An editor e-mailed me today asking,
Which of these words is preferred with “webcast”? Does one join a webcast? Attend a webcast? Watch a webcast?
I replied,
I would say that you watch or view a webcast. (Unless it’s audio only, of course.)
You might attend a Web seminar or meeting. The word “attend” implies some degree of presence and maybe interactivity, whereas a webcast is more often something that you passively consume.
To me, join is best used to describe the specific act of logging in or connecting to a Web event.
I may be wrong, but I don’t think so.
Wade Rockett 