A Webinar That Went Bad

MWGrubb58 · 02-18-2011, 08:00 AM

I gotta tell you... I was frustrated BIG time last night, I was using one of the online webinar companies to hold a seminar.

I was having so many technical glitches, that I was getting distracted and the webinar wasn't one of my best. The night before, I used instant teleseminars and everything was great! But it was just audio.

Has anyone has great experiences with webinar providers that are friendly to Mac owners?

Cheers,

Millard

Craig Desorcy · 02-18-2011, 08:05 AM

I hate to sould like a Mac hater cuz I'm not.

Owned loads of them. Have not bought one in 7 years however.

Best advice I can give is to get a PC and run it along side your Mac.

Many will say just run windows on your Mac along side your Mac OS
but I'm not.

Best,

Craig

Yadira Barbosa · 02-18-2011, 08:39 AM

A few years ago I got some software (I dont remember the name right now) that was cheaper, on a subscription monthly of $30 but at the time the webinar starts, exist a very large latch in my images and what people actually saw.

Was awful because I need to ask on each screen, can you see the image? and forgot to show how to teach something on the web...

And when the horror finish, I check the record and the software just record audio too.

So, I change to gotowebinar, I don't want to be on the same position again.

Caleb Spilchen · 02-18-2011, 09:23 AM

What software did you use?

Caleb

MWGrubb58 · 02-20-2011, 03:37 PM

I used GotoWebinar... which had all sorts of glitches... PLUS you cannot record from a Mac on that service...

Fortunately, I have other software that records from my screen and audio...

Some of the participants were saying that the screen went black when I showed slides, etc... So, it ended up being an audio webinar...

Had NO PROBLEMS with Instant Teleseminar the day before.

I think what I will do in the future is just create a GOOD VALUE, CONTENT-FILLED, video and them just play it on my site.

Whew!

clslaw · 02-20-2011, 09:10 PM

I use GoToWebinar weekly. I own Macs and Windows Boxes. The ONLY thing you should do with GoToWebinar on a Mac is attend somebody else's webinar. If you plan to host a webinar, get yourself onto a Windows machine. Forget the emulation software. Get on a native Windows machine.

I also recommend rehearsing and running numerous webinars. You will learn from the experience. I have been hosting webinars now for a few years, tried a few different platforms, and have settled upon GoToWebinars. It has proven itself to be very stable and reliable on my Windows machine. The only problem I've had with it in the last two years was due to a power outage, not any fault of the service itself.

There are other services out there, too. I've looked at Webex, Adobe, Omnovia, and a few others. They all have their pros and cons and the ones that I've mentioned have all improved their services over he last couple years. Webinars are a very powerful tool for teaching people and forming relationships with them. It's live. It's organic. They give you as close to an intimate venue as you can hope to have on the Internet. Videos are good, but they do not capture the intimacy.

My advice is to work through those hiccups and get good at hosting webinars.

MWGrubb58 · 02-21-2011, 04:11 AM

Cislaw,

Thanks for the tips!

Maybe that is indeed the solution... Use a Windows platform just for the Webinars!

Usually the simplest solution is the best.

Cheers,

Millard

Robert Dempsey · 02-21-2011, 04:28 AM

I've used GoToWebinar a number of times on my Mac and recorded it with ScreenFlow. The main things I found to help make it work were:

Turn off everything else on the computer
Use a wired connection rather than a wireless connection (though I've used wireless and it worked)
Use an external mic to the sound is good
Have a second monitor plugged in to have the slides in Keynote able to be shown)
Ensure that when recording with ScreenFlow you only record the main screen, and have Keynote use that screen to display the presentation

Some items in that list may seem basic, but that's how it's worked for me.

John Thornhill · 02-21-2011, 04:48 AM

Millard,

I too have had issues with GoToWebinar and mac. If you want to record from a Mac you need to assign an organizer on a windows machine and get them to record it. However, you have a lot more features when using a Windows machine.

Just install windows on your Mac from bootcamp (search for it on your mac) and you should be fine.

John

02-18-2011, 08:00 AM	#1
MWGrubb58 Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: , , USA. Posts: 720 Thanks: 73 Thanked 244 Times in 98 Posts	A Webinar That Went Bad I gotta tell you... I was frustrated BIG time last night, I was using one of the online webinar companies to hold a seminar. I was having so many technical glitches, that I was getting distracted and the webinar wasn't one of my best. The night before, I used instant teleseminars and everything was great! But it was just audio. Has anyone has great experiences with webinar providers that are friendly to Mac owners? Cheers, Millard

02-18-2011, 08:05 AM	#2
Craig Desorcy Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Japan Posts: 2,412 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 470 Thanked 999 Times in 230 Posts Social Networking	Re: A Webinar That Went Bad I hate to sould like a Mac hater cuz I'm not. Owned loads of them. Have not bought one in 7 years however. Best advice I can give is to get a PC and run it along side your Mac. Many will say just run windows on your Mac along side your Mac OS but I'm not. Best, Craig

02-18-2011, 08:39 AM	#3
Yadira Barbosa HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: , , . Posts: 354 Thanks: 49 Thanked 56 Times in 45 Posts	Re: A Webinar That Went Bad A few years ago I got some software (I dont remember the name right now) that was cheaper, on a subscription monthly of $30 but at the time the webinar starts, exist a very large latch in my images and what people actually saw. Was awful because I need to ask on each screen, can you see the image? and forgot to show how to teach something on the web... And when the horror finish, I check the record and the software just record audio too. So, I change to gotowebinar, I don't want to be on the same position again.

02-18-2011, 09:23 AM	#4
Caleb Spilchen Unique Marketer War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,861 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 904 Thanked 776 Times in 483 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: A Webinar That Went Bad What software did you use? Caleb

02-20-2011, 03:37 PM	#5
MWGrubb58 Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: , , USA. Posts: 720 Thanks: 73 Thanked 244 Times in 98 Posts	Re: A Webinar That Went Bad I used GotoWebinar... which had all sorts of glitches... PLUS you cannot record from a Mac on that service... Fortunately, I have other software that records from my screen and audio... Some of the participants were saying that the screen went black when I showed slides, etc... So, it ended up being an audio webinar... Had NO PROBLEMS with Instant Teleseminar the day before. I think what I will do in the future is just create a GOOD VALUE, CONTENT-FILLED, video and them just play it on my site. Whew!

02-20-2011, 09:10 PM	#6
clslaw HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Southern California, USA. Posts: 146 Thanks: 24 Thanked 13 Times in 10 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: A Webinar That Went Bad I use GoToWebinar weekly. I own Macs and Windows Boxes. The ONLY thing you should do with GoToWebinar on a Mac is attend somebody else's webinar. If you plan to host a webinar, get yourself onto a Windows machine. Forget the emulation software. Get on a native Windows machine. I also recommend rehearsing and running numerous webinars. You will learn from the experience. I have been hosting webinars now for a few years, tried a few different platforms, and have settled upon GoToWebinars. It has proven itself to be very stable and reliable on my Windows machine. The only problem I've had with it in the last two years was due to a power outage, not any fault of the service itself. There are other services out there, too. I've looked at Webex, Adobe, Omnovia, and a few others. They all have their pros and cons and the ones that I've mentioned have all improved their services over he last couple years. Webinars are a very powerful tool for teaching people and forming relationships with them. It's live. It's organic. They give you as close to an intimate venue as you can hope to have on the Internet. Videos are good, but they do not capture the intimacy. My advice is to work through those hiccups and get good at hosting webinars.

02-21-2011, 04:11 AM	#7
MWGrubb58 Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: , , USA. Posts: 720 Thanks: 73 Thanked 244 Times in 98 Posts	Re: A Webinar That Went Bad Cislaw, Thanks for the tips! Maybe that is indeed the solution... Use a Windows platform just for the Webinars! Usually the simplest solution is the best. Cheers, Millard

02-21-2011, 04:28 AM	#8
Robert Dempsey Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Currently Thailand Posts: 17 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post Social Networking	Re: A Webinar That Went Bad I've used GoToWebinar a number of times on my Mac and recorded it with ScreenFlow. The main things I found to help make it work were: Turn off everything else on the computer Use a wired connection rather than a wireless connection (though I've used wireless and it worked) Use an external mic to the sound is good Have a second monitor plugged in to have the slides in Keynote able to be shown) Ensure that when recording with ScreenFlow you only record the main screen, and have Keynote use that screen to display the presentation Some items in that list may seem basic, but that's how it's worked for me.

02-21-2011, 04:48 AM	#9
John Thornhill Full Time IMer War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 389 Thanks: 109 Thanked 208 Times in 84 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: A Webinar That Went Bad Millard, I too have had issues with GoToWebinar and mac. If you want to record from a Mac you need to assign an organizer on a windows machine and get them to record it. However, you have a lot more features when using a Windows machine. Just install windows on your Mac from bootcamp (search for it on your mac) and you should be fine. John