Who, What, Why and How...... The Final Report

The Case Study

The Small Business Online Meetings project aimed to develop a workable set of low cost online tools for use by small business owners for business communications. To achieve this we worked with a group of eight small business owners and managers to trial and review the tools over a ten week period.

Initial consultations with the group identified a range of communication issues. In particular, a means to: develop relationships with suppliers and clients; train staff who work remotely; and network with other small business owners, were identified. To address these issues we selected three tools for evaluation: an online meeting tool, a forum for online discussions, and a blog. Following are the features of each tool.


The Online Meeting Tool


Some of the features in Megameeting, our chosen conferencing tool,are standard in most conferencing software and some were specific to our chosen product. We selected Megameeting for a number of reasons:

• The ability to see each other in meetings was considered important. Our a tool could host meetings and display images of up to 12 participants.
• A product with Voice over IP was selected over a tool which required tele-conferencing to reduce costs, particularly for those with overseas or interstate clients.
• Text chat enables people to ask questions without interrupting the facilitator/presenter.
• Desktop sharing is useful for demonstrations and/or presentations.
• Surveys and polls.
• User-friendly technology that is easy set up, easy to use and will work with both PC and Mac format.
• Accessible technical support
• Low cost monthly rental arrangements with no ongoing financial commitment.

The forum

• A private asynchronous communication tool for general discussion
• A place to share documents and files
• A place to network and collaborate
• User-friendly
• Free

The Blog

• A public tool for conveying informal and conversational style information to the group and to others outside of the group
• User-friendly
• Free.

The group also considered the value of using audio and video, social bookmarking, feed readers and Google Analytics in small business.

Throughout the program participation and progress were monitored and feedback was received from all participants. All tools had some benefits and some draw backs. However overall, the participants were enthusiastic about continuing to use similar tools in their businesses.

The Model


Our Small Business Online Communications Model will demonstrate that a suite of online tools can simplify the complex communication issues experienced by small business owners. Time, distance and cost have been identified as major barriers to effective communication.

The Journey

At the beginning

Most participants had not used an online meeting tool, most had used a blog but not for business purposes and some had participated in forums. Most participants communicate with clients and/or staff by phone, email or face to face meetings. Small business owner and IT expert, Sam Thorogood, talks about his perceptions of these tools before and after the program.



Along the way

Our program structure included a face to face, get to know each other session where we discussed our interests and possible uses for the technology. Following this were six sessions in the online meeting room, including a training session in online facilitation, two guest speakers, an introduction to Delicious, RSS and Podcasting and, importantly, two participant led sessions. So everyone had an opportunity to try out the tools. Between sessions we posted announcements, asked questions, shared information and generally chatted in the forum. The blog was used to describe our experiences from three perspectives: an educational perspective, a facilitation perspective and from a small business perspective.

During the program Anna from Bestbuds florist discovered how Google Docs could help her communicate in her business.



The Challenges

Sound and voice - There were some initial technical challenges where participants had difficulty with sound and voice in the online meeting room. Luckily we anticipated that this may be the case and spent time with each individual before the first meeting to identify any issues. The technical support from our provider was critical in overcoming this hurdle and I’m pleased to say was excellent. Our first meeting was a training session in the online meeting room and we asked our provider to conduct this on our behalf. This resulted in a positive, successful and relaxed first experience in the conference room for all participants and set the program off to a great start.

Starting on time - Not once did we start on time! Every week we asked participants to arrive fifteen minutes before our scheduled start time so that we could check sound and voice and every week everyone arrived at the scheduled time. Consequently we always began about fifteen minutes late and often finished late as a result. The lesson learned for us was to schedule an extra fifteen minutes into the session so that participants allocate enough time for each session to run smoothly.

Facilitation - There was a tendency amongst those who were professional speakers and/or educators to transfer the techniques from a face to face meeting into the online meeting. So there was period of adjustment which is described in some of the blog postings. The other main facilitation issue was the time lag when taking web tours. (Week 2, Week 7 Blog) Interestingly our participants seemed to just glide effortlessly into the environment. Maybe there were no pre-conceived ideas or maybe they learned from our mistakes! Week 6 Blog, Week 5 Blog).

Forum posts - To create an interest in our forum was difficult. Our online meetings were weekly and therefore there was little reason to communicate between sessions. Clearly relevance and need are key motivators to participation in a forum and in the context of our program there was no need. With the benefit of hindsight I realise that the greatest benefit of the forum was the ablity to send announcements to the group about the weekly sessions. Although some participants expressed some discomfort at the idea of publishing their thoughts online, this issue was minimal within our group. I do, however, believe that there was enough communication in the forum for participants to gain an understanding of how it might be used. This was supported by Mike Raffaele from WowWash who gave a practical example of how he might use a forum in his business and talks about his views on forums and blogs.



Time and workload - To come to grips with anything new, whether technological or otherwise, requires an investment of time – a major barrier for someone running a business. However by the end of the project there was general agreement that the time invested in online tools would pay off in the long term.

At the end

How useful were the tools to small business?

The most popular tool by far was the online meeting tool primarily as a training tool for both clients and staff. Kylie from Furr hair salon in Newtown and Chris from Create Studios, a web design company, talk about how they might use the online conferencing tool.





Participants enjoyed the flexibility of anytime/any place communication. Queenie Shen from Churchill Saunders joined us from her car during the first session!

".......and hope the movement in the car didn't make anyone feel dizzy! ......to answer your question, I used 3 Mobile Broadband and was quite impressed I did not drop out at all during the whole trip ........... No additional software was required to do mobilewebconferencing, so quite handy."

Chiropractor, John Petrozzi, said "I actually quite liked the fact that I could see everyone who was in the meeting, and at the same time I enjoyed being in the comfort of my own house, eating nuts and drinking tea. I have been thinking about ways in which I could utilise this form of meeting in my everyday life. And I had a thought. There are lots of chiro's all over the country that I would love to talk to but often don't get time to sit on the phone. So I thought that it would be cool to organise a group meeting with these guys, and talk about ideas, practice, business and generally brain storm some ideas. "

Only one participant expressed an interest in setting up a forum. His plan is to create an industry-based forum for the car detailing industry in Australia. Others expressed an interest in participating in existing forums within their industry area and all could see the value in using a Blog as an additional web presence.

What type of business’ might use these tools in future?

Our program was offered to a range of business people. Those business people who decided to take part were those who are in a growth phase or those seeking efficiencies in relation to cost and/or time. Some have remote staff, clients, suppliers or outbound sales people. The tools we introduced may also be of value to franchises. However the range of online tools is unlikely to be relevant for small local retail outlets or coffee shops.

Why is it vocationally useful?

The teaching and learning strategies use in this program could be applied to any learning program where the intention is to introduce new concepts and build practical skills. Our participants learned about the tools by first, using them as observers, then as participants before moving into the facilitator role themselves. Careful scaffolding enabled them to successfully deliver a short session on a topic of their choice. The collaborative nature of this program provided opportunities for the group to support each other. At the end of the program all participants were able to make informed decisions about the value of these tools in their business which is evident in the shot videos above.

Project Manager, Ann Brady describes her impression of the meeting tool and the highlights of the program.



Conclusions and Outcomes

We believe that we met our aim of developing a suite of online communications tools of value to small business owners. Through this project we determined that online conferencing software and asynchronous communications programs are available at low cost, or even no cost! They are easy to setup and use, and are useful for some small businesses, especially those needing to communicate with remote suppliers or staff or remote locations.

The online meeting software was well received by the group and regarded as a time/cost saving communication tool which might be useful for staff development, product promotion, demonstrations as well as a place to conduct meetings with colleagues or clients. Half of our eight partaicipants expressed an interest in further use of online meeting strategies. The forums were considered less useful, although it was considered possible that they may be a way of connecting with other industry experts around Australia. Some business owners indicated that they may use additional asynchronous communications techniques as a result of this project. A blog was considered to have potential as a small business marketing tool.

Some barriers need to be overcome, such as arranging specific times to meet online and meeting those time frames. Other issues are that some participants of the asynchronous forums were more active than others.

Small business owners can learn from our experience. By reading our blog and listening to comments from participants they will learn how they might use the suite of tools to meet their business communications needs.

Mary Hendriks, program facilitator and green business advocate, wraps up this report with her impressions of the program.




For more information please contact Ann Brady from Sydney Community College at ann.brady@scc.nsw.edu.au.

Session 7 - Final Online

As Mary said, Matt did a great job presenting his material. I agree that the combination of short presentation followed by discussion was a good mix. In my own presentation, I found that losing sight of the conference room while web-touring or showing slides quite disarming. One minor point I would like to make is that with such a large group it may have been advantageous to engage with half the group for one question and then the other half for the next question. It seemed to take a long time for everyone to respond to each question and the effect of this was to slow down the presentation. That said, interest was maintained throughout the session. I suppose this is one of many examples we have seen throughout the program where we have transfered our usual face to face presentation style into the virtual world only to discover that there are adjustments we need to make, and as Matt pointed out, it relates to lack of feedback.

It was also interesting to note how relaxed everyone is in the room after only six meetings. It demonstrates how quickly and easily people adapt to using the technology.

Google Groups is very quiet this week and I suppose that is to be expected as the program draws towards its conclusion next Wednesday. It has served its purpose as a method of communicating between sessions and as a place to post announcements about upcoming meetings. However, on the whole there has been very little chat. I believe that because we conducted weekly sessions in the virtual conference room there was no necessity for people to chat in between. It's possible that if the meetings had been monthly or even fortnightly there may have been more activity in the forum. Nevertheless, the quality of the posts was high which was great to see.

Looking forward to our final face to face session next week to hear what our participants have to say about their experience in the program from the viewpoint of a small business professional. (Ann)

Week 7 - eCommerce meeting

Our last formal group online meeting was with a presenter, Matt Freedman on the topic of eCommerce and Online Payment, areas where Matt has considerable experience. The online session was conducted as presentation plus discussions, and this worked well, as everyone (in the group of 10 attendees) was able to participate and share their own knowledge and perspectives. I think this is an excellent style for small groups where there already is a significant expertise level, and the online format provides the virtual room where a topic can be reviewed collaboratively.

Matt's comments reflected positively on the meeting format, although, as a frequent presenter to real time groups, he found the presentation somewhat challenging as he did not see the participants until the discussion resumed. This presentation used a more interactive approach than our previous, and this, I found well suited to the online meeting format. (Mary)

Matt Freedman commented: "It was a pleasure leading a discussion and presentation on eCommerce and Payment Systems for Small Business online meeting this week. The information covered was pretty broad, and each of the participants compared their experience with eCommerce both as a user and consumer but also how they are currently use it in their business or how they might use it in the future. It was a different experience presenting online compared to being in front of a live audience. You don’t get the same feedback from the audience as you can’t see their faces while you present, so you just have to imagine them and keep going. I also found that in this medium doing a short 1 or 2 slide presentation then a discussion, then back to another 1 or 2 slide presentation was a good mix of interactivity and information as you don’t tend to get the level of questions during the actual presentation component that you would in a physical seminar. I found the discussion part very engaging, and found it was easy to connect with each participant in much the same way as you would if you were in the same physical room. The definite bonuses were the text chat that went on in parallel with the voice chat and that everyone seemed very comfortable in their own environments (homes/offices) and people were more likely to dress casually, eat, drink, take notes which you are less likely to get in a classroom."

Week 6 - Round 2 Presentations

As has already been said we were again treated to four fantastic presentations. Things that stood out for me were:

CMS and Google Analytics

- the CMS presenter was assisted by a colleague who answered the text questions. We haven't seen this support role in action before and the value of the role was really clear. All the text questions were answered quickly leaving the presenter to concentrate on the presentation. It was very effective and for anyone considering client presentations it's likely to produce a smooth and professional session.

- if the CMS and Google Analytics had been delivered in a training room I would have been the participant who grabbed the presenter during the break to pick their brains and find out more. In this case we were constrained by time as we had four presentations to complete within an hour and half, so I guess people were aware of this and asked fewer questions. Maybe in this context the virtual conference room is a place to give people a taste of something to see if there is interest, and then if there is, either a face to face meeting or a series of online sessions could be arranged.


Vibrant Hair Colour

- this presenter was a natural. She looked as if she was one of those TV presenters who sits very comfortably on the lounge and speaks without rehearsing! The headset she wore sits around the back of the head (rather than the Biggles look - on the top of he head with the massive earphones which I have!) and I think this really adds to the look of the presenter - the headset is barely visible so you can more easily forget the technology and focus on what is being said. The other comment I would make about the visual impression is that there was no clutter behind the presenter which again keeps your focus on the subject.

WebEX

- this was a presentation with a twist - a presentation about one conferencing software package from within another conferencing software package! This was a also a confident presentation which focussed on why some business' might choose WebEx over other software It wasn't a sales pitch but it was an example of how you could present a product in this manner. The strategies used were: to point out the benefits of the product; and to draw comparisons with other high-end and expensive technical solutions. It worked very well, in fact so well, that an additional session has been planned within WebEx.


So these are my observations. What I don't know is how much time and effort went into preparing for these presentations, how that compares to preparing for a face to face meeting, or how presenters feel about the feedback they receive in the room - is it sufficient? Do they know that they have been understood? This will be our Google Groups discussion topic for the week.

Week 6 – Small Business Presentations 2 – The Team

The remaining business owners took the hot seat this week and gave us an insight into their worlds.

First we were treated to a behind the scenes tour of some websites that have been setup using CMS, a really good way for small business owners to keep their websites up to date and fresh without having to get web designers to do this every time. In addition Google Analytics was explained a little, again as a powerful tool for small business owners to be able to focus their marketing and advertising spend, to get the most from dollars spent and see where their real customers are coming from.

We were then given a colourful training session into the world of Vibrant Hair Colour that was technical, enlightening and interesting – proving again the online software is a good medium for training especially for people located in spread out, remote or even global locations, and even for a supplier / customer relationship. After this we were given a very informative presentation on some of the other solutions for online communication, showing that there is a software or tool for every budget. Whether you are in small business with a small budget or a large corporate looking for sophisticated communications the online world of business communication is definitely starting to emerge and be accepted a great deal faster than even a couple of years ago.

Some of the main reasons for this are probably the need to cut costs as expenses in business increase rapidly, petrol costs, flights, freight etc. The reduction in cost and rapid improvement in internet connection speed, allowing for more seamless conversations and transfer of information and perhaps the saving in that other very valuable asset time… (Mike)

Hosting can be shared

In the past, our online training sessions have been very structured, and we've always tried to make sure that each online meeting room only ever had a single 'host' - or administrator - at a time. Partially, this was so that we didn't have any contention regarding the various features and settings one can manipulate as a host, but also because it was easier to visualise - a presenter manages the room as a host, while participants have no extra control. However, we discovered this week that it was actually advantageous to have two hosts in the room: the original presenter, along with a second, more technically able user, who was able to provide quick support for the presenter, who may be more focused on their presentation.

From a presentation point of view, this is a great feature, as it basically allows a presenter to get on with the task of presenting, and be backed by a technical user able to make live changes in the background. This might include allowing users into the meeting, changing speaking privileges for noisy users, or simply bringing up the noteboard and editing it with some live information.

We asked MegaMeeting about this feature, and whether they recommended it, and, as usual they got back to us within a few hours of us e-mailing them, basically confirming that there were no issues as long as there was good communication between the Host and the Moderator. (Sam)

Session 6 - More presentations!

This week the remaining four business owners presented from their own premises using the Megameeting online meetings rooms and again it was a great session. While it took longer to start, as the session had been set up in a smaller room and we all had to move to the larger room (in terms of "seats") the four presentations were excellent and used all the features of the online meeting room. We were shown a content management system, and how to use google analytics- which is now active on this blog! Our professional hair stylist provided a short training session on vibrant hair colours and our last presenter discussed other video conferencing systems that she had investigated for her business needs.

One of the key elements that seems to work for the meeting environment is to keep presentations fairly short, and to return to the face to face meeting room for comments and questions. And it helps to have a Moderator, who monitors the questions as they come in on the text window. Its hard to present and watch the questions. And the audio - which can be used - sometimes comes across too loud or too soft. It works, but maybe some sound checks at the beginning would be useful. All up, another really great session, and I for one found it a fantastic way to learn! (Mary)

Session 5 - Team Presentations

In five weeks the group have moved from nervous novice to polished presenter in the true spirit of the energetic entrepreneurs that they are!

The first thing that hit me in all four presentations was the confidence of the presenters. So I have been thinking about the factors that have led the group to this point and came up with the following list:

- participation as guests
- observation and critique of other presenters
- exploring the environment independently
- a willingness to take a chance
- trust within the group
- choosing familiar topics to present
- practice presenting
- an intention to have fun

Also interesting was that Google Groups was deathly quiet in week four, but after the presentations our presenters dived in to talk about how the experience had made them feel. All four presenters were incredibly positive and these are some of their comments:

“This session went really, really well! Thanks for listening to my
podcast.”

“Last night was a really good application of the megameeting platform.”

“As a host I found it a fairly easy process to navigate through.”

“…having a 'live' demonstration in the comfort of your home/office is pretty cool.”

“I realised something the other day - I love presenting!”

“In the beginning I couldn't believe it could be of any use...too technical, too much of a time waster fiddling around with settings and too impersonal - but now I am beginning to see the light.”

Week 5 – Small Business Presentations – The Team

It’s over to you! And it was, the participants were the presenters this week running online meetings of their own.

After a little practice with the settings and how to set up a meeting, polls and utilise other features we were off. We tried to think of different applications and ran an online training session that a small business owner could run, gave a presentation and used polls to gain audience feedback and developed a podcast, which again would be good for a SBO to put their ‘expert’ information on their website for customers.

In addition to the online meetings we ventured to explain other forms of online communication including Groups, Forums and E-Newsletters, again all very cost effective for small business and great mediums for everything from sourcing information to keeping in touch with customers and gaining valuable feedback.

Watch this space for more varied ideas and applications next week from others in the group… (Mike)

Week 5 - Show and Tell

This week was for our groups Online presentations in teams of two. We commenced with a great demonstration of how to make up a beautiful floral posy and this was followed by a survey, just to make sure we were paying attention! A great example of how to teach new techniques to remote staff or to demonstrate a feature to clients. Our next presentation was about the relative merits of groups environments eg Google groups, verses a forum, referring to the car detailing industry. The second team produced a podcast on making podcasts - we all listened to this and then returned to the Online meeting room, to finish up with a discussion and several polls about health and the benefits of healthy living, an important topic for busy business people. We were then shown the participant's website, and how to obtain more information on an ongoing basis.

After just a few online sessions, our four presenters, all small business people, were each able to run an online meeting, and use this to show off something about their individual businesses. With the team interaction and the text chat going on, it was a really interesting and fun session, and one that raised the confidence to a new level.

Session 5 - a few technical tips

Week 5 session of the group came off mostly without a hitch! The presentations were very interesting, and it was great to see everyone get involved with the technology. However, from a technical point of view, setting up to host a room turned out to have a few more intricacies than we expected.

For instance, the Online Meeting room that was set up for us did not have "auto-accept clients" ticked, and the host (who was busy preparing to present) had to approve everyone who came into the meeting. Additionally, one of our presentations was very visual: however, it was remarked that it was fairly difficult to see the full detail of a floral presentation, as the video from clients is usually fairly low-quality, to conserve bandwidth. A feature that all of us forgot about was the ability to turn on high-quality video for one specific user, so that all other users could see them in a higher resolution. This is something available under Host Options.

There was another issue when we tried to swap the role of Host, however, we soon decided that it was easier to all move to a different online room and so were able to keep the meeting on track, without further problems. (Sam)

Week 4 - more tools :)

Our online session this week was a mixed bag - both in terms of technical issues and new stuff. We had ten in the meeting room, but one had outbound sound problems and another participant had webcam issues, but fortunately, everyone could hear, and communicate, so it still worked for the session. The topics were del.icio.us and RSS feeds and readers, and then we all watched a YouTube video on making a podcast. Actually quite a lot for one session - plus working out what works in the presentation.

Megameeting works well in the meeting room and it was good to all go and watch the same video, and then come back to discuss it. But when the presenter was working through various websites, there was a delay which slowed down the presentation, and it may be better for the future to make a Powerpoint presentation of the various screenshots. Again, it was an entertaining session, and really great to not have to drive on a cold night, and being home with a coffee, and yet also in a training session with others was a real bonus! (Mary)

Week 4 - What to do, and what not to do!

Last night I presented in Megameeting for the first time. I have experience presenting and facilitating in Discovere and have participated in online meetings in both Elluminate and Adobe Connect - so I am not a stranger to online conferencing. I decided to try something different and my intention was to demonstrate how to use Del.icio.us, RSS and Podcasting. The idea was to inform participants about a range of software which they may choose to investigate further and use in their business. It was not intended to be a training session - just a demonstration. Simple!! (or so I thought...).

To prepare I had two computers and logged into one as host and one as a guest so that I could see the demonstration from both perspectives. I decided to deliver the demonstration using the Desktop Sharing feature and demonstrate straight from the web. This immediately brought to my attention the delay which occurs between the moment I click a link and move to a different screen and when the audience see that screen. The delay is up to 30 seconds. I wondered if this was happening because both computers were on the same network so I trialled the presentation with a colleague with the same result. So, to proceed or to rethink was the question! I decided that each part of the demonstration was going to be quite short, about 10 minutes I thought, and that I would intersperse them with discussion to maintain interest and, I thought that to overcome the delay issue was a matter of technique. If I could work out when to click in relation to my dialogue it may be possible to deliver a smooth demonstration. (That, in fact, turned out to be very difficult). So my decision was to proceed and what follows is the planned structure:

Del.icio.us -a straight demo of the features followed by discussion (20 min)
RSS - a Common Craft 3 minute Youtube clip and then briefly describe and show my Google Reader account followed by discussion (20 min)
Podcasting - a second presenter who would show a video showing how to record in Audacity and upload to Podomatic followed by a short tips and tricks presentation. (30 min).
(The session was planned for 90 minutes).

All good on paper, but what happened in practice?

- there were frequent periods of waiting while screens were downloading for the audience which caused frustration and loss of interest
- when using the shared desktop feature the presenter loses sight of the conference room. There is no visual contact and the text chat cannot be seen. There is audio only. The benefit of video conferencing over audio conferencing is the ability to see how the audience are responding to your presentation. I found this quite disarming and felt as if I was talking into space.
- videos cannot be shown from within Megameeting - the download time prevents them from running smoothly. This was overcome by putting a link into the note board which took the audience to the Youtube video. However this means that the audience are leaving the room to watch the video. This was not a problem last night but the potential is there to lose people or for people to experience problems getting back into the room.
- finally our second presenter had technical issues and dropped out altogether after running her video which meant that we lost the benefit of her experience and advice.

All in all, it was very disappointing. If I were to have the night over again I would have selected no more than two topics and used screen dumps and Powerpoint instead of web tours. The videos worked well, but it is important that they are short and they need to be followed by a well structured discussion. Upon reflection I realise that I approached the session from a teaching perspective and was trying to emulate a face-to-face environment. Some of those concepts just don't transfer to the online world and live web demonstration seems to be one which doesn't work!

Nevetheless, all experience is worthwhile and I learned a lot yesterday evening. There are great advantages to online conferencing in terms of cost saving, convenience, the environment, etc. However, it's important to identify its strengths and weaknesses. This project has already exposed us to a range of online strategies and I'm sure there is more to come! Bring it on!

Week 3 - The College Perspective

I missed this session unfortunately but was interested to see the comments in Google Groups and the other Blog entries.

From discussions with Mary and participant's comments in Google Groups, what immediately struck me was how quickly and easily James seems to have adapted his face to face teaching techniques into a virtual environment. The professionalism of his presentation was mentioned more than once in Google Groups and the length of time spent in preparation was, I gather, quite minimal. This is likely to encourage participants to use Megameeting for themselves and it seems that James is a convert!

Google Groups is moving along and several people are now confidently responding to posts, however few are starting discussions. Our conversations are generally about the meeting we have just had or the meeting that is next on the agenda and I think we need to consider other topics for discussion in Google Groups in order to engage in a different way and really experience the benefits of belonging to a forum. (Ann)

Trainers Viewpoint - definitely cool!

“Wow, what a cool experience. After initially getting over the feeling of being a voyeur, I loved teaching, interacting, and communicating my usual content in a totally different forum. This is really exciting software and it’s just the beginning of things to come. As people get busier and busier it is programs like this one that will revolutionise the way that people learn.

This software is best used when its capabilities are maximised. There’s so much value in the chat box, the notice board, and the poll features. By combining it all with the occasional presentation, I was able to target the various learning-style preferences of the participants. I found the whole experience a lot of fun and really recommend that people give it a try not only for training but also for business meetings, especially businesses with employees in different sites.” (James Adonis)

Week 3- Training Online can be cool!

Our next session was an online training meeting on a topic that's important for most growing small businesses - How to Recruit and Engage Staff. Our trainer and workshop leader was James Adonis, who is a corporate speaker and also growing his own business. Prior to the session, I had demonstrated the features of how he could display his powerpoint presentation, set up polls, and how he could use the chat and noteboard. I had done this in a short online meeting with James and so he modified his presentation to use all these features. During the session, James moved in and out of the presentation and meeting modes, so that everyone in online meeting room was able to comment -even though we had nine of us! There was some occasional sound loss as the each part of the presentation was being set up, but overall, everyone was able to follow what was said and able to contribute.

It really showed how this could be used to train staff, or present a new feature to clients, or to learn something new from a supplier. And because the presenter can go back to the meeting mode as often as he/he likes, no-one can leave, read a book or check emails! And eating is OK, as we don't yet have smell-avision - it's not the problem that it would be in a face to face meeting! (Mary)

Online Meeting Starts – The Team View

As the time drew closer the faces started appearing in the MegaMeeting room, after an initial 5 minutes of sorting out all our own technical issues of microphones and webcams we were all present seeing each other and able to be seen and heard!

Hosting the session was Terie from MegaMetting in LA and his local time was about 2.30am – and we thought Small Business Owners worked long hours. This first session was challenging and eye opening for all the Online Meetings participants with an introduction to the software features and functionality of how you can run a meeting online from various locations around the world.

The Team’s feedback was positive and encouraging and initial fears of technical incompetence were quickly laid to rest. A feeling of involvement and interaction was shared for the meeting room with most being impressed with the ability of how simple it appeared to share information with everyone.

On talking to all and reading through the comments on Google Groups, in the day or two following, several of the team were already thinking of concepts on how using such technology and how these could benefit theirs businesses. We are all away now to play with the software and meet up again in smaller groups, whilst looking forward to the next online meeting in the comfort of our offices or homes… (Mike)

Online Meeting - Technical viewpoint

With just one formal online session of MegaMeeting under our group's belt, and some informal training around the edges, most of our members are starting to get the hang of it - and overcome some of their initial technical problems.

Before our first formal session, everyone was asked to come online and use MegaMeeting's online meeting product - even on their own - just to make sure they could connect, and communicate properly with those helping them test the environment. One of the advantages of MegaMeeting is that there is typically no special setup or configuration required; nearly all computers have a web browser with Adobe Flash support - the same requirements you need to watch YouTube videos - so there is no cost in downloading and setting up applications to get you started. While it's not my specific topic area, this is also a great feature if you'd like to invite clients or one-off viewers into your conference: there is really not much work to do on their end - they just click a link, and - off they go!

Of course, it doesn't always work as easily as I've described, and we have had some teething issues. The biggest issue we've experienced is getting used to the MegaMeeting interface, as well as some simple issues (or unexpected features!) to do with sound. It took some users a few minutes to get their sending volume quite right; they were initially too soft, and later too loud, an effect visible as everyone within the conversation could actually be seen removing their headphones due to some of the overwhelming noise. A headset is certainly a must, too: a single user with external speakers and a microphone can very easily cause a feedback loop, something not fun inside a meeting of twelve.

Additionally, some users reported that their experience was quite sluggish if they had a few applications, or browser tabs, still open. If you have a slow computer, it might be a good idea to close any non-essential programs before you join into MegaMeeting. Additionally, if you're connecting from an environment where other users might be downloading large files - make sure you ask them to stop before coming in!

Overall, after these small issues, most users in our group were able to get started, participate and provide some feedback within the meeting itself. Terie from MegaMeeting was also available in our first formal session, which was a great help in getting over some of the unfamiliarity people experienced with the system (Sam)

Megameeting Training - the college perspective

The training was delivered by Megameeting themselves. Terie, our trainer was exceptionally competent, well prepared, patient and understanding and generally did a fantastic job - particularly when you consider that he was in Los Angeles and it was 2.15am!!

Terie began by outlining the benefits of online conferencing and the features of the room. Then he took us to a second room where he shared his desktop and demonstrated how each of the features work. The training was delivered over a two hour period and was structured as follow:

- Camera & Microphone/Headset Troubleshooting
- What is Videoconferencing/What is MegaMeeting
- Basic Account Functions/Features
- Logging into your MegaMeeting Account
- Creating a Meeting
- Meeting Name
- Setting a Date and Time
- Configuring Additional Meeting Settings & Appearance
- Inviting Participants to Meetings
- Joining a Meeting
- Ending a Meeting
- Installing Additional Utilities (ShowMyDesktop / Outlook Meeting Add-In)
- Inside the Meeting
- Controlling Video (Turning it On/Off – Resizing Video Images)
- Using the VoIP Feature (Hold-to-Transmit vs. Lock)
- Differences Between Host & Guests
- ShowMyDesktop Feature (Showing Participants Presentations)
- Host Options (Additional Host Abilities inside of the Meeting Room)
- User Rights (Controlling what Participants can do inside of the Room)
- Invitations (Inviting Additional Participants to the Meeting)
- High Quality Video (Upgrade Video Quality for a Meeting Participant)
- What to do When Your Meeting is Over (Disconnecting vs. Quitting)

In my opinion, at the end of the training most people had an understanding of what they software can do, and comments in Google Groups indicated that some are considering how they can use virtual conferencing in their business. Comments were made about bandwidth issues, strategies for conducting meetings and the potential for networking with peers and colleagues.

Our first group meeting online!

Our first online training session was run by our cool trainer from MegaMeeting (the product we have chosen to use) - and we could see and hear all 11 of us, plus Terie our trainer, in the one online meeting room. Most of the group were at their own premises, but one was outbound using a wireless system at a motel in NSW, and another initially joined the meeting using her laptop and connection while a passenger in a moving car. So that was quite something, as we could see and hear her, and also the traffic flow behind her. She soon arrived and continued from a less distracting venue, so we were able to concentrate on the session.

Our session first covered the basics of being a GUEST in the online room, and then we all were able to create our own meetings rooms as HOST so that in future, we can invite guests, and each have our own online meetings. The presentation used the feature "Show My Desktop" and how to set up an online poll. And lots of other stuff as well. It feels good to be able to see everyone in the meeting room, to use the voice over IP, and the chat window. Overall, the reactions were positive - one connection was not great as it was through a wireless network, but it still worked. I think there is now some appreciation that while its easy to be a guest in an online meeting, to really use this tool well as a host, it will take some practice. And that's what we plan to do! (Mary)

Session 1 - Face to Face

Google Groups is developing nicely. We have added a photo of the group and five of our nine participants are registered with Google Groups and are ready to chat online. All but two have been in other forums and are familiar with the concept of online chat which is a good start.

Our challenge is to encourage initial engagement and then to facilitate ongoing discussion. Mary has made a great start by adding a YouTube video on setting up a Blog and we will be looking for feedback on our session and ideas going forward. (Ann)

Team meets!

Our first meeting was in real space - which was good to get to know everyone. The session included some great finger food, and an overview of the main online tools that we plan to use. These include Megameeting, ( a web based video conference system) for online meetings, Blogger for the project outline, and Google groups for the main team communications.

Small business depends on connection - and blogging is a really quick way to connect to clients. It can be your main web presence or a more informal site linked to your man website. Blogger is a free and easy to use blogging tool - there are others, but this is an easy one to start with. Several of the business owners are planning to set up their own blogs, so I found this really simple video on You Tube and posted this link to our Online Meetings Google Group (Mary)

The college perspective

Hi all

As you will see as we move through the program the blog will present three perspectives of the project: the participant view, the technical view and the college view - I will be talking from the college point of view.

Our aim is to explore a teaching and learning model for collaborative learning with young business owners using technology.

From your point of view, I have no doubt that this will be the least interesting part of the blog(!) but it's likely that other educators will be interested to read about our experiences, both good and bad, to help them with their own program development.

So please tell us about how it feels to be a participant. What is frustrating, what is exciting, what is useful, what you hope never to see again.....

See you online!
Ann

Our Blog is Born!

July 3rd, and our blog has form - and today it breathes its first post!    Mike and I set up a gmail account and then went on to blogger.com and basically worked it out.  We selected a Template and played around with colours, went to Layout and put up some details ABOUT US, except that it still shows ABOUT ME as the heading on the PROFILE page.   "US"  is a group of business people, all in small business in Sydney, and all in the early years of business growth.  This Blog is our record of finding out about  OnLine meeting tools - follow our progress, maybe it will be useful for you. (Mary)

P.S We had some help with the HEADING - it's always important in business to have a good sign, so a friend made a collage of images from FLICKR and built the name of the group into the image.  This gives us a different look than using the Blogger style, with the name of the blog over the uploaded image.