There’s a lot of stress in prepping for conferences and talks. I’m used to it, but whenever something is new, I get a little nervous. How are the AV staff? Will my laptop connect to the right resolution? Will I fall off stage (I’ve done that).
With the Virtual Summit, I’m nervous for other reasons, not the least of which is that this is the first time we’ve used the platform. With that in mind, I made two videos.
Bottom line is that most of you will want to record your own video and upload it. If you’re worried, contact me or Jen Stirrup and we’ll try to help..
The Portal
The first one below is the initial login for me. I get into the portal, look around, see data privacy, etc. This was my checking it out, and not being ready to speak.
This second video is my experience trying to record my lightning talk on the platform. This wasn’t a real take, but I wanted to see how things work before I need to.
Preparation is key. Remember that for your sessions.
Below you will see how my recording practice went.
The big thing with this platform is that you need to upload your slides first. The rendering was relatively quick, minutes for my 15 slides, but prepare for that.
Second you need to record each slide separately. That means pauses and being careful with transitions. I’d be ready to click stop, as well as be ready to start talking when you click record. It takes about a second to start, but long delays will make the presentation look funny.
Next, no animations in PPT, or video, but also no animated gifs. Not a lot of you use those, so probably not an issue, but beware. Essentially, each slide becomes an image you record over.
The big issues is no demos. Not on the platform. If you need demos, then you need to record your own video. Sorry, don’t see a way around this. I’ll reach out to PASS, but I would rather get you prepared and be wrong than have you expecting something else.
This isn’t a deal breaker, but you do want to be prepared.
Most of you will need to record your own video.
Jen Stirrup made a promise to help speakers. I agree, and I’ll do the same. If you aren’t set up to record video, ping me on Linked In or Twitter and I’ll set up a Zoom call and record your share. I’m happy to get the video processed and then put it on a share for you to download. You’ll still have to download and upload, but at least you don’t need to worry about some of the audio video stuff.
Update: There are two options people have noted that might help some of you. If you just need slides, you can record directly in PowerPoint. You can also record in Teams, if you have access to that platform.
I’ll give you feedback as well on how things go if you want. If not, I’ll just send video.
Get ready early, and start planning for recording in the next two weeks so you’re ready for the Summit.