Ten years ago, nobody knew what web conferencing was.  The closest proxy for them to associate with was video, which over a 56K modem sucked.  Just saying.

Now broadband adoption, easy-to-use tools that boneheads like me can use, and cheap cameras put everybody in the video biz (remember what hard-drive recordings did for musicians in the late 80’s/early 90’s). 

When I look at a chart like this, I’m thinking three things:

1.  Makes sense.  Marketers want to go where the people go.

2.  “Webcasts” get lumped in w/podcasts, which is missing a key distinction that web seminars bring to the table (along w/social): live  human-to-human dialogue.  POWERFUL for influence.

3.  Prognosis is good for this jumpstarting many, many new people to have interest in the world of presenting online.  When I speak live the polls show that people attending their FIRST webinar is still well into double digits.

The good news:  this is solid growth in many categories.  And given the source of the study, no doubt delineating the power of live dialogue wasn’t part of the questions they were asking respondents.

The best news:  I like presenting virtually because I can kiss my kids goodnight and sleep in my own bed.  And I can interact with 500 people in ways you can’t do in person.

You?