How many of your agents show up to an office meeting?
I understand that busy schedules and personal reasons prohibit 100% attendance. However there are new out-of-the-box ways that you can record, edit, and publish your events or live training session to the web. Let’s think about the different types of equipment needed to get started and the delivery systems which will make the videos available online for your agents.
Equipment to consider:
Digital video camera
The big question is how much do you want to spend. It is easy to get a Flip Video camera for $199 to record face to face interviews, however if you try to record from a distance then the audio will be poor. I have recorded live with the Flip and when I didn’t have a mic it was tough to hear the audio. When I recorded with the Flip and the mic was tied into the house sound it worked great.
A good place to visit user reviews on camcorders is http://reviews.cnet.com/camcorders/
If you are going to invest in a higher quality digital video camera you will need:
- Tripod. Price $25-200
- Wireless microphone. These can be plugged into the audio jack of the digital video camera and then transmitted via Bluetooth to a mic that is wireless. You may need another mic to tie into the house sound for larger rooms in addition to the wireless mic for to capture the audio.
- Connection cables. Transmitting video from digital video camera to computer for editing and production can take a long time depending on the cables that you are using. The most common is Firewire, USB 2.0 is next, and Sony iLink also works. Firewire is the best for transmitting video files. Before you buy your video camera make sure you know which cables work with the camera you want to buy and the computer you already own. You can always buy a converter but why not do it right the first time?
Web cam
My favorite web cam is the Logitech Quick Cam Pro for speed and live streaming however the sound quality and video resolution is mediocre.
iPhone
You can stream your meetings and trainings live with your iPhone using the app and Ustream so that you don’t need any extra equipment or software. This will come in handy for spontaneous announcements, or if you just want to give others a sneak peek of your office environment.
Here are video hosting, sharing, and online meeting tools to consider:
Good for only up to 15 attendees and only $49/month.
Use Camtasia to record these meetings, edit, and upload them to YouTube or other video hosting sites.
Good for up to 1,000 attendees and only $99/month
This is good for large companies who want to extend their training as a recruiting tool in addition to serving their core group. The registration system, delivery, and reporting will allow you to see who registers, attends, and follow up with those who have specific questions.
Unlimited guests however no control of the message board. You can see how many people are viewing your show.
These videos have a maximum of up to 10 minutes which may be all you need. Be sure to organize your videos into playlists so others can one group of videos instead of all at once.
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