Difference Between Webinar and Online Meeting

 There are plenty of applications and tools available to help people communicate over the internet. With both webinars and online meetings  both gaining popularity.

Aren't webinars and online meetings the same thing? What's the difference?

Online-meeting

In online meeting , a small group of people collaborate over web using audio, video and screen sharing to conduct discussion. Online meetings allow multiple participants to join a shared virtual space and hold a meeting in a similar way to how they would in a real life meeting room.

Webinar

A webinar is a "web -session" organized by a host as informative session for large number of audience. The name comes from running a seminar on the web hence 'webinar'. It usually includes a registration page for gaining leads and following up with the participants after the event, be it a training session, presentation and product launch.

The Difference

Online meeting and webinar are also different in matter of controls to host and participants ,  usability of web, features, pricing and many more. Online meetings are just meetings that you attend online, you will likely to be expected to participate and will probably need to be on camera along with everyone else attending. A webinar on the other hand is a presentation to a larger group. While there are opportunities for audience participation in  a webinar, the features need to be used strategically. You will not be expected to appear on camera or talk, and can instead focus on taking in the information being presented to you. 

 Online meeting features allow you to

• Meet with up to 25 people
• Use audio-visual features
• Record the meeting.

Webinar features allow you to

• Allow for a presentation up to 500 people
• Several features that you would want to use in a webinar to allow your audience to interact.
• Polls & Surveys allow your audience to weigh in on your presentation.
• Moderated Q & A allow your audience to ask questions and clarify information.
• Social Media Sharing allows you to advertise your webinar to as many people as possible. Unlike an online meeting where the participants are  specially invited.