Webinars are changing the way people learn, communicate and collaborate. Most people now prefer online video versus a downloadable book or e-file as there is a “live” interaction component.  Interaction may be via actual audio questions, chat room, e-mail or, in advanced systems, write and share information right on screen with all participants.

 Click Here To Set Up A Webinar! 

Webinar hardware and software has now advanced enough that almost anyone can create one – even from home!  Quality will vary greatly though depending upon the combination of internet bandwidth (no dial up allowed!), camera, microphone and setting.  Having set up and participated in point-to-point, broadcast and individual video conferences, the professionalism comes through loud and clear.

When do you need to use a webinar?

Since webinars providers have all sorts of packages, most of them base their rates on the number of participants and fequency of use.  If your needs are occasional, then Instant Teleseminar and low cost Dimdim would be a good bet.  If you need to have regular meeting for 20-50 people, a larger service provider like Omnovia or Megameeting are your choice.

What about a LARGE webinar?

I’ve recently been on webinars where there were over 1,000 participants from 26 countries.  Needless to say, the bandwidth to host that kind of streaming video is not for johnny-come-latelies!  The veterans/gorillas on the block are Cisco’s Webex and high-end Telepresence which offers an immersive setting if needed.  You will pay the price for their expertise, so be sure to compare your needs to the A/V budget.

For any webcast beyond a one-to-one, I recommend working with a webinar provider that supports the following:

• Chat room for live questions
•  Audio/Video recording for upload and playback
•  Polling feature – get a read on needs or answer to specific question
•  Skype type connectivity to allow direct audience participation and add element of direct contact.
•   Browser based so no special equipment or software is needed

Depending upon the size of your audience, there are large and smaller, nimble companies ready to take care of your webinar.  I recommend the following six brands for their combination of pricing, services and customer support:

• Megameeting    Megameeting 
• Omnovia    Omnovia  
• Instant Teleseminar    Instant teleseminar 

• DimDim     Signup for Dimdim now! 

• Webex   http://preview.tinyurl.com/yeneatl 

• Cisco’s Telepresence   http://preview.tinyurl.com/22z7cz

Web meeting and webinar tips – Social Media In Learning Blog

Running a web meeting or webinar is now quite a commonplace activity, but how can you run a successful or impactful session? A number of recent articles have provided some guidance to best practice as well as tips for presenters.

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