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Re: Web conferencing/webinar tool recommendations needed
Subject:Re: Web conferencing/webinar tool recommendations needed From:Gregory P Sweet <gps03 -at- health -dot- state -dot- ny -dot- us> To:Fekete Robert <frobert -at- balabit -dot- hu> Date:Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:24:26 -0400
Robert,
Don't start with tools. Start with the theory and practice of delivering
training online.
There are right ways and not-so-right ways to deliver the training.
We've successfully converted our entire classroom based curriculum to a
synchronous curriculum. I'd be happy to chat with you off-line and share
our experiences.
I deliver training primarily on web-based custom applications.
That being said here's a few things about tools:
1. They all need something (java, flash, active X, a plugin, etc.) to work.
I've never seen any product that functions without some kind of add-on.
(though many that use Java claim not to need anything else as they assume
Java to be installed on all PCs.)
2. Running this stuff from your own servers is far more trouble than it is
worth. We've used a hosted services for more than a year now and have had
zero problems. When we hosted a service internally we had a never ending
litany of problems up to and including the switch that connected the server
to the network failing in the middle of an executive meeting.
3. Review you licensing options very carefully. You could end up paying a
lot more for services you thought you already had.
4. If your classes are going to be interactive at any level, full-duplex
VoIP only. Half-duplex will be cheaper but you'll regret it in the long
run.
Gregory P. Sweet
Health Media Training Specialist
Certified Synchronous Facilitator
techwr-l-bounces+gps03=health -dot- state -dot- ny -dot- us -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com wrote on
07/04/2007 05:21:26 AM:
> Dear List,
>
> My company has decided to create web presentations about our software
> products, and I have won the assignment to find the right tool for the
task.
>
> I would be most interested in your experience with such tools, and any
> particular recommendations. I have summarized our requirements below:
>
> The main goal is to bring our existing training materials online as
> presentations + live narratives from the instructor, with the attendees
> asking questions (text chat is Ok, but voice chat would be preferred).
>
> - should be able to create interactive (chat) and non-interactive
> presentations from the same source if possible
> - hosted on our local server if possible
> - attendees should need only a web browser
> - should run on Linux ("big names" like WebEx, Adobe Connect, or
> Netviewer seem to support only Windows)
> - low-cost or open source solutions preferred, but other solutions
> welcome as well
> - desktop sharing and whiteboarding not necessary, but nice-to-have
>
> Thank you very much for your help.
>
> Robert
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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