I’m assuming that you already know how to record and host your presentation. The purpose of today’s article is to show you the easiest way to set up a post/page in WordPress that will allow you to have a timer / countdown to the next playing of the webinar.

Here is an example of this plugin in use. I have set the date for Jan 1st 2012. I have customized the text around the timer and has specified a message to be displayed after the specified date and time are reached.

After the timer is finished counting down I can have a link to the prerecorded video displayed with a message such as “The Session has begun – Login Here.” If you like you could even have an embeded video appear at that designated time.

The WordPress plugin in use here is called “Easy Timer” and the configuration is relatively simple. There are an array of applications for this WordPress plugin and several ways to utilize it to promote an upcoming webinar or pre-recorded webinar/webcast.

Enjoy!

Jacob S Paulsen

Some webinar services offer you a registration page as part of the software. This can make the process much easier but also has its drawbacks. For one you will be sending your clients and customers to a website that is not your own. Sending people to a gotomeeting.com page for example will only increase GoToMeeting’s brand. Sending your customer’s to your own website will further drive your site traffic and create a more cohesive brand.

Here are the basic steps to setting up your webinar registration page.

• Start with a blank page. If you are using WordPress this can be done within your admin Dashboard by clicking on “Add New Page.”
• There are a variety of ways to setup a form for attendees to fill out but I suggest you utilize an email opt-in form. Since you want to capture the information from your attendees it only makes sense to setup a new contact list and generate a sign up form to embed on your registration page. Depending on if you use iContact, ConstantContact, Aweber, etc this process is going to be different.
• Embed the signup form onto your new blank page. Also be sure to include a paragraph invitation to register along with webinar details such as date and time.
• Once you have the registration page content done you will need to setup an autoresponder or thank you email to be sent to those who register. This email should contain the link to login to the webinar or webcast room along with login instructions. If possible include a troubleshooting link for people who may have login problems.
• Be sure to schedule a new auto-responder to go out a few hours before your webinar begins. This will serve as a reminder and contain the same login information for those who have lost or misplaced the first email.

Jacob Paulsen

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Make Your Next Seminar a Webinar

1. Webinars offer a solution that allows businesses and organizations to invite an international audience. The internet has no geographic boundries, making it easier than ever to involve people around the globe.
2. Webinars don’t have the same “room capacity” limits as traditional meeting venues. You may have to pay more for a webcast room that will hold 5,000 people but it will cost much less than renting the local football stadium for the day.
3. Webinars make it much easier to capture contact data. When you sell tickets for your seminar you make find it difficult to capture names, email address, and phone numbers. Webinars make this easy. Just setup a registration page for each webinar.
4. Webinars are easier to record. The cost and time it took to have a professional production company record your seminar and then produce a high quality DVD, were far too high. Webinars can be automatically recorded with most software programs and then sent out to the participants minutes after the webinar ends.
5. Webinars can be broadcasting from the comfort of your home or office. You don’t need to put on the suit or even worry about shining the shoes. Just sit at the desk of your home office, along with a bowl of popcorn and get to work.
6. Webinars can be re-played and scheduled. Instead of doing the same boring presentation once per week, do it just once. Schedule the recording to play back for next weeks registrants! This isn’t always the best way to connect with your audience but it can be done with the help of modern technology.
7. Webinars can be branded by your business. Send clients, customers, or team members to your own website to login to your webinar or webcast room. Services such as WebcastRooms.com allow you to embed your own login forms right on your site. Seminars force you to take your customers into a venue that is rented where they will be exposed to other advertisements, logos, and brands.
8. Webinars make it much easier for you to involve multiple presenters. You were limited in your seminars by the ability to get your speakers and presenters to the venue at the right time. Now with a webinar, not only will you not have to travel but you will be able to involve presenters that were never before possible.
9. Webinars will build your Email List, Social Media Following, and website traffic and all of these are profit centers. In addition to data capture (mentioned above), driving participants to your website is going to increase the number who follow you on Facebook and Twitter. Naturally this will also increase your website traffic, allowing you to increase rates for online advertising.
10. Webinars naturally SAVE you money. Online meetings decrease all the traditional expenses that come with a physical seminar.

Get started today. Setup your webcast room and schedule your first webinar!

Jacob S Paulsen

Words such as Webinar or Webcast refer to seminar type presentation in which a large group watches a live or recorded presentation by a small number of presenters. Naturally Webinars and webcasts tend to host a larger total audience and ofter require user registration via email. Webinars more likely will be based on PowerPoint presentations uploading into a webcast room, but they often include other types of media or screen sharing.

Its not uncommon for either service to include video streaming via a webcam. Both Webinars and Online Meetings can be done via VOIP or a third party conference call depending on the needs of the users.

Another common feature of most webinars is self-branding. The general idea is to use your own company’s logo etc to brand the conference room. This is not generally done in most web conferencing services or online meetings.

The vereconference service provided by WebcastRooms.com is primarily designed as a webinar and webcast room service. Visit our home page for additional information, or to start your free trial now.

Jacob S Paulsen

What format will the recording files take? All to often we have seen various online conferencing programs whose recording files turn into short ads for the provider followed by a glimpse of the recorded presentation. Your focus must be on keeping your audience focused on your presentation and not on the service provider that you utilize.

Webcastrooms.com utilizes VereConference technology to provide versatile recording options to our clients. Every webcast room (including free trial rooms) have full recording options. You will be able to decide if you would like guests and/or moderators to have recording privileges.

The recordings are saved directly to your hard drive so that you can alter and distribute them at your own convenience. You call upload them directly to your online server and provide a link directly to your customers. Be careful in looking for your online conferencing provider

In the industry of webcast and online conferencing we have found that the competition continues to deny their clients the option of having a custom login page for the webcast room login.

Nothing seems cheaper and less professional that when someone invites me to an online meeting by sending me a link in an email. This link usually takes me to a page decorated with the provider’s logos and ads. Instead of being focused on the presentation I’m about to view I’m reading about how I could have my own 15 day trial with their service.

Even worse are the few providers that make you input pin codes, and room numbers. It reminds me of the old conference call systems and it isn’t super conducive to the environment of presenting your opportunity or conducting a training for your team.

Webcastrooms.com provides custom login pages through the Vereconference technology. You can you our custom template and make changes, or you can insert a login form into your existing site or webpage utilizing our custom html code that we provide every customer.

Curious how that might look? Look to your right. Type into the form on the right side of this page. Put in your name and click login. Our demo webcast room will launch and just that fast you can get a feel for how the service works.

Pictures. Pictures are a great way to really interact with people and create friendships. They are also an important way of sharing an idea, event, or place. Social Media sites like flickr, picasa, photobucket, etc help us share photos with our network. Utilizing description and keyword tags also make our pictures a big part of SEO (search engine optimization).

Videos: Video are an important part of social media. Youtube is after the 3rd most popular English website in the world. Short videos make it easy to show people your business, your brand, your personality, and more. Popular sites include Youtube, MetaCafe, Viddler, Blip.tv, Veoh, DailyMotion, etc. The latest excitement in video marketing comes from the unique way that search engines are capturing and listing videos among search results.

Articles. I use the word articles so as to be general in my meaning but I might have said blog posts to be more specific. Posting good content to your blog/website is the best way to build, attract, and maintain a strong network online. Utilizing a good platform such as wordpress you can quickly get listed on search engines and build your following around a specific niche. You can take a step beyond by republishing your content on ezine article websites also. This will increase your internet influence and be a strength in SEO.

Live Webcasts. No marketing or networking can take place without some interpersonal interaction. This is made difficult in our worldwide web of connections. Web conferencing (webcasting) is the solution. Scheduling a private or public webcast will give you time to meet with people and discuss any topic. Push up powerpoints, graphs, images, and videos. Speak through the webcast room with buikt in Voip and even show up on screen via your webcam. Webcasting is a big part of the Social Media world.

Email. Build an email list around your niche and then survey, inform, or even sell your list via email. Use autoresponders as part of a system. Email is the first step in having a one on one conversation outside of the social media sites. This becomes an important medium in our Social Media world.

Online conferencing more than ever is growing in popularity. Meeting with your prospects or associates in an online meeting room allows for the closest thing to a face to face interaction as possible. The ability to stream voice via a built in voip system eliminates even the need for phones which enables users to meet with people all over the globe so long as speakers have a microphone built in, or plugged into their computer.

The use of webcams brings a personal touch as each user can have their own streaming video while they present or contribute to the discussion. It goes without saying that the other options to push up pictures documents and powerpoints into the webcast room only increase the feeling of individual interaction.

It leaves us wondering if in fact the webcasting technology was in fact one of the factors that has caused this social media craze as opposed to a technology that was spawned by demand from the old school “face to face” crowd.

We will not SPAM you. This means you will not receive any email from us at all unless you win. You will not have your information sold to anyone! Feel Safe!!!
Contest Details:

When: Enter between April 1st and 20th. Winner will be announced April 22nd.
What: 2, 2-hour webcast sessions at the time of your choice. (Limit of 50 people)
Rules: Only one entry per person. Winner must give 10 days notice to claim their prize.

Why Would We Do This? Here at WebcastRooms.com we feel that we offer a superior product in the area of web conferencing! Our webcast rooms are more stable, more versatile, and more affordable. Contests like these allow us to build our reputation and bring more visitors to our site. Try out our service now! Enter Your name on the top left of the screen and click “Login.”

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• Use it as a screen recording program. The web conferencing service will allow you to record power points or actual screen capture along with audio and video if you choose.
• Use it as an IT training program. When your partners or clients are having computer or software issues; use the online conferencing software to share their screen so you can see everything they are doing.
• Hold paid webcast trainings. Sell seats for a one-time or ongoing webcast training series about your industry. Holding a paid training occasionally will pay for the cost of your webcast room.
• Utilize the Video Conferencing features. The web conferencing software allows for video conferencing for any users who have a webcam hooked up. You can even record the video feed simultaneously with the power point or screen-casting.
• Create an archive of webcast trainings or presentations. The online conferencing technology allows for you and your users to record all of your presentations or trainings. You can upload the recordings to your FTP server and create an archive for future review.
• Spice up your instant messaging. Do you like instant messaging with your team or prospects? Invite them into a webroom where you can type in the public text or send private messages to individual users.

There are unlimited ways for you and your team to take advantage of web conferencing services. The webcast rooms available from www.webcastrooms.com offer unlimited usage for one low monthly cost.