David Smith's Kolabora Weblog

If you want to understand the potential for recorded Web seminars, see the Wainhouse Research white paper called "The Business Case for On-Demand Rich Media (ODRM)". The white paper does not focus specifically on Web seminar recordings, but the ODRM advantages it lists are still relevant: convenience, customization, consistency, cost, and currency. In particular, check out the statistics from Accela Communications showing that 91% of Web site visitors who registered for an on-demand presentation went on to view it, while only 28% who registered for a live Web conference actually attended. While the 28% figure simply represents bad event management -- we typically get 50% or more with our events -- the high results for ODRM are compelling. The paper describes the use of ODRM at Xerox and Pearson Prentice Hall through the technology provided by Brainshark, sponsor of the white paper. For the record, we provide Brainshark technology to smaller companies through our Web conferencing archiving service.

For a look at where Web conferencing is going in the enterprise, it’s always instructive to look at Centra. Why? They’ve carved out a niche in corporate e-learning, which brings them right into the belly of the beast.

The company's new strategy shows how it intends to defend that niche against Microsoft.

Because Web conferencing is still relatively new to most companies, many wonder if it can deliver real bottom-line results. For example, can Web seminars attract real sales opportunities, or are they just education opportunities for tire kickers? One of our clients has provided us some data that clearly suggests the former.