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Bright Ideas for Webinars
By Brett Burney
September 06, 2007
The following article is excerpted from “Bright Ideas for Webinars” by Brett Burney, posted on Law.
com on September 6, 2007
Technology’s Holy Grail may well be Web conferencing. Whether via Dick Tracy-esque
wristwatches, telephones or computer networks, we crave the ability to leapfrog miles and visually
interact with each other in real time. But historically, clarity of voice and picture haven’t been easy
to capture.
Most law firms have some form of videoconferencing system — usually consisting of large-screen
television sets on hulking rolling carts. Videoconferences are established over Internet protocol
networks or integrated services digital network lines, using primary rate interface. These systems
will stay around for a long time, because a whole industry has grown up around them and the
standards for communicating with other systems are well established.
But many users are turning to their computers for "Webinars," where participants use their phones
for audio and their computers to display the presentation. With the increasing availability of
inexpensive, industrial-strength broadband Internet access, the quality of Web conferences is
getting better — fueling a proliferation of services to help users record and broadcast
presentations, demonstrate software and even take depositions.
Leading the charge are technology vendors, who often use Webinars for sales and training. The
advantages are obvious: The vendor can virtually demonstrate wares without the time and travel
costs of an in-person visit. Likewise, these Webinars are being used to provide online continuing
legal education classes, through companies such as Legalspan and ALM’s Law.com CLE Center a
sibling of Law Technology News.
Most services offer similar tools: the ability to demonstrate software, show and annotate Microsoft
Corp.’s PowerPoint presentations, share your computer’s desktop, use instant messaging,
collaborate on and annotate documents and use "whiteboards".
Here are some of the Web conferencing services currently available in the marketplace: …
GoToMeeting, now part of Citrix Systems Inc., is all about simplicity. The company’s slogan, "All you
can meet," says it all: You can host an unlimited number of meetings, with up to 10 attendees, for
unlimited time duration. The monthly fee is $49 ($39 annual).
GoToWebinar and GoToMeeting Corporate offer more flexible features for slightly higher rates.
GoToMeeting includes a free conference-call service with their product — but there’s an important
caveat: Participants call into a toll-based number and are charged standard long-distance rates.
For a toll-free option, the company recommends FreeConferenceCall.com — or you could call your
participants directly. …
SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS
For most programs, attendees must download a small piece of software to properly view the
show. This download/install can take between one and five minutes. Services usually let you invite
participants via an e-mail message that includes a hyperlink to jump-start the download when
necessary.
SECURITY
Be sure to evaluate the security tools offered by the vendor. Many offer Secure Socket Layers
protection to provide Advanced Encryption Standard class security. If your firm will be using
Webinars to discuss cases or other sensitive confidential information, be sure to carefully consider
whether your vendor has adequate security in place.
CRITERIA
As you evaluate vendors, here are some issues to consider and discuss:
SECRETS FOR SUCCESS
— Andrew Adkins III
Director, Legal Technology Institute
University of Florida Levin College of Law
Gainesville, Fla.
Good quality equipment, reliable bridging vendor, ample time to set up beforehand and room
design that lends itself well (color, lighting, seating).
— Judith Flournoy
CIO, Loeb & Loeb
Los Angeles
The secret is to make it interactive. Be sure your attendees feel they are actually participating, not
just passively viewing. Engage them visually, verbally and actively.
Distribute a packet of information in advance that they can print out and take notes on.
Take a hint from your favorite radio show: Have a sidekick do some of the talking, or better yet, a
panel of fresh voices.
Use annotation tools: As people are speaking, make notes on your slides to highlight their
comments and keep everyone on the same page.
Brainstorming works well online. If each person in a 12-person traditional meeting spends 10
minutes talking, you’ll be in that meeting more than two hours. Instead, use a whiteboard tool.
Prepare a slide with a grid, with one space for each person.
Using the text tool, give everyone 10 minutes to jot down ideas in his or her square. With
everyone working concurrently, you have saved 110 minutes and you can use the rest of the time
to discuss the ideas that have merit.
— Michelle St. Pierre
Education Consultant, Redwood Analytics
Mt. Laurel, N.J.
Testing, testing, testing: hardware, software, audio, video, connections and operating systems on
all sides. Then have the future speaker be a listener to see what the experience is like. Have an
audio conference line as a backup.
— Jonathan Ezor
Assistant Professor
Director, Institute for Business, Law and Technology
Touro Law Center
Central Islip, N.Y.
We’re currently completing the analysis for the 2007 ILTA Technology Purchasing Survey and we
found that 22 percent of respondents have installed videoconferencing technology during the last
year and 17 percent are planning a 2007/8 purchase. (126 firms responded, all with 100 or more
attorneys.)
— Jobst Elster
Vice President, Envision Agency
Tallahassee, Fla.
— Silvia Coulter
Principal, CoulterCranston Inc.
Manchester by the Sea, Mass.
Brett Burney is principal of Burney Consultants, based in Cleveland, and writes a monthly column
for ALM’s Law.com Technology Center.
By Brett Burney
September 06, 2007
The following article is excerpted from “Bright Ideas for Webinars” by Brett Burney, posted on Law.
com on September 6, 2007
Technology’s Holy Grail may well be Web conferencing. Whether via Dick Tracy-esque
wristwatches, telephones or computer networks, we crave the ability to leapfrog miles and visually
interact with each other in real time. But historically, clarity of voice and picture haven’t been easy
to capture.
Most law firms have some form of videoconferencing system — usually consisting of large-screen
television sets on hulking rolling carts. Videoconferences are established over Internet protocol
networks or integrated services digital network lines, using primary rate interface. These systems
will stay around for a long time, because a whole industry has grown up around them and the
standards for communicating with other systems are well established.
But many users are turning to their computers for "Webinars," where participants use their phones
for audio and their computers to display the presentation. With the increasing availability of
inexpensive, industrial-strength broadband Internet access, the quality of Web conferences is
getting better — fueling a proliferation of services to help users record and broadcast
presentations, demonstrate software and even take depositions.
Leading the charge are technology vendors, who often use Webinars for sales and training. The
advantages are obvious: The vendor can virtually demonstrate wares without the time and travel
costs of an in-person visit. Likewise, these Webinars are being used to provide online continuing
legal education classes, through companies such as Legalspan and ALM’s Law.com CLE Center a
sibling of Law Technology News.
Most services offer similar tools: the ability to demonstrate software, show and annotate Microsoft
Corp.’s PowerPoint presentations, share your computer’s desktop, use instant messaging,
collaborate on and annotate documents and use "whiteboards".
Here are some of the Web conferencing services currently available in the marketplace: …
GoToMeeting, now part of Citrix Systems Inc., is all about simplicity. The company’s slogan, "All you
can meet," says it all: You can host an unlimited number of meetings, with up to 10 attendees, for
unlimited time duration. The monthly fee is $49 ($39 annual).
GoToWebinar and GoToMeeting Corporate offer more flexible features for slightly higher rates.
GoToMeeting includes a free conference-call service with their product — but there’s an important
caveat: Participants call into a toll-based number and are charged standard long-distance rates.
For a toll-free option, the company recommends FreeConferenceCall.com — or you could call your
participants directly. …
SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS
For most programs, attendees must download a small piece of software to properly view the
show. This download/install can take between one and five minutes. Services usually let you invite
participants via an e-mail message that includes a hyperlink to jump-start the download when
necessary.
SECURITY
Be sure to evaluate the security tools offered by the vendor. Many offer Secure Socket Layers
protection to provide Advanced Encryption Standard class security. If your firm will be using
Webinars to discuss cases or other sensitive confidential information, be sure to carefully consider
whether your vendor has adequate security in place.
CRITERIA
As you evaluate vendors, here are some issues to consider and discuss:
SECRETS FOR SUCCESS
— Andrew Adkins III
Director, Legal Technology Institute
University of Florida Levin College of Law
Gainesville, Fla.
Good quality equipment, reliable bridging vendor, ample time to set up beforehand and room
design that lends itself well (color, lighting, seating).
— Judith Flournoy
CIO, Loeb & Loeb
Los Angeles
The secret is to make it interactive. Be sure your attendees feel they are actually participating, not
just passively viewing. Engage them visually, verbally and actively.
Distribute a packet of information in advance that they can print out and take notes on.
Take a hint from your favorite radio show: Have a sidekick do some of the talking, or better yet, a
panel of fresh voices.
Use annotation tools: As people are speaking, make notes on your slides to highlight their
comments and keep everyone on the same page.
Brainstorming works well online. If each person in a 12-person traditional meeting spends 10
minutes talking, you’ll be in that meeting more than two hours. Instead, use a whiteboard tool.
Prepare a slide with a grid, with one space for each person.
Using the text tool, give everyone 10 minutes to jot down ideas in his or her square. With
everyone working concurrently, you have saved 110 minutes and you can use the rest of the time
to discuss the ideas that have merit.
— Michelle St. Pierre
Education Consultant, Redwood Analytics
Mt. Laurel, N.J.
Testing, testing, testing: hardware, software, audio, video, connections and operating systems on
all sides. Then have the future speaker be a listener to see what the experience is like. Have an
audio conference line as a backup.
— Jonathan Ezor
Assistant Professor
Director, Institute for Business, Law and Technology
Touro Law Center
Central Islip, N.Y.
We’re currently completing the analysis for the 2007 ILTA Technology Purchasing Survey and we
found that 22 percent of respondents have installed videoconferencing technology during the last
year and 17 percent are planning a 2007/8 purchase. (126 firms responded, all with 100 or more
attorneys.)
— Jobst Elster
Vice President, Envision Agency
Tallahassee, Fla.
— Silvia Coulter
Principal, CoulterCranston Inc.
Manchester by the Sea, Mass.
Brett Burney is principal of Burney Consultants, based in Cleveland, and writes a monthly column
for ALM’s Law.com Technology Center.