Posted on 05/21/2007 12:14:06 PM PDT by PeteePie
Just thought I'd tap the most mobile, informed, and technically savvy pool of of esoteric talent in the great US. I need to source tools for creating and hosting a Webinar for my place of employ. We're big so I we have to project technical credibility along with the message. We want to be able to play the "event" back so hosting is also a spec for this job. I've never delved into this arena of the internet realm before but I need to do it right - that's why I thought I'd take a stab at a superior solution from the minds of the Right.
- later -
I thought that’s what Instant Messaging was for............
My suggestion is to call it an online seminar, not a Webinar. (I dislike portmanteau words.)
www.effectivemeetings.com/technology/conferencing/success_webinars.asp
Offer virtual free pizza.
...you lost me at esoteric. :)
Will their be a networking function with an open bar afterwards? That’s where I get most of my business done. (ahem)
Yeah, so far so good. I’m getting good feedback. I wish I was doing one for Domino’s. Send out a scratch-n-sniff, a phone number and virtual demo the baking process. Too bad I work for a bank.
I work with MSFT Live Meeting, which works fine.
Long ago I worked with WebEx, which worked well at the time.
Other than that, you can try the big webinar players such as WebEx, Breeze by Macromedia (now Adobe), Meeting Place by Cisco, Interwise, and Placeware by Microsoft.
If you google 'web conferencing', you'll see a number of smaller alternatives as well.
The key to any successful 'webinar' is to keep the audience engaged. My advice is to get a book with good accelerated adult learning techniques. Lots of great ways to encourage questions and interaction. Good luck!
Thank you!
> I need to source tools for creating and hosting a Webinar for my place of employ. We’re big so I we have to project technical credibility along with the message.
Do you have any alternatives to a “Webinar”? I think they suck as a communications medium: even when done really well, they suck. The message will not get thru, it will only suck. Projecting technical credibility along with the message will not be possible, because of the loud sucking sound that accompanies every Webinar. That is because Webinars are a misuse of technology akin to Automated Attendant, VoiceMail, E-Mail and Texting. The latest on a long list of things NOT TO DO with Technology.
There is no way to make them un-suck. They suck majorly and their vaccuum cannot be easily broken. There are better ways to deliver the message, surely?
We’ve used Webex and GoToMeeting for demo’s and training.
Seems to be quicker on gotomeeting.
Hardest thing for me to deal with is lack of feedback from the auduence. As a trainer and presenter, I usually llok out at the peoples faces to see if they get it.
In webinars and gotomeetings, that isn’t possible.
Best idea - practice,practice,practice, record one and show it to someone who isn’t familiar with the material. If they have questions incorporate those area’s into your presentation as well. That way you don’t leave out critical info for dummies.
>>Too bad I work for a bank.<<
Forget Domino’s. Offer free money!
We use the following service:
It also has a recording feature — although we use a third party program — Camtasia — to record. After that, the recorded file has to be converted to the playback media of your choice.
> Your take is actually right on the money. Our marketing group pushed back with politically correct sentiment along these same lines. People will “multitask” (read “sleep”) during the thing but sales people seem to need to blame their downturns on something, might as well be “gee, if we had a decent on-line seminar, the products would sell themselves!”
Sadly, I speak from experience. I was told to “Webinar” rather than do what Salesmen should do — visit clients in-person — and the results sucked. The company lost squillions of dollars because clients do not like to be Webinar’ed. Indeed, they find the technology intrusive, obnoxious and arrogant. Who wants to be talked down to by a machine, anyrate??
The “Webinar” concept didn’t do my commissions one bit of good! And the moron at the top of the chain somehow just couldn’t believe that his Webinar idea actually sucked.
Best advice? Resist the indignity of Webinars are hard as you possibly can: you will be doing your company’s shareholders a huge favor.
LOL. From your diatribe, I gather that smoke signals are your preferred method for distance learning.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.