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Effective interactive presentations delivered using PowerPoint on the web
September 23, 2005
By: Alice Osborn
It's possible to use PowerPoint on the web and deliver
effective interactive presentations, but the slide designer
or presenter needs to be aware of its associated challenges.
PowerPoint files (.ppt) don't easily convert into readable
files over the web and Internet browsers don't understand
the .ppt native files.
In Robin Good's presentation about
rich-media online presentation tools, he gives three
methods for users to convert PowerPoint slides into a web
format for delivery to a virtual audience.
- Traditional graphical formats
PowerPoint presentation
slides can be converted to both GIF and JPG format files
to be used within HTML web pages. Finding the right
balance between using higher quality and longer download
times with the JPGs versus lower quality and quicker
download times with the GIFs, is an ongoing conversion
issue. However, there are third party conversion tools
such as
Image Exporter and
PPT2HTML that help the user
control the size and design of the images when exporting
them from PowerPoint into HTML files.
- Proprietary formats
When you use a proprietary format
solution, such as
Microsoft Office Live Meeting, the .ppt
files are converted into a special format and then these
files are delivered through Live Meeting's conferencing
solution.
Impatica for PowerPoint is another proprietary
format solution that helps deliver animated PowerPoint
presentations on the web by translating the .ppt files and
then streaming these newly converted files into a java
applet. The new PowerPoint file can play on any browser.
- Flash formats
The recommended and most cutting edge of
PowerPoint interactive web conversion methods are the
Flash formatting solutions. Ranging from expensive to
moderately priced, Flash-based presentation tools, such as
Macromedia Breeze,
PresenterNet, and
ArticulatePresenter,
target both large and small businesses and can fulfill
most presentation needs because they offer an accessible
web-based delivery system. Using Flash's timeline and
layers interface for a web or data conference, presenters
can navigate the presentation slides, add narration,
preview their content, and activate virtual whiteboards
and interactive controls for direct feedback.
By converting to Flash, the now compressed PowerPoint
files can be uploaded to a web server via FTP to be viewed
by any web browser on any computer. Now the user can view
high quality animations, movies, effects and multimedia
presentations.
Here are several formatting tips and limitations to be
aware of when PowerPoint files are converted to Flash .swf
files:
- Some bullets may not convert properly to Flash, but
most bullets having an ASCII code lower than 255 will work
fine.
- Make sure that text frames and images are within the
slide area when converting a PowerPoint presentation into
Flash to prevent Flash Player from freezing up.
- Ensure that all of the fonts used in the PowerPoint
presentation are also installed in the software tool that's
converting the .ppt files into .swf files.
Finding the right
rich-media web presentation tool
When it comes to finding
the right interactive tool for PowerPoint presentations
conducted over the Internet, Robin Good recommends that
users investigate ease of use and accessibility,
cost-effectiveness, and appropriate features for their
business needs. He also urges users to try out the
interactive software tools before purchasing to make sure
the tools fit their presentation requirements. Studying the
available interactive presentation tools and knowing your
presentation needs is the first step to making your online
presentations more effective and engaging.
About the Author
Alice Osborn is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Web-Conferencing-Zone.com. Your
definitive guide to
web conferencing services,
online collaboration software and
web meetings for business.
Also See:
[ Interactive
white board capture devices for virtual meetings ]
[ What is web
conferencing? What are the benefits of web conferencing? ]
[ Interactive
web conferencing solutions for 3-D virtual meetings ]
Home Page:
[ Web-Conferencing-Zone.com ]
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