There are a few things that a webinar can't replace.  Shaking someone's hand is one example.  Another is the clap on the shoulder as you head out the door together to grab some lunch.  While a webinar can't provide these staples of a face-to-face meeting… yet, there is one thing that previously the only way to do it was to "be there."  Application sharing through a webinar makes it possible for many heads to come together – in real-time – even though they are nowhere near each other.

Application sharing is a feature of web conferencing that allows you to share an application with all of your participants.  You can allow them to directly put their input onto whatever you are working on.  You can even allow them to take control.  Application sharing is not just another presentation tool such as document sharing or PowerPoint.  Instead of you just showing your participants what you are talking about, you allow them to interact and show you their feedback as well.

An excellent way to picture a good use for application sharing is using an Excel spreadsheet for a quarterly report.  If you have all of your departments on the conference, they can input their numbers into one sheet at the same time.  This replaces getting four or five emailed spreadsheets from each department - hopefully in the same format – then spending a few hours integrating their data into your master spreadsheet.

Think about a report due, but one that requires the information, input, and analysis of several other people.  If you shared Microsoft Word with them, you could all cut and paste your work onto the same sheet, all while searching for typos, mistakes, or unneeded information.  You could go line by line and get a consensus, they can help with corrections, and soon you have a polished insightful report.

If you think about it, having five or ten - or more - people able to simultaneously see and edit the same document couldn't happen in a face-to-face meeting.  Which means webinars using application sharing is an improvement on how we meet.  Now if we can work on that handshake thing…