Videoconferences offer a more personal atmosphere, but participants must travel to special videoconference centers. The cost is high, especially if long-distance lines to multiple sites are required, and participants ordinarily wait days for transcripts. The economic benefits of cybercasting stem from its ability to reach people through personal computers via the Internet. Cybercast participants can hear and read the speaker's words. If they miss anything, they can scroll the text back for review, and can highlight specific points in the text.
Participants can type out and transmit questions to the speakers.
Because the audio is one-way, they cannot engage in dialogue or interrupt the speakers. If a cybercast is archived, the entire communication, including transcript, audio and graphics, can be revisited. An ordinary phone call links the speaker to a cybercasting service provider. The audience connects to the meeting through PC browsers, eliminating the need for special equipment and the expense of multiple long-distance phone hookups. To prevent eavesdropping, access can be limited to a list of authorized attendees.