Today, Stephanie Downs of ConferZone presents a new live event focusing on selecting a Web Conferencing provider.



Entitled "How To Pick A (Web Conferencing) Vendor" the event goal is to "help participants learn to:

• Decide on the "Category" of e-conferencing that fits your needs.


• Structure your requirements to fit your goals.


• Select the "Type" of vendors to choose from.


• Compare the different pricing options.


• Ask the deal-breaker questions BEFORE you sign on the dotted line.


• Pick that winning vendor!

The Robin Good Web Conferencing Real-Time Reporter is out again for attempting a second live simultaneous commentary to today's live event.

Yes, also today, during Stephanie's Downs live presentation I will be simultaneously posting my comments and questions on a dedicated, real-time blogging page. On this page, which you can open in parallel with the main event, you will be able to follow my minute-by-minute opinionated commentary on the key issues and ideas presented, without ever needing to refresh the screen or take any action. As I publish a new comment or post it "automatically" appears on top of my real-time reporting page.

My goals will be the following ones:

a) To extend and complement Stephanie Downs' educational effort by adding an extra layer of parallel information and critical reporting.



b) To make sure that important criteria needed in the correct evaluation of a Web Conferencing vendor are all taken into consideration.



c) To guarantee buyers interests are defended and that topics dear to us but not to the vendors get a fair amount of coverage.



d) To stimulate a different type of marketing communication from vendors. One that highlights facts, exchange, direct feedback, transparency, open price lists, news from the company, blogging and more.



e) Not to report on what is being said or presented but to provide complementary points of view, resources, alternative viewpoints, critical questions, and to draw attention to problems and issues not considered, not mentioned, or not referred to in the main, "official" event.




If you are curious about this little real-time blogging experiment, or if you want to get a larger picture in your strategic plan to select a Web conferencing technology, here is a great opportunity to check out both.

Today, I will also be adding a new facility to my parallel event channels. I am setting up a commenting channel for all attendees to the event as well as for viewers of my real-time blog.

On a separate live page, anyone will be able to post live questions, comments, ideas and reference resources both to me and to the event organizers. Though I have not alerted Stephanie Downs of this initiative, it is likely that someone on her side will be following these parallel channels during the event.

My goal with this new addition is the one of providing an independent, unfenced area in which a parallel discussion channel can be created. As last time the facilities provided the conferencing vendor of choice did not allow for an effective open discussion, and as today's event does not specify in any way participation and questions from the audience, I thought appropriate adding this extra option to everyone interested.

In this way we can create a public, unrestricted collective gathering area for what we as valuable individual contributors can add to today's Stephanie Diwns' precious advice.

The event general info and registration is here.
It start at 1pm EDT (NY time)

The Kolabora real-time blog page is here.