secured so only those with a password are able to access the image, much as a traditional seminar can only be viewed by paying audience members. While there are many ways for a person to host webcam broadcasts on the Internet, this added security is not always available by such means. This type of webinar software can also allow multiple streams of content to be accessed simultaneously, to provide captioning for what is being said or even text and images that accompany the primary presentation.
Webinar software can also often allow varying levels of audience participation with regard to the presentation being made. Interactive polling, questionnaires, and other features can be incorporated into a webinar broadcast to allow the audience to provide feedback and ask questions during the presentation. Since the webinar is being held in real time, the presenter can also immediately provide answers as well as expand upon points being made in his or her presentation through multimedia and links to further resources. Webinar software can also often be used for applications other than webinars, to allow videoconferencing within a company as well as make smaller presentations over long distances.