There are a range of different ways that you can run educational events online including webinars, online workshops and conferences. A typical webinar is an online presentation held in real time, but it can usually be shared and viewed afterwards too. Webinars are a great way to host longer events, invite different guests and register in advance. There are a number of different software options available for running webinars which means there is a lot of choice to find the best platform for your organisation. An online workshop may be similar to a webinar but may have more interactive elements built in and could even take place over a number of days to make it more of an event. There are a range of different platforms that can be used to host webinars and workshop, some have been covered below:
GoToWebinar
Go to Webinar is a popular Webinar hosting platform. Go to Webinar has a number of handy features such as a chat feature, questions tab, handouts section and polls feature. Go To Webinar is a paid for platform with the starter plan costing £69 a month for webinars with up to £100 participants.
Zoom
Zoom is a platform that allows you to both host calls and webinars, depending on what plan you purchase. Zoom calls allow you to run webinar style meetings without investing in the webinar plan as it allows for screen sharing of presentations, polls, questions, chat and breakout rooms for increased engagement. You can have a free zoom account with basic features, meanwhile a basic zoom account costs £12 per user, per month which includes up to 100 participants. Meanwhile the zoom webinar plan costs £32 per user, per month.
WebinarJam
WebinarJam is an easy to use platform for those who have never used webinar hosting software in the past, it allows you to connect directly to a YouTube page, have password protected webinars, and set a range of different reminders. A basic plan costs $499 a year and allows for up to 2 presenters and 500 attendees.
Google Hangouts
Google hangouts is a free option that allows you to host a webinar for up to 30 people or stream it to Youtube to reach a wider audience.