On Beyond Powerpoint
Presentations get a wake-up call.
Published November 2007
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COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLESnooze-inducing business slide shows aren't going away; in fact, emerging ways to share presentations online may make them even more pervasive. But thanks to some flashy new tools, presentations are getting easier to sit through and less onerous to create. New software, much of it running on the Web, lets you compose and distribute presentations online in novel ways. Web-based software can't match Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) PowerPoint feature for feature, but it's hard to beat the price (typically, free). Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) new Web-based presentation tool, part of Google Docs, is getting plenty of buzz. Here are other ways to give your bullet points impact.
Best for...Podcasting your presentation
ProfCast
What it is: Web software that lets you turn your presentation into an audio podcast--good for sales, marketing, or training
What's cool: It's easy. Just drag your presentation to the ProfCast application icon and perform your talk live, speaking into a microphone as you run through the slides. ProfCast syncs slides with the audio and converts slide titles into "chapters" that help listeners skip around. Then it will save files in a choice of standard formats for playback on PCs, Macs, iPods, and other portable players.
Drawbacks: It doesn't record video (for file size reasons). It runs only on Macs; a Windows version is due out by the end of the year or early 2008.
Price: $59.95
Best for...Creating quick but good graphics
What it is: Desktop software that makes it simple to create sophisticated-looking graphics that are a step above PowerPoint
What's cool: This software is designed for people who aren't graphics specialists. It has templates and automated design help. It includes 17 categories of charts including maps and "chartoons" (USA Today-style infographics). It also offers an online encyclopedia of business graphics, with examples and notes about every type of graphic the company has seen.
Drawbacks: It doesn't work on the Mac or machines running Linux. It is powerful but potentially expensive.
Price: Individual licenses cost $297 each. Businesses may find it cheaper to take the Freedom License at $2,495 a year for unlimited access for up to 100 users.
Best for...Running free Web conferences
Dimdim
What it is: An open-source Web conferencing tool--like WebEx but free
What's cool: Did we mention that it's free? It's also simple: You don't need to install anything on your computer or network to get a Web conference with audio, chat, and video. It integrates with tools such as the Sugar customer relationship management system and the e-learning product Moodle (both of which are also open source), so you can display data from those systems in a conference. You also can track what you've presented to customers.
Drawbacks: It doesn't have a recording and archiving feature for past conferences, though that's among the features the company plans to add. Dimdim is an early-stage start-up, so it doesn't have a track record.
Price: Free. Support costs $8 a month, or $99 a year.
