Dimdim myScreen 6 is here!

We just upgraded all existing accounts to the new Dimdim 6 and will roll this out officially on Tuesday at 8 am ET (so keep it quiet until then)

There are tons of new features including 4-way video chat, secure document sharing, polls, mashups and dozens of other improvements we'll tell you more about next week. 

One of the coolest enhancements is the new myScreen plug-in: you can now share your entire desktop, a region of your screen or just a single application!  We've redesigned the UI for both hosts and attendees to make screen sharing even easier.

I think the best way to celebrate the new myScreen is with this video I just finished last night.  Enjoy!

Upgrading Helps You "Get Yours"

We know you love our free product and that many of you are looking for a good reason to upgrade to our paid offerings (yeah, we know our Free product is so good, why would anyone pay, right?)  Well, in addition to secure meetings, more video feeds, larger rooms and customization (to name a few) now you get an Amazon gift card pre-loaded with 20% of your Dimdim purchase price.  Finally, some cash back to get what you want this summer.  But you have to act fast to "get yours"

Here are the deets:

Buy Dimdim between now and June 30, 2010 and get an Amazon gift card back with 20% of your initial purchase price! For instance, if you buy an annual subscription to Dimdim Pro 100 with the Webinar option for $900 and enter code "getyours" in the coupon box*, we'll email you an Amazon gift certificate for $180!  It's that easy!  So act fast - buy Dimdim today online and use your gift certificate to get what you want!  Or call us at 1-617-418-1092 and a Dimdim team member will be delighted to help.

Get Yours Promo ends on June 30, 2010 - so act fast!

*Offer is available to new monthly or annual subscriptions and upgrades but only via this special coupon offer.  You must enter coupon code "getyours" in checkout to qualify.  We'll send your Amazon gift certificate within 10-14 days to the same email address you used to register Dimdim.

Because of this special money back offer, no refunds are permitted.

Note: When you enter the coupon code or click the link in the email we sent, you'll see a funny discount.    

 

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.

My morning meeting was free, my car repairs weren't

I spent this past weekend helping our team (led by Leslie Poston) to host the first PodCamp NH.  It was a fantastic two-day experience held at the beautiful New Hampton School.  Ted Pennings (@thesleepyvegan) even won a Dimdim Webinar account.  Sadly, my excitement diminished a little on the way home when my car's service engine light came on.

My challenge was the auto repair shop opens at 7:30 am Monday and I have a meeting at 8:00 am.  So  I left early to bring the car to the shop.  Instead of then finding a ride to run me to the office (which is about 45 min away), I sat down in the shop's waiting area, started my computer and joined the meeting.

For our morning meetings we use a Dimdim telephone conference bridge with the Dimdim meeting for sharing slides and video.  I dialed in with my mobile phone and used the auto repair shop's free internet access to join the Dimdim meeting.

I found a relatively quiet area and kept my finger on my phone's mute button to keep background noise to a minimum. When it was time for me to present, the meeting host gave me control of the meeting and I went through our portion of the meeting.  Controlling the slides while we alternated who spoke to each topic.

I'm used to collaborating with remote teams, but I always try to be conscious that others may not be as comfortable with it.  Just before my turn to present I repositioned my laptop so the built-in camera would show only me with the wall behind me.  Others were moving around in the waiting area and I wanted to prevent them from being seen in my video stream and possibly becoming a distraction.

The meeting went well, but as it ended I learned about the repairs needed for my car.  Unfortunately that's one thing my free web conferencing can't help me with. 

-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

Dimdim Recording Demystified

One the best kept secrets of Dimdim is that recording is available for free for all users, without anything installed on your computer (we do all the magic in our Synchrolive Cloud) and send you a URL to your recording and an embed code.  Often people ask us how to get the best video recording possible with Dimdim.  Here are the secret ingredients:

1. Get Dimdim Pro or Dimdim Webinar.  These products include a mode where you can resize the video up to 4 times larger.  Once you do, the Dimdim video looks like this to your attendees:

 

2. Now if you are not sharing any other resource, just click the record button and we'll record a much higher resolution video file.  After about 5 seconds of the following video you will be able to easily see the difference between normal and hirez video recording:

Finally, here is a Dimdim Knowledgebase article on all the different Dimdim recording modes.  Enjoy!

When Traffic Gets Bad, Web Conference with Dimdim

Last night around midnight all my phones rang (courtesy of Google Voice) and the person on the other end told me of the emergency closing of the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge.  Apparently a cable snapped and now the bridge is closed indefinitely.  This bridge carries tens of thousands of commuters to San Francisco businesses each morning with no easy alternative.  So within seconds we created our Dimdim Bay Bridge campaign: instead of dealing with the terrible traffic commute, simply Dimdim to work! 

Just go to bit.ly/bay-bridge and sign up for Dimdim in seconds.  You can hold meetings up to 20 people for free, or try Dimdim Pro or Dimdim Webinar for 30 days for free!

Just our way of helping people telecommute and stay happier!

Remember, just because you can't drive freely, you can still meet freely!

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

Have an interesting story?  Tell us about it!

We must be doing well if our biggest competitor resorts to spreading false information

David Chao of Cisco/WebEx published an article yesterday (9/16/2009) on "The Web Conferencing Blog" called "Dimdim Review".  The idea that he (as a competitor) would publish a "review" of Dimdim surprised me.  The fact that he would base his review on false information shocked me. 

Three and a half years ago Dimdim was created because the existing web conferencing tools weren't doing what the team needed and they were too expensive.  The goal was (and continues to be) to democratize web conferencing.  We want web conferencing to be available for everyone, not just large companies with big budgets.  

We not only built the technology, we built our own data centers to host the service.  

In the blog David says:

It's a testament to the work we've done if David feels our only risks are based on a relationship with Amazon (that doesn't exist.)  Dimdim can run on Amazon EC2, and a few customers have chosen to do that, but they are the exception.  David goes on to say:

I'm most offended by this article because David presents it as a "Review" of Dimdim, when in fact it's a technique some of our customers have told us the WebEx sales staff uses.  I seriously thought a company like Cisco wouldn't resort to tactics like this.

We're either being attacked for our CEO's comments that "WebEx is history" or because our work to democratize web conferencing is hitting too close to home for them.  I understand it's tough to compete with free web conferencing when you're a big expensive player, but it's not acceptable to create fiction for your arguments.

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

p.s. In the interest of fairness, I did post a comment to David's blog  around 9am EST this morning (9/17/2009) to clarify that we do not use Amazon's EC2 infrastructure, but it has since been removed.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below.