I have a confession. I’m itching to do a webinar. Blame Lewis Howes. But I think presenting information real-time is a great way to get feedback and help evolve your thoughts on your topic.
I haven’t moved forward with a webinar yet for a few reasons, but one is by far the biggest. It’s my #1 buying decision lever: Price. Most webinar services offer a 30-day trial, but after that the price skyrockets based on the number of attendees you have attend.
And to be really honest, I’ve used most of the big-guys at one time or another in the past and have been less than impressed.
So my ears perked up this week when I heard that Slideshare was making a splash into the webinar space with their Zipcast offering. You can hear more from Slideshare’s CEO here about the reasoning behind it (and also a lot of disclaimers that this is version 1.0, so expect more in the future as they gather feedback from those folks using the service).
But I heard a lot of positive things that got me pretty excited.
Pros:
- Presentations presented right in the browser- no downloads required (let’s just say- this is HUGE)
- You can start a webinar anytime with just 1-click
- Presenter audio/video capability
- Unlimited participants (hola!)
- A simple, shareable URL to the main social platforms
- A built-in chat feature
- Nearly instantaneous transitions between slides
- The preminum account option is $19/month- MUCH cheaper than other alternatives
Cons:
- No recording feature (yet): This is by far the biggest disadvantage I see
- No multi-presenter option
- No scheduling option
- Participants can move ahead if they want too (I consider this a con because as a presenter you lose could lost control if participants are finding you less than engaging)
I plan on using this platform for an upcoming webinar on March 5th. If you aren’t already a Blot Insider, be sure to enter your email address on the sidebar to your right to get more information about it.
Have you used Zipcast yet? What are your initial impressions?
