Webcasting

Webcasting:
The Easiest Way to Present on the Web

by Jon Hanke

Silicon Valley. The name brings to mind a place where high-tech movers and shakers bask in the warm California sun. But for the firms that dwell there, the truth is if you bask too long, you'll get burned.

Exemplar Logic understands this. The company produces something called synthesis software, which is used by electronics and computer engineers to test new microchip designs. Each time Exemplar Logic releases a new product, employees race to distribute information to engineers, salespeople and key clients to bring them up to speed.

Until recently, this meant sending staff into the field to conduct training seminars. But last December, the company tried a new approach: Webcasting, the live "broadcast" of an interactive presentation via the World Wide Web.

On the day of the Webcast, the main presenters gathered at the Los Angeles studio of Education News & Entertainment Network (E.N.E.N.), a service bureau that offers a Webcasting service called NetSeminar.

A few minutes before the presenters went "on the air," dozens of audience members -- including staff at Exemplar Logic's seven overseas sales offices -- typed in their passwords at the invitation-only Web site. On their screens, they saw the company's logo, along with photos of the presenters. Through their computer speakers, they heard the host welcome them to the event. And as each of the presenters took turns at the microphone, participants listened and watched a digital slideshow that was "pushed" onto their monitors.

The presentations were a Web-technology tour de force. But the real stunner came later in the production, when audience members were invited to type questions into their onscreen chat boxes for the in-studio experts to discuss.

Bev Scott, Exemplar Logic's corporate communications director, says the question-and-answer session had many of the compelling attributes of a radio call-in show. "I have a question from Bob in Wichita, Kansas," she says, imitating an announcer. "Tell me whether or not your product can do x-y-z under this kind of restraint."

Many of the questions came from Exemplar Logic's own sales force. "How do we approach the new product in our calls? What technical support will we offer? How does it compare with competitive products?" Scott says. "All these issues were discussed live, so everybody who took part got the same answer at the same time."

Mixed in with the questions were comments about the new presentation platform.

"This technology is great!" one participant typed. "I love this," wrote another.

Painless Web presentations:
The service bureaus' hook

If you're a presenter who's always on the lookout for fresh ways to get your message across, chances are you've already seen the potential -- and some of the pitfalls -- of using the Web as a live presentation medium.

You may have tried the export-to-HTML capabilities of your presentation software to post a slideshow to your Web site. If you have, then you understand how this approach -- which relies on audience members to advance the slides as you narrate over the phone -- can seem a bit rudimentary.

The same software can also reformat slideshows into self-playing files for placement on the Web (see "How Web-worthy is your presentation software?" in the November 1997 issue), but this leaves out the "live" element -- namely, you.

Specialized software, such as Software Publishing Corp.'s ActivePresenter, can let you control your presentation visuals as you speak to your audience on the phone. But the more capable products in this class -- such as Contigo Software's Itinerary (reviewed in the September 1997 issue), which provides onscreen chat capabilities, remote browser control and other advanced functions -- must be set up on an Internet server, an undertaking that requires some familiarity with computer networks (or a good friend in information services).

(Editor's note: As this issue went to press, Contigo was preparing to launch the Internet Conference Center, a turnkey Webcasting solution that allows presenters to upload slides to the Web and deliver them live, without intervention by a technician. More details to come.)

Exemplar Logic's Scott says she considered do-it-yourself server software. But even though the firm has ample server space, it doesn't have a person with the time to manage it and keep abreast of advances and new alternatives in Web presentation technology.

"Today, it's time-to-market," Scott says. "We wanted the message delivered, and we wanted it delivered in an already-perfected environment."

Hiring a service bureau isn't the least expensive route to delivering a live Web presentation. The price for a comprehensive Webcast can range from a couple thousand dollars for a small, simple show to $50,000 or more for a full-fledged multimedia event with dozens of participants.

But if you compare those prices with the cost of airfare, room rates and other expenses associated with an in-person event -- a comparison Webcast providers are understandably fond of making -- the prices don't seem so high. And when you go the full-service route, you don't have to invest in software, hardware, personnel or high-speed connections to the telephone network or Internet. That's all taken care of, leaving you to concentrate on delivering your message.

Good help isn't hard to find
-- if you know where to look

Marc Church, the senior account executive for E-Conference, compares his company's role as a Webcast service provider to that of a business wire service. "People may know how to write a press release, but they often don't know how to distribute it," he says. Likewise, most presenters can put together a good presentation -- but many lack the skills to make it work on the Web.

The trick for would-be Webcasters is to find a service bureau with the right mix of technical capabilities and event-management support for their needs. Fortunately, there are already several companies that can help with the tasks that confront you -- and the ones you haven't thought of yet.

A few good names to know:

AudioNet. The Web's biggest broadcaster of radio and TV fare, AudioNet enjoys a close relationship with RealNetworks, the makers of RealAudio and RealVideo streaming technologies. AudioNet recently added a Business Services division that specializes in live presentation Webcasts and can support Microsoft's NetMeeting in addition to presentation-graphics slideshows and RealNetworks media. AudioNet's Webcasting prices start at $500 (for a self-produced show) and range into five figures for sophisticated multimedia presentations.

Contigo Software. Contigo has paired up with American Teleconferencing Services, Intercall and other major teleconferencing service bureaus to provide conference calls that utilize Itinerary 2.1, Contigo's capable software for conducting live, telephone-based Web presentations. The company also is making its new Internet Conference Center available as a Webcasting platform for companies to brand and incorporate into their own Web sites. High-tech giants Oracle, Digital Equipment and Corel were among the first to sign on.

E-Conference. This recent startup -- a spinoff of a public relations firm -- produces Web-supported teleconference presentations for up to 100 participants. It relies on a software platform developed by M-Show and emphasizes turnkey presentation and event-management services. A basic hourlong Webcast with up to 10 people costs $1,300 to $1,500.

E.N.E.N. This San Diego-based provider of Internet training and seminar support is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marshall Industries, an industrial electronics distributor that first experimented with Internet-based training in the Web's early days. The company can produce Webcast events remotely as well as at its one-of-a-kind Los Angeles studio. Prices start at a few thousand dollars.

Envoy Global. With a bank of redundant servers, a fiber-optic connection to the Internet "backbone" and its own massive teleconferencing switch, Envoy Global is equipped to provide turnkey Webcast services for up to 300 participants. Its Internet conferencing service, Global Link, offers sophisticated polling and chat capabilities. An hourlong Webcast with 100 participants costs about $5,000.

These companies all got their start in the Web-presentation biz by catering to high-tech companies and other early adapters. Now that the Internet has moved into the cubicles of corporate America, these services are fine-tuning their fare to target clients who are less computer savvy.

The help you can expect

Webcasters provide many of the same services you'd expect if your presentation were to be held at an off-site meeting facility and managed by an event specialist. And in cyberspace, there's no need to fret about the size of the anticipated crowd.

"At the local Hilton, you have to estimate the room size and food quantities -- and pay for what you order, regardless of actual attendance," says Michael Corbett, executive director of sales and marketing for Envoy Global. "If you overestimate, you're embarrassed by the large, empty room and all the leftover croissants. If you underestimate, you turn people away -- and disappoint the guys who really wanted a third sticky bun."

In contrast, Webcast service bureaus typically base a major portion of their fees on the number of people who connect -- so any empty seats will be as invisible to your accounting department as they are to your audience.

As in any emerging service industry, you'll find a lot of variation among Webcasting firms. Some are geared toward the common presenter; others cater to big events, training seminars, high-touch affairs and other niches. The most common service-menu offerings include:

Coaching sessions.
Whether your presentation originates from an elaborate Webcast studio or your own office, you'll benefit from some guided prep time. A coaching session helps you adjust to the quirks of Web presenting -- the fact that your slides may take a few seconds to advance on your audience member's browsers, for example -- and gives you a chance to preview the show in the format most participants will see.

Media preparation.
Many Webcast service bureaus also have the resources to put together visual aids (including multimedia elements) and format them for delivery over the Web. Your three basic options:

* The static slideshow. The most common approach involves optimizing slideshows built with Power Point, Freelance Graphics or other presentation-graphics programs for Web delivery. Keep in mind that builds, sound effects and other multimedia slideshow components won't translate directly to the Web. If you want to deliver slides with motion, you'll need to enlist the help of your service bureau.

* The multimedia event. Most service bureaus can take existing audio, graphics and video and incorporate them into any Webcast -- for a price. Animation is also possible, but it requires elements to be recast as GIF animations. If you must use video, simple talking-head shots are the easiest to stream over the Web -- but remember, any motion you add won't be nearly as smooth as it is in your whiz-bang PowerPoint projector show.

* The application-sharing demo. In addition to static slideshows and custom-built multimedia, a few service providers also can provide application-sharing features á la Microsoft's NetMeeting, which is perfect for long-distance software demos. The advantage over doing it yourself? Logistical support -- and the bureau's well-connected, rock-solid server to use as a platform.

Audience invitations.
E-mail invitations and instructions are de rigueur for Webcast presentations. Some service providers make follow-up phone calls to see that everyone understands how to connect to the presentation and is equipped to participate. For teleconference-based Webcasts, service bureaus can also handle the conference call.

"All you have to focus on is your presentation -- not whether or not it will be seen," Corbett says.

Some service providers use software that requires media players or other applications to be downloaded before the show. In this case, you'll want to make sure the vendor you choose makes reminder phone calls and performs connectivity tests, if necessary.

On-air support.
Despite the Internet's quirks, you should expect a glitch-free presentation that reflects well on your organization. This means having a technical support engineer on hand who can be accessed instantly to help anyone who gets disconnected or has other difficulties.

For large events, it pays to have a service provider with the hardware to back up its promises. AudioNet, for instance, relies on a network of geographically dispersed, T1-connected Internet servers to keep presenters and audience members together. "We have 400 servers that are tied to our broadcast center," says David Burrows, marketing manager for AudioNet's Business Services division. "We try to draw the shortest distance between two points, so you don't have packet loss and other disruptions."

Online interactivity.
One of the primary benefits of doing a live Webcast presentation is the opportunity for online interactivity. Some Webcast providers supply an e-mail interface for audience members to send questions to the presenter. Others use a more sophisticated chat box -- a section of the screen in which comments can be typed and exchanged with other participants. Audience members can type in comments for everyone to read (the Webcast equivalent of the aisle microphone) or send their comments straight to the presenter.

A few service bureaus can provide the kind of interactivity you might associate with audience-response keypad systems -- opinion polls with instant results, for example. Envoy Global recently added a Raise Your Hand function, which allows audience members to click a hand icon to give a quick "show of hands" in response to a question. Another new Global Link feature is the break-out chat, in which audience subgroups can get together and shoot the breeze.

Archived Webcasts.
Most service providers will archive your Webcast on their server for future viewing by those who miss out on the live event; some can even embed a link so the on-demand presentation appears to originate from your own home page. If your main objective is to post prerecorded Web presentations, most of these service bureaus can oblige -- as can providers that specialize in this service (see "Pay-per-view Web presentations").

Finally, some Webcast service providers can give you a post-event briefing, including a list of the people who stayed through the entire presentation -- a valuable source of qualified sales leads. Other follow-up services, such as e-mail surveys, are also available.

Ready for prime time

During the past year or two, Webcasting has evolved from a high-tech curiosity into a presentation medium ready for the masses. But like any long-distance medium, it has its limitations; there will always be situations in which face-to-face meetings are the best solution.

In the spectrum of distance-presentation technology, Webcasting fits somewhere between teleconferencing and videoconferencing. With Internet-delivered graphics (and audio, in some cases -- see "The great audio debate"), a Webcast can be much more informative and engaging than a traditional teleconference. And while it might not fill the room the same way a top-end videoconferencing system with high-speed connections can, it offers certain advantages. "The experience isn't quite as powerful as a videoconference, but it's tremendously less expensive and still very effective," says Marc Mandel, president of Boulder Financial Group, a public relations firm based in Boulder, Colo.

About once a week, Boulder Financial Group teams up with E-Conference to put together a Webcast presentation to money managers, institutional investors and analysts. Mandel points out that the ubiquity of Internet-connected computers gives Webcasting an element of convenience that room-based videoconferencing can't touch.

"This is absolutely what Wall Street is looking for," he says. "This is a perfect medium for us," he concludes. "The response has been sensational -- everybody loves it."

Originally published in the March 1998 issue of Presentations magazine. If you would like a copy of this issue contact the Circulation Department at 800.707.7749 or nswanson@lakewoodpub.com.