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10 Reasons Why You Should Do Teleseminars

August 7, 2015 by Cathy Stucker

teleseminarChances are that you have attended teleseminars and webinars, but have you ever presented one? For many people, the idea of putting on a webinar is intimidating. The technology can seem complicated and you have to prepare visuals, so it might be more than you want to take on, especially if you are not accustomed to presenting.

Although webinars do not have to be as difficult as you may think they are, there is a simpler option: teleseminars. Teleseminars are as easy as talking on the phone. You can do that, right? The technology is simple, and there are no visuals to worry about.

Webinars can be useful when your topic is visual or requires demonstration, but teleseminars are perfect for most topics. Your audience may prefer them because they don’t have to sit in front of their computers for an hour or more to get the information. They can listen on their phones or download the replay to an iPod or phone and listen while they commute or work out.

Most teleseminar platforms allow you to choose connecting over the telephone or with your computer, so there is no special equipment or software required, for you or your audience. The cost ranges from inexpensive to free, and even most free platforms offer a lot of features.

Still not convinced you should be doing teleseminars? Here are ten reasons why you should.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Creating Information Products, Technology Tagged With: expert, information products, teleseminars

How to Place a Background Image in PowerPoint [Video Tutorial]

March 28, 2014 by Daniel Hall

powerpoint-backgroundI use PowerPoint all the time for creation of my webinars, live presentations and video tutorials. On almost all of my PowerPoint presentations I prepare and install a background slide. There are lots of good reasons to do this including branding, consistent messaging and calls to action and professional appearance.

As effective as having a PowerPoint background is I am amazed at how many people in my audience kept asking me to show them how to install a background image in PowerPoint. But like many other things its easy when you know how. Fortunately for you this video shows you how to install any graphic as the background for any slide within PowerPoint step-by-step… enjoy.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Internet Marketing, Technology Tagged With: graphics, PowerPoint, presentations

Cool Symbols for Twitter and Texting

February 26, 2013 by Cathy Stucker

symbolsEver wonder how people make those cool characters that you see in email subject lines, texts, Tweets and elsewhere? Wonder no more!

Characters such as the ones you see in the image at the left can all be created with HTML codes or by simply copying and pasting them. You will find a large collection of interesting and fun characters at CopyPasteCharacter. Simply choose the character you want, click on it to copy, then paste it into your message. There is even an app for your iPhone, available for just $.99.

The site features several sets of characters, including arrows, mathematical, punctuation, numerals, currency and more. The symbols set includes everything from umbrellas to stars, musical notes, chess pieces, recycling codes, flowers, zodiac signs and lots of others.

The “Our Favorite” set has many popular symbols or you can set up a free account and save your own set of favorites.
Have fun—but don’t get carried away!

☺☻☹☼☂☃⌨☮♪❤☆♬

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: symbols, texting, Twitter

Dual Monitors Increase Your Productivity

August 11, 2011 by Cathy Stucker

Is your computer screen too small for all you have to do? If you are working with multiple programs and browser windows open, with social media running in the background, you may be using every bit of real estate on the screen. That is where the idea of having two monitors comes in to play. Having dual monitors gives you more room for each program and web browser.

I like to use two monitors when I am writing. Having one screen open to my word processor and the other to my research materials makes it easy to read my notes or consult websites and other documents while writing. Dual monitors can also make it easier to check for changes and corrections when proofreading a document.

Those extra seconds spent repeatedly clicking or switching between programs as you work can really add up, and you will work more slowly than when you have the space to have everything you need displayed neatly in front of you on dual monitors.

A second screen may also come in handy for monitoring social media, email or instant messaging without having to leave what you are working on. If I want to watch a video of a webinar or an online course, I can play it on one screen while I work on something else on the other screen.

Dual monitors are not without their disadvantages, though. The very things that can make you more productive can have a negative impact on your productivity if you let them. It can turn your desktop into the computer version of Bloomberg News, where there is so much happening on the screen you can not process all of it. If you are easily distracted, having your Twitter feed or other social media constantly changing in front of you can keep you from doing any real work. It is up to you to make sure that your second monitor makes you more productive, not less.

How does it work? I have a second monitor that I sometimes connect to my laptop PC. After plugging the monitor in to my laptop, I right click on the desktop background and choose Graphics Properties. From that menu, I choose Multiple Displays or Extended Desktop. (The exact choices will depend on your operating system and hardware.) Once the settings are applied I can move my mouse between screens as if I had one large monitor. To move a window from one screen to another, I just grab it with my mouse and drag it to the other screen. Cool!

Although many computers can now accommodate dual monitors, if yours doesn’t you may need to upgrade your video card. Added to the expense of the second monitor, you can be out several hundred dollars. The investment can be worth it if you get more done in less time, often with better quality. However, if your major advantage is being able to play Angry Birds during an online client meeting, it is probably not worth the money.

If you are satisfied with the amount of space on your screen than you may decide that dual monitors are not necessary. Let me warn you, though: Once you have worked with two monitors you will not want to go back to just one!

Image Credit: MrChrome at en.wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: dual monitors, video card

Audacity Tutorial

October 7, 2010 by Cathy Stucker

Audacity is powerful, free software you can use to record and edit audio.

Once you learn a few simple steps for using Audacity you can start creating podcasts, MP3 downloads, audio CD programs and more. Here is what you need to know.

You will need:

  • Microphone
  • Audacity (1.3 Beta)
  • A script or notes on what you’re going to talk about.

Step 1: Install Audacity

Audacity is available for free download. Just go to http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/ and download the version for your operating system. There are both Windows and Mac versions available.

Step 2: Install the MP3 Encoder

If you want to save audio files in MP3 format (and you will) you need to install the LAME MP3 encoder. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds. Just go to the LAME MP3 page and follow the simple instructions.

Step 3: Open Audacity

After installing, you will probably have an Audacity icon on your desktop. If not it should be in your list of programs. Click (or double click) the icon or select it from your program list.

Step 4: Make Your Recording

Once Audacity is running, all you have to do is click the round red button in the tool bar to start the recording. Start recording, wait a few seconds (silently count to three) then start speaking. Leave a few seconds of silence at the end of the recording, too. This makes it easier to do editing, such as adding music or an intro.

Always test before making your final recording. Start recording, speak for a minute or so, then stop. Listen to see if you need to adjust the volume levels or eliminate background noises you didn’t notice in “real life,” but are obvious on the recording.

Once you are done recording, click the square button to stop.

Your recording will have a wave form that looks something like this. The horizontal line that goes all the way across the screen is the background noise. Ideally, this should be very thin. (The thicker it is, the more background noise or hiss you have on the recording.)

The groups of short blue spikes are your voice, and the tall thin spike and the short bit to the right are clicks.

Step 5: Listen To The Recording

To listen to what you recorded, just  press the green arrow button in the tool bar. If it doesn’t start to play immediately, you may need to place your cursor at the beginning of the clip and then press the play button. Another way to move to the beginning of the clip is to click on the button with the two arrows pointing left.

Step 6: Save Your Recording

Always save a copy of your original audio file before you start to edit. That way, if you make a mistake when editing you always have the original to go back to.

To save your original audio file, use the Save Project option in the File menu. This will save your recording as an Audacity project with an .au extension.

Step 7: Edit The Recording

As you record, you may pick up clicks and other sounds that you do not want in the final recording. For instance, the clicks heard at the end of the audio came from me moving the mic on my headset. Or you may want to cut out some of the “ums” and “uhs” or other mistakes. You do not need to keep redoing the recording until it is perfect. You can simply take out the unwanted audio with the editing tools available in Audacity.

To edit, you may need to zoom in to the section to see it clearly. Use the zoom in the tool bar or you can find the short cut keys by clicking on the view tab at the top.

After you zoom in, highlight the section you’d like to remove and use the cut or silence button to remove this section. The cut tool is usually the best choice.

Step 8: Save The Edited File

After you have finished editing, save a copy of the edited file. Give it a new name so you do not overwrite the original recording file.

You can also export the file as a WAV or MP3 at this time. Burn a WAV file to a CD and you can play it in most CD players, as well as computers. MP3s can be played in computers and some CD players. (Many new CD players will play MP3 files.) MP3 files are smaller, so MP3 is the better format if you are going to put your audio files on the Internet.

To save your recording as an MP3 or WAV file:

  • Click the Export option in the File menu.
  • Select the type of file (WAV or MP3).
  • Name your audio. Do not put spaces in the file name.
  • Fill in the metadata (e.g., your name, the title, date, etc.) if you wish.
  • Click ok.

And you’re done! Your audio file can be burned to CD or uploaded to the web.

Note: It is always a good idea to listen to the file to make sure there were no glitches when converting or saving the file.

Filed Under: Creating Information Products, Technology Tagged With: Audacity, audio recording, MP3, tutorial, WAV

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