Communicating with others through computers used to be the stuff of science fiction. Today it's a reality.

With today's technology, people can make face-to-face connections via computers whether they're located in the next office building or across the globe.

Photographer: Andres Rodriguez | Agency: Dreamstime Companies are increasingly reying on video Web conferencing for presentations and meetings.

Today more than ever, businesses are relying on Web conferences and Web seminars, called Webinars, as an economic and convenient communication solution. As technology becomes more affordable, more businesses are opting for these events over the high cost of business travel.

Instead of the expense and inconvenience of gathering a large group of people into an auditorium for a large presentation, now everyone can get together via a Webinar where participants simultaneously listen to speakers via computers. For smaller groups, real-time interaction between participants is available.

Webinars are a great and cost-efficient way to communicate with sales staff, shareholders, outside technicians and others over the Web. It eliminates the need for expensive travel arrangements and auditorium setup costs. Salespeople can use Webinars to connect with potential customers [source: Business.com].

Business managers have created innovative ways to use Web conferencing and Webinars for marketing new products and sales meetings. Companies can Web conference with other branches, offices or individual employees [source: AskMen.com].

To create a successful video Web event today, little more is needed than a computer, a Web camera (Webcam) and an Internet connection. Costs and complexity vary depending on conference requirements.

Holding a virtual meeting allows participants to exchange documents and work on a "whiteboard" where pictures, files and graphics can be downloaded [source: Computer Science at Columbia University].

In this article, we're going to talk about the technical requirements for video Web events along with how to plan and set up video Web events.