Are your presentation slides hurting your webinar?

 You host a webinar.  Attendance is great.  Your speaker is excellent.  Maybe chat interaction is great.  But you still feel something didn't quite click...maybe it's your slide deck?

I've noticed recently the old PowerPoint 6x6x6 (or 7x7x7) rules still in use...No more than six bullets per slide, no more than six words per line, etc.  Even if you follow those rules, you're still creating a presentation destined to put all but your most avid followers to sleep (or at least encourage them to multitask during your webinar.) 

I'm a huge fan of using images with little or no text.  If you're talking to the slides there's no need to repeat the text there.  Find some good photos to make it more engaging. (I typically find my best images by doing a search for creative commons images on Flickr.)

There's plenty of great advice out there.  Brain Rules for Presenters on SlideShare is one example of excellent, pratical advice:

 

-k
Kevin Micalizzi, Community Manager
Dimdim Web Conferencing
e: kevin@dimdim.com
twitter: @dimdim
facebook: dimdim.com/facebook

Win an Apple iPad with Dimdim!

UPDATE: April 12, 2009

Our first iPad winner is Dimdim ID lifeinparadise

We'll contact you via email.  In the meantime, we're ready to giveaway more iPads.  Just keep tweeting and signing up!

 

That's right, Dimdim can help you get a new Apple iPad!

Simply sign up for a 30-day Dimdim Pro trial via this URL or 30-day Dimdim Webinar trial via this URL and you instantly qualify to win the new Apple iPad!  It's that simple. 

You will fall in love with Dimdim, the easy, open, affordable web conferencing tool while you wait to get your iPad.  We'll pick a winner in the next week, so sign up now!  No credit card required.

And tell all your friends via this Twitter link about our contest - if we reach 5x our normal daily signups by Tuesday we'll give away 5 iPads! So tweet away to increase your chances of winning!

(And we'll determine if there is enough buzz & excitement to build Dimdim for iPad)  Stay tuned!

Retweet To Give: Help the American Cancer Society (#dimdimgives)

The nominations are in and the American Cancer Society (@americancancer) was the clear choice for our Retweet To Give charity.  Now for the fun part, raising $2,500 together.

Here's how it works.  Every time someone takes one of the actions below, I get to add more money to our donation. 

Tweet or Retweet the message below (each tweet = $0.10 donated by Dimdim):

This tweet=$0.10 for @americancancer. Plz retweet to raise more. http://bit.ly/dimdimgives #dimdimgives

Try Dimdim & Raise Money

Have everyone you know use our special Dimdim sign up link.  Whether they're signing up for Dimdim Free web conferencing, starting a free 30-day trial of Dimdim Pro or Dimdim Webinar, or purchasing an account, using the link means more money donated.  

• Sign Up for Dimdim Free = $0.10 donated by Dimdim
  
• Sign Up for Dimdim Pro or Dimdim Webinar Trial = $1 donated by Dimdim
• Buy Dimdim Pro Monthly = $15 donated by Dimdim
• Buy Dimdim Webinar Monthly = $25 donated by Dimdim
• Buy Dimdim Pro Annual = $60 donated by Dimdim
• Buy Dimdim Webinar Annual = $120 donated by Dimdim

Or you can give them this link:

http://bit.ly/dimdimcaresaboutcancer

That's it! We just need to get people to tweet/retweet or sign up using the special Dimdim sign up link.  Every time someone does, I get to donate more money to the American Cancer Society (@americancancer.)

Thanks!

-k
Kevin Micalizzi, Community Manager
Dimdim Web Conferencing
twitter: @dimdim

p.s. I know it's exciting to raise money for a good cause, but I won't be able to count scripted/automated tweets.  It's best if you tweet and just get your friends to retweet.

---

Money Raising Tweets!

 

Dimdim web conferencing, giving thanks to you

With the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, I can't help but think about all the things I'm personally thankful for, like family and friends.  From a Dimdim perspective I'm thankful for the most important part of our business, you.

Whether you're one of the hundreds of thousands of Dimdim customers who have referred friends, the thousands following @dimdim on Twitter, or the millions who have met using Dimdim -- Thank You!

Building a collaboration platform and company to challenge an industry is incredibly exciting, but seeing how Dimdim is being used and shared makes it worth the effort!  We are taking steps to give back to you: from Dimdim Free referrals letting you increase your room size; to Dimdim Pro & Webinar referrals now letting you make money -- but it's always worth stopping to explicitly say thanks!

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

Thanks!

-k
Kevin Micalizzi, Community Manager
Dimdim Web Conferencing
e: kevin@dimdim.com
twitter: @dimdim

Make Easy Money with Dimdim

We just added a new benefit to Dimdim Pro and Dimdim Webinar accounts: free money!

That's right - now simply refer friends and colleagues to try or buy Dimdim and you can earn big money. Like up to $120 per referral!  And there is no limit to the amount of cash you can earn!  And just like everything else about Dimdim we made it super easy. 

Just watch this video for all the details and start earning cash today!

What's more, we automatically put $25 into all Dimdim Pro and Dimdim Webinar accounts and have sent these paying customers an email today detailing their own special referral code with a built-in coupon to promote Dimdim Webinar and help their friends save big. Check your email and spam filter for a message from Dimdim Web Conferencing to get all the details and act fast because that coupon code expires on Dec 15th.

Preparing for the flu: Avoid 'SOS' - sick office syndrome

Last Friday DD Ganguly, our CEO, guest blogged on Silicon Valley Watcher - Avoiding 'SOS' - sick office syndrome.  As he mentions, the first precaution the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists in their worker guidelines this flu season is:

Stay at home if you are sick. The HHS/CDC recommends that workers who have a fever or chills and a cough or sore throat to stay at home until 24 hours after their fever ends (defined as 100 degrees Fahrenheit [37.8 degrees Celsius]), without the use of medication.

 The OSHA employer guidance recommends planning for "social distancing" if disease severity increases, including:

• Consider using flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting and staggered work schedules to reduce the number of workers who need to come into work at the same time.
  
• Think about ways to eliminate face–to–face meetings between staff and with clients – use conference calls, webcasts, and other technologies to conduct meetings.

Hopefully we won't reach a level of increase severity, but it's better to be prepared if that happens.  Dimdim free web conferencing lets you meet with up to 20 people as often as you need, without costing you anything.  It includes a free telephone conference call number, the ability to share your desktop, slides, whiteboard, and web pages. 

If you are new to the concept of web conferencing, watch this video. Then see our Getting Started pages to learn more.

 

What steps are you taking to protect yourself and your company?  Having suffered through the flu myself recently, I've been spending time helping customers do everything they can to be ready.  I'd love your thoughts too.

 

-k
Kevin Micalizzi, Community Manager
Dimdim Web Conferencing
e: kevin@dimdim.com
twitter: @dimdim

Experience the Dimdim Live Webinar!

Preparing for the flu: Plan now

Large and small companies will benefit from some advance planning for dealing with the flu pandemic.  To help you get started, the US Department of Homeland Security has published Planning for 2009 H1N1 Influenza: A Preparedness Guide for Small Business and multiple agencies collaborated on Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Businesses and Employers which has even more information and resources.  Some of the core planning steps include:

• defining the appropriate contacts
• reviewing your policies
• setting priorities
• establishing business continuity plans
  
• communicating clearly

The primary guidance for sick employees is to stay home.  Even while home, employees who feel up to it can continue working with the aid of technology.  In my time home sick (when I wasn't resting) I took several steps to stay available:

• run instant messaging application(s) to be available to coworkers for quick questions and conversations
  
• check email at regular intervals
• use telephone/Skype for necessary calls
• use Dimdim web conferencing for sharing resources and collaborating

In my experience with the flu, I wasn't able to work the entire time I was home, but there were periods of time where I had enough concentration and energy to get some work done.  By having tools available to assist me that I'm comfortable with, I was able to contribute again well before it was safe for me to return to the office.

If you're new to web conferening, get familiar with it before you need it.  You can start by creating a Dimdim free web conferencing account, then take a look at the resources in our Dimdim Getting Started section.  Go through some of the video tutorials and most importantly take the time to do some practice sessions with friends or coworkers.

Stay healthy and good luck!

-k
Kevin Micalizzi, Community Manager
Dimdim Web Conferencing
e: kevin@dimdim.com
twitter: @dimdim

Experience the Dimdim Live Webinar!

Preparing for the flu: 4 Conference Call Tips

Today is my first day back to the office, so the flu still dominates my thoughts.  Last week I talked about how Webinars don't share flu germs.  Today, let's focus on one of the most basic collaboration tools - the telephone conference call.  If you don't already have a conference call number, sign up for a Dimdim free web conferencing account.  Every account includes a free telephone conference call number.

Most people are comfortable using a telephone and it can be the fastest way to bring a group together.  Meeting by phone can also challenge anyone's attention when the meetings run long or whether there are complex topics being discussed.  Here are some tips I've found work well in making my meeting more productive:

• Work from an agenda.  It helps to give the meeting structure and keep people focused.  An agenda sent before the meeting lets people think about the topics to be covered. 
• Everyone says their name before speaking, every time. Some people are incredibly good at distinguishing voices.  I'm personally not one of them, so I go out of my way to say "This is Kevin..." each time I speak.  It gets redundant, but no one gets confused over who said it.
  
• Split the responsibilities.  Being a call moderator can take your full attention by itself.  Having someone responsible for keeping an eye on the clock can help prevent a 30 minute meeting from taking 60 minutes.
• Share your desktop to focus attention.  To help keep the meeting focused, I've often done things as simple as sharing my desktop in Dimdim with Microsoft Word open so people can see the agenda and my meeting notes as I type.  It's a visual reminder during the meeting and gives everyone a record after the meeting of what was discussed and what actions are needed.  [To make it a bit easier on the eyes, I'll typically Zoom the document in to about 160%.  It also gives the added benefit of keeping people's eyes on the portion of the notes you're focused on.]

For those used to web conferencing, this advice may be a bit "old school".  I'm a huge fan of making it as easy as possible.  Most people are able to make a call and click a link to see visuals.  If it works, why not take advantage of that.

 

Stay healthy! Good luck!

-k
Kevin Micalizzi, Community Manager
Dimdim Web Conferencing
e: kevin@dimdim.com
twitter: @dimdim

Experience the Dimdim Live Webinar! Register at:
http://www.dimdim.com/aboutus/events.html

Learn the secret to a great web meeting

What is the secret to a great web meeting?

Wayne Turmel, the president of www.greatwebmeetings.com, offers his suggestions for a great web meeting.

Any meeting is great if it does three things:

1. Accomplishes what it set out to do
2. Doesn’t take longer than necessary
3. Doesn’t bore everyone to tears
   

First, you have to decide what it is you want the meeting to do and why a web meeting is the best way to accomplish it. Take the time to plan your meeting:

• Who will participate? Do you want everyone to be able to speak at once or do you want them to use the Chat feature to comment and ask questions?  Most importantly… do the people you invited need to be there? Nothing drives an audience crazier than being forced to attend a web meeting they have no opinion about, input into or stake in. 
• What information needs to be shared and how will you share it? (Think collaboration tools, PowerPoint files, application sharing, documents). Pick the best way to make your point quickly.
• How long is your meeting? Anything over 40 minutes and you’re on borrowed time. Remember, two short meetings are much more productive than one long one. If you can share some information or get people thinking about topics before the meeting it can speed things up considerably. Preparation is key.
• Have you told them what to expect? Always let the audience know what the expected outcome is and how long you expect it to take. If they know it will be an hour, and at the end of it you’ll have a decision on the Johnson project, they’re more willing to hang in there than if they have no idea how long the pain will last or what the meeting is about.
• Are you building in chances for people to participate? The more you actively engage them, the longer they’ll stay interested. If it’s a one way data dump, you’ll lose them shortly. Think about asking questions that require written input, you can have them vote agree/disagree with their response buttons, if their microphones are live, let them talk and ask questions as you go instead of holding them til the end. RULE OF THUMB… you should never go more than 3-4 PowerPoint slides without some kind of interaction with your audience, even if it’s just checking in to see who’s still awake.
• Have you practiced? Nothing kills a presentation like lots of ummm, errrs, looking for lost notes or sounding like you’re reading off the page. Practice the important pieces of your presentation, make notes to yourself, and don’t be afraid to move your arms, talk loudly and look up from your script. These things all add colour to your voice. And reading your slides or notes over to yourself is not practicing. Practice out loud… in real time….. a lot.

Wayne Turmel is the president of www.greatwebmeetings.com, a company that specializes in helping people use web-based presentation tools to do more than simply present, but to communicate and connect. He is also the host of the Cranky Middle Manager Show podcast, and doesn’t suffer bad meetings well. He can be reached at +1 630 347-8369 or wturmel@greatwebmeetings.com

Using free HR webinars to reach new customers

I recently had a chance to speak with Erik Bartz, Marketing Manager at Pivotal HR Solutions.  To better reach potential customers, Erik started a program offering free webinars.   Like many companies they use Dimdim to provide sales demos, but Erik wanted to do more to develop better relationships with their prospective customers.

Once a month they host a webinar on relevant HR topics.  (They even offer a full list of topics with descriptions on their site.) While some companies we work with use this type of webinar to move into new markets, for Erik it's about better reaching customers in the Toronto area. 

Many companies are looking to move their events online like Erik has done, so I asked how he manages the sessions and what he recommends.  For each of their webinars, Erik acts as host and moderator.  He uploads the presentations, manages the microphones for the consultants presenting, and monitors the public (text) chat.  He even puts a placeholder slide at the front of the slide deck for the attendees that join the meeting before the presentation begins and to remind himself to hit the 'Record' button.

Each consultant presents on their topic for about 15-20 minutes before they take questions from attendees.  Erik’s found that having another person control the slides and use the laser pointer to highlight key items frees up their consultants to focus on the topic.

When someone registers for these sessions, they get a confirmation email, then starting 3 days before the event they get daily reminders, with the final reminder going 1 hour before event.  Erik has found this helps to promote good attendance. 

When Erik was looking for a platform to help him make this happen, he started with Dimdim Free.  Once he was comfortable Dimdim suited their needs, he purchased a Dimdim Pro account primarily for the ability to add their own logo to the meeting room.  He also set up a redirect to a satisfaction survey when attendees exit the webinar.

Attendance to their webinars continues to grow.  If you're in the Toronto area and are looking for HR solutions, check out their HR Resource Centre.

Thanks,

-k
Kevin Micalizzi, Dimdim Community Manager
e: kevin@dimdim.com / Twitter: @dimdim

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