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Finding the right PowerPoint presentation tool to fit your online presentation
September 23, 2005
By: Alice Osborn
Finding a suitable PowerPoint presentation tool that is
easily accessible, cost-effective, and loaded with the right
features won't be too hard a chore: the interactive software
market offers online PowerPoint presentation tools for all
sized businesses on every budget. Designed to convert
PowerPoint files into web-based files, these software
services use Macromedia Flash to add energy to PowerPoint
presentations.
In fact, creating PowerPoint presentations online via
these Flash-based presentation tools gives web slides
additional animation, sounds, and motion. Examples include
Macromedia Breeze,
Articulate Presenter and
PresenterNet, which can respectively be used for a
large, medium, and small business. Although not a
Flash-based presentation tool,
Groove
is another excellent choice for conducting online PowerPoint
presentations between members of internal workgroups.
Since PowerPoint native files (.ppt) can't be viewed
within a web browser, users need to find a software resource
that will convert their PowerPoint presentation into a Flash
presentation for use on the web. Robin Good, who is an
expert in new media technology, addresses Macromedia Breeze,
Articulate Presenter, and PresenterNet as some of his best
online presentation tools in his
Rich-media online presentation tools report.
- Macromedia Breeze -- the brand leader for
rich-media online presentation tools
Macromedia Breeze is used for web meetings and group
collaboration. Although it is an expensive tool that is
better suited for a large enterprise than a small
business, Macromedia Breeze features an easy-to-use and
customizable interface, plus screen sharing, whiteboard,
and live audio and video tools. Robin Good states that
this tool is one he considers the "more sophisticated and
capable in delivering high quality rich-media PowerPoint
presentations".
- Articulate Presenter -- an extremely powerful
PowerPoint to Flash conversion utility
Articulate Presenter is an add-in solution to an
existing PowerPoint application. Presenters at any
computer skill level can insert voice narration,
animation, music and movies to the presentation using the
existing and Articulate added pull-down menu functions.
Presentations can be distributed to CD-ROMs, zip files,
and e-mails by converting the PowerPoint presentation into
a Flash format that is readable by the Flash plug-in
installed on virtually all PCs. To view a PowerPoint
presentation online, a user simply uploads an Articulate
Presenter presentation folder to their web server and
links to the index file in that folder's root directory.
This is a moderately-priced solution for mid-sized
businesses that allows one to fully customize a
presentation by automatically adding a photo and bio to
the presentation, along with links to an e-mail address
and web site.
- PresenterNet -- an affordable, but high-quality
online PowerPoint presentation service
Along with producing a high-quality online
presentation, PresenterNet features unlimited conferencing
for subscribers, a low flat rate, and no software to
download. Robin Good raves about this solution's control
panel that allows the audience to see what the presenter
is seeing and he praises its interactive controls that
give audience members the ability to offer immediate
feedback. This feedback is then captured into a database,
which will make the conference members more productive
when they need answers for their project questions.
- Groove from Microsoft -- a sophisticated group
collaboration solution
Focusing on online group collaboration, Groove is a
peer-to-peer based desktop solution that offers file
sharing, meeting and file management, and co-editing
features. This tool is ideal for small businesses that
need a cost-effective and reliable presentation solution
that doesn't require a lot of set-up and continuous fees.
With Groove, PowerPoint presentations are run in their
original format using a special presentation window
separate from the Groove Workspace Explorer window. Robin
Good recommends using
Skype's
voice over IP services to power a live audio presentation.
Which online presentation tool is right for you?
Knowing your specific needs and online presentation goals
are necessary before shopping for a presentation tool. Users
interested in online software solutions that convert
PowerPoint presentations into a web-based format have
software choices that range in price and in feature
complexity.
Small businesses should look for a solution like
PresenterNet that doesn't require software installation and
has a low flat fee, and Groove which is easy to use, offers
support, and starts at $69 per user. Medium-sized businesses
should ask for a free trial of ArticulatePresenter since it
is a leader in customizing presentations. Lastly, larger
businesses that need a stable online solution should take a
look at Macromedia Breeze that offers a complete package of
presentation tools.
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
presentations delivered using PowerPoint on the web ]
[ 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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