What Does Guest Mode or Host Mode Mean?
This refers to the way the webcast system (our connection which makes the recording and delivers the content to the broadcast guests) connects to the event. When people dial into the conference, they will dial in with a HOST conference ID or a GUEST conference ID. Likewise, you can instruct the webcast system to connect by dialing in as a host or as a guest in the event settings. To get to that page you would click Scheduled Events in the left side menu, then on the title of the event, and under General Settings click the link 'Event Date & Time'.
So you can think of the webcast line as the phone line that's connecting your broadcast (webcast) listeners to the call, and since broadcast (webcast) listeners are guests, in almost all situations you should set the event to GUEST MODE.
You can change the conference mode when creating the event, or anytime after creation in the Date & Time section of the Event Management area (Scheduled Events > Event Title > Event Date & Time) by choosing the Conference Line option.
Here are the exceptions to the "Always Use Guest Mode" rule:
On-hold music plays automatically into a conference when no host is connected to the call. Once a host connects - whether it's a person or the webcast line - the on-hold music stops. So if you want to play an audio into the conference without personally dialing in as a host, you'll want to set your call up in HOST MODE...otherwise on-hold music will play over your audio clip. Not pretty.
Example 1: In the 15 minutes prior to the start of your call, you wish to play your own "on-hold" music instead of the system music. Use Host Mode in this situation so that the automatic system music does not play over your audio.
Example 2: You've pre-recorded an entire event that you wish to play back to your audience as if it were live. Use host mode in this situation, too. (Exception to this exception: If you are using AutoPilot, you can still use Guest Mode.)
Example 3: You are using a 3rd-party conference call service (i.e., not the built-in conference call lines) and you want to play audios into the event. Use Host Mode in this situation so that the audios can play into the event.
If these special situations do not apply to you, or if you are unsure of what to do, select GUEST MODE.