If only they can carry through on this promise. Unfortunately, my experience with technical product marketing leads me to expect that the actual demonstration will be as quick as advertised, but will be sandwiched between another 20 minutes of introduction, marketing pitches, company background, and audience exhortations.

I hope I'm wrong. It would be SO fun to hear about a live interactive webinar that honestly lasted three minutes!

Click here to join Professionals in Web Conferencing.

You need to have an active account on LinkedIn. But honestly, if you are a business professional and don't have a LinkedIn account, you are way behind the curve anyway!

Learn more about the behind the scenes of this event and how we reached 7,000 people behind the "Great Firewall of China":

http://www.connectsolutions.com/blog/2009/11/16/obamainchina/

I'm not a security expert nor a Flash developer, so I won't comment on the technical aspects of the warning. At first glance, it looks like web conferencing applications shouldn't be a problem... The concern is for malicious Flash applications specifically built to be run on their own in a web browser and possibly camouflaged inside other things such as images.

But the "shot across the bow" comes near the end of the article where the interviewed security expert, Mike Bailey, says "users should disable Flash completely or use NoScript, a browser plug-in that blocks Flash and Java from untrusted sites."

Flash is becoming a much more common base platform for web conferencing technologies. Vendors like it because they don't have to make multiple versions for different operating systems and it can significantly speed and ease access times and operations compared to computer-installed applications (such as WebEx or Live Meeting client installs). Connect Pro, omNovia, ON24, VoxWire, and many others have made big investments in running their web conferencing packages as Flash applications.

The typical quote that all these vendors rely on is Adobe's assertion that 98-99 percent of all Internet-connected computers already have the Flash Player installed and ready to use. But if companies start turning off access to Flash content as a standard security measure, web conferences are going to turn into tech support nightmares. If you rely on Flash and a presenter or attendee can't run Flash, they are out of luck. There is no fallback workaround.

I've run into isolated instances of Flash-blocked webinar attendees in the past. This is particularly prevalent in high security locations such as medical and financial organizations. Their only solution is to move to another computer outside the security restrictions of their organization. And that doesn't go over very well when you are trying to reach a business worker in the middle of her work day.

If IT departments decide to take the safe and easy route - just block all Flash so we don't have to worry about it - there are a lot of web conference vendors and users who are going to be in a world of hurt. I'll be keeping my eye on developments.

Coach Nick has a saying, “All things being equal, people buy from those they like and those that are most like them.” Hey Coach Nick, how do I become more like my prospects and contacts? Look to DiSC®, a methodology to help you tune into your prospect’s communication style – their tonality, speed, words they use, whether their approach is primarily visual, auditory or kinesthetic. The feedback is designed to:

* Enhance your communication with those that possess a differing style than
   yours
* Increase your sales due to your ability to match/mirror all types of buyers
* Improve your negotiation because you’ll learn strategies that motivate each
   of the four styles to buy

Please listen to the archive and be prepared to think, learn, explore alternatives, and leave with fresh ideas for increasing the new business results of your company and the performance of your entire team. Packed full of thought-provoking sales management strategies, you will take away ideas to implement immediately.

Click here to watch the webcast archive!

The percentage of show attendees that will meet our unique target profile might be quite small. Gone are the days of blanketing a list of 6000 attendees with a direct mail postcard inviting all of them to your booth number. Many exhibitors are pairing that list of 6000 down to 1,500 to 2,500 defined prospects. Though this allows us to do a much better job of aiming our resources, the MicroCasting concept pushes us one step closer.

Ponder this, if you were able to orchestrate 10 meetings with just the right 10 attendees and in those 10 meetings established post show activities with each of them, wouldn’t that in itself justify your exhibit spend? BOTTOM LINE – We can’t let the masses get in the way of our primary objective – “The Critical 10″.

Click here to watch the webcast archive!

You’ll learn:

• The project steps to putting on a webinar and
   who does what with which and to whom

• Tips for getting the right people to attend

• Tips to be a better online presenter

• Why you’ll get better reaction after the event than during

Click here to watch the webcast archive!

Here’s some highlights:

• Understand how simple humans are limited in their aiblity to absorb information.

• Grasp why audiences easily become frustrated and overwhelmed by most presentations.

• Learn how to create great PowerPoints to your advantage!

Click here to watch the webcast archive!

Here’s a recap:

• What is technology doing to us? Is it making us stupid? Learn the amazing things brain researchers are discovering about just how much we can take. The results of those studies will surprise you.

• The vast amount of misinformation on the internet is really a crime. Learn who’s trying to pick your pocket. We’ll name names and take prisoners so that they don’t take you to the cleaners.

• Discover what is starting to make Google nervous and why it’s a cautionary tale for you as well. It’s not what you think.

If you answer yes to any of these then you need to look into web meetings software like GoToMeeting. Just think for a moment how much it costs to attend a meeting across town. There's the cost of gas, usually food and the time before and after the meeting wasted traveling. With a web meeting solution like GoToMeeting, you can sit down at your computer with a cup of coffee, join the meeting with all of your office at your disposal and it is really easy to quickly add someone into the meeting at the last minute instead of the logistics of getting them there which usually results in another meeting being scheduled.

If you have questions, just check out the other articles in this blog for information on how it works and how it compares to its competition.

When using VoIP for your meeting, audio quality can vary based on your audio software/hardware manufacturer as well as your operating system.

 Listed in order from best quality to poor quality

USB headset connected to your computer

Headphones and USB microphone connected to your computer

Analog headset connected to your computer

Headphones and analog microphone connected to your computer

External speakers and USB microphone

External speakers and analog microphone

Laptop built-in microphone and speakers

External speakers and USB Webcam microphone

Avoiding Call Echo

• A USB headset is recommended
• Built-in or external speakers can cause echo. We recommend reducing the speaker volume to a low level.
• Webcams with microphones can pick up additional noise and cause echo. Using a Webcam for your audio is not recommended.
• Laptops with built-in microphones: Built-in microphones can pick up noise and cause echo. Using a built-in microphone for your audio is not recommended.
• Echo from an attendee: If you suspect echo from an attendee, check who is talking at the bottom of the Audio pane and mute that attendee or ask the attendee to lower his or her speaker volume.
• Reduce background noise

Avoiding Background Noise

• A meeting is best presented from a quiet location.
• If using a microphone, move the microphone closer to your voice and away from competing sounds (i.e., computer fans).
• Avoid moving or touching the microphone during your meeting.
• A good quality headset is recommended. Webcams and built-in microphones can pick up noise and are not recommended.

Dropped Words, Delay, Robotic Sound

Dropped words, delay or robotic sound is often due to poor network performance, lack of memory or high CPU usage.

• Close all applications you are not using for your presentation.

A dial-up Internet connection can cause poor performance. For optimum performance when using VoIP, we recommend a broadband Internet connection.