Adobe Connect Blog

What an amazing time last week in Orlando for both the Adobe Learning Summit 2011 (#ALS2011) and the Learning Solutions Conference & Expo 2011 (#LS2011). I had the great opportunity during my time at both to show off the new version of Adobe Connect Mobile for Android on the Motorola XOOM tablet! While not everyone got to see the application in action, between myself and my Adobe colleague, RJ Jacquez (@rjacquez), who also had a XOOM and was showing conference attendees Adobe Captivate content, we cast a fairly wide net of how Adobe is trending in the mobile learning (mLearning) space.

One of the biggest themes across both conferences was, in fact, mLearning. There were more questions than answers and even fewer examples (with exception of the awesome mLearning work that Josh Cavalier (@JoshCav) is doing over at http://www.lodestone.com/). That said, it’s clear learning practitioners are very interested in mLearning and eager to get their hands on technologies that will give them an instant mobile learning solution. Enter the latest version of Adobe Connect Mobile.

At ALS2011, I attended Adobe Connect team member Peter Ryce’s session, Extensibility = Learner Engagement, where between the two of us, we demoed Adobe Connect from his laptop, his Android smartphone and from the XOOM I had with me! With the new mobile app, I participated in polls, the chat pod and even broadcast video from the XOOM’s camera live to the audience, in excellent quality, and over hotel WiFi. The Adobe Connect experience on the tablet is superior! I could sense the excitement from attendees and its implications for mLearning by those who witnessed it. Adobe Connect Mobile on the XOOM, and other tablets, represents an entirely new opportunity for mLearning – the mobile virtual learning environment or classroom. The virtual classroom has never been this accessible on a mobile device.

Over at LS2011, I attended How to Produce Consistently Engaging Virtual Online Sessions with Chris Benz (@chris_benz) and Karen Hyder (@karenhyder), both of the eLearningGuild – a practitioner’s network using Adobe Connect for their own virtual learning. I had a chance to show Chris the new Adobe Connect Mobile app and discuss its potential for mLearning.

One other note, day two keynote Nancy Duarte also showed screenshots of Adobe Connect during her keynote presentation, Resonate – Visual Stories That Transform Learners and Audiences. I was very happy to tweet about that!

Were you at ALS2011 or LS2011? Did we cross paths and, if so, did you see me cruising with or demoing on the XOOM? What was most memorable for you about the shows? Please let us know in comments or send me a message on Twitter.

Justin Mass, Senior Learning Technologist, Adobe (@jmass)

I’m excited to announce the availability of Adobe Connect Mobile 1.5 for Android smartphones and tablets. This follows the original version of our application for Android, which we made available in October 2010 and discussed in this post. We appreciated all the feedback to version 1.0 and have worked to extend and improve the application further in this latest version. We encourage you to download the free Adobe Connect Mobile 1.5 app from the Android Market today (more on that later).

With this version, the first optimized for Android tablets and with enhancements to be enjoyed on Android smartphones as well, Adobe Connect Mobile gives the mobile user complete confidence to attend meetings from anywhere. With an updated user interface, mobile users will feel more like full meeting participants, and can interact in many of the same ways as someone on a desktop system.

The new release provides an entirely updated interface, which in part includes the following new views and features:

Two-way Video
• Participate in multi-point video conferencing and add your own upstream video broadcast to the conversation.

Meeting Overview and Focus View Options

• In Meeting Overview, watch all the activities happening in the meeting at once.
• Tap or navigate to focus in on any one meeting activity like the slide presentation or screen share.
• Focus on an activity to enter your input in Chat, Private Chat, and Polls.
• While in Focus View, instant notifications help you stay current with off-screen activities that may need your attention, like new or private chat messages. Tap to focus on new activities directly from these notifications.

Check out this video to see me demo some of the new features, including those I’ve described above.

Adobe Connect Mobile 1.5 is available here in the Android Market for users whose devices meet the minimum system prerequisites. Adobe AIR 2.6 for Android (or later) is required, as is Android 2.2/FroYo (or later). A list of mobile devices that meet the AIR system requirements can be found here.

Remember, we also have an Adobe Connect Mobile application for Apple iOS devices; you can find version 1.0.5 on iTunes Preview here. The app will be updated to version 1.5 soon, so please stay tuned to us on this blog and Twitter.

For more information on the Adobe Connect Mobile client, as well as user commentary, visit our Adobe Connect Mobile User Forum on connectusers.com.

As always, we’re interested in hearing from you—in comments, on our mobile user forum, and on Twitter @AdobeConnect.

Cheers,
Randah McKinnie, Principal Product Manager

Randy Chapman, vice president at Unum, recently talked to us about how the workplace benefits provider uses Adobe Connect to keep customers and employees up to date on benefit programs.

Chapman says, “Adobe Connect offers more advanced capabilities like screen-sharing, the ability to upload and share large files, and live chat pods for ongoing dialogue. Add to that the ability to set up a web camera for an instant one-to-one, and the solution is a complete end-to-end platform for dynamic online meetings.”

Check out the full story about how Unum uses the solution for its interactive training platform that reaches large audiences and distributes benefit program information that can be easily updated as rules, regulations, and laws evolve.

It’s not hard to understand why more organizations are looking to eLearning to help reduce the costs and lost productivity associated with travel for sales training. What comes as a surprise to many though is how expensive and time consuming it can be to create great eLearning content. It typically requires the involvement of subject matter experts, developers, artists, training managers, IT and more.

In the video below, I show a different approach. Rapid sales training combines the ability to very quickly create on-demand content with live virtual classrooms that provide a collaborative and engaging environment for students.

As businesses look to adopt solutions to make collaboration more effective, one key trend we continue to see is the use of video to replicate the in-meeting experience while attendees collaborate with each other from dispersed locations. There are several ways this can be achieved today, with solutions ranging from high-end video teleconferencing (VTC) systems focused entirely on video, to web conferencing solutions that enable more online interaction, webcam sharing, and, sometimes, video streaming. Selecting the right technology to replace in-person meetings begins with understanding your organizational needs and pairing those needs with the optimal conferencing solution. I’ll touch on the three key conferencing solution options currently available, but want to encourage you to dive more deeply via a white paper we’ve created on the subject (more on that later).

VTC
With VTC, presenters and participants can engage with one another through real-time, high-definition video and high-quality audio, providing everyone with close-up views of other meeting participants. Some solutions offer desktop add-on components, enabling users to present slides and share their desktops. When an organization is primarily focused on enhancing internal company meetings by adding the highest-quality video into the meeting environment and can regularly leverage the conference rooms where the technology resides, a VTC system can be an appropriate solution. There are some challenges with VTC solutions that should be considered, though, namely involving the investment and maintenance required, as well as the relative lack of key collaboration capabilities present with other solutions.

VTC with desktop add-on software
Desktop add-on software extends videoconferencing functionality to personal computers and provides basic conferencing components. Sometimes these systems are bundled with proprietary VTC system purchases. Functionality can include two-way or multipoint video, advanced audio, and screen sharing. However, advanced meeting features, as well as most training, event, and on-demand presentation capabilities, are not included. While the desktop add-on software works well for presenters and participants who have the licensed technology available on their computers, use of the software is typically limited to these individuals, and users can’t engage in on-the-fly meetings with people outside the organizations. Some other limitations exist, as well.

Web conferencing
Web conferencing, of course, includes video and audio components and also extends to a variety of features that enable more enhanced interaction through the desktop environment. If the main goal of a meeting is to facilitate teamwork, partnership, and collaboration among users both inside and outside of the organization, Web conferencing provides a good solution because of its interactive meeting features. It also runs on a variety of platforms, including desktop, laptop, and mobile devices, so it offers ease of use from any location. A Web conferencing solution is generally less costly than VTC systems because it’s software-based and leverages existing technology investments in computer hardware, laptop computers, and mobile devices. And some Web conferencing solutions—Adobe Connect among them—even enable integration with VTC solutions, allowing users to considerably broaden the reach of their core technology investments.

Again, in the end, it’s important for organizations to consider what their goals are for enhancing collaboration with video solutions, and what kind of solution will achieve optimal results.

We’ve recently posted a white paper that looks at this topic further, including the value Adobe Connect brings to bear. An interesting part of the paper is a total cost of ownership and ROI analysis across these different options, which valuates some of the pros and cons noted in this post and others. Check out the white paper here. And, as always, we’re interested in your thoughts, so please share in comments.

Rocky Mitarai
Adobe Connect Product Marketing Manager

There are a number of different reasons we’re seeing more marketing organizations choose webinars for their lead generation activities.  Certainly cost is one of the biggest factors when compared to in-person events, but customers also tell us that they are able to reach a larger, more geographically diverse audience with an online event.  It also makes it easier to secure speakers when activities like travel aren’t necessary.

Moving an event online though makes it more difficult for a speaker to really engage with his or her audience.  You lose the two-way eye contact and you can’t read the body language of the participants.  For these reasons, it becomes absolutely critical to leverage rich media and provide interaction during the event to ensure everyone stays connected and engaged.

In the video below, I walk through some of product features that make Adobe Connect the best technology platform for delivering marketing webinars and measuring your success.

The Adobe Event Services team, of which I’m part, has produced thousands of Adobe Connect events over time. In parallel, we’ve built up what we consider a proven list of best practices for successful online meetings of all sizes. Following are a few of my favorites, but you can check out the entire list here. We think incorporating these ideas into your everyday meetings will help result in successful experiences for you and your participants.

Wireless and Web Collaboration

Something we repeatedly suggest is to hard wire into the fastest internet connection possible. The reason for this is sometimes wireless connectivity has pauses or is slow and can cause participants to have audio pauses or make video choppy. If participants complain of choppy audio or content not showing, suggest they hard wire into the internet, if at all possible, and their experience will most likely improve.

VoIP Considerations

It is important to note that VoIP utilizes the internet to transmit audio. If you choose this option it is always recommended you plug directly into your network connection, rather than use wireless and be on the highest bandwidth connection possible. The connection speed of meeting participants also determines their VoIP experience so those on slower connections might experience drop off’s or time delays, called latency, when listening to audio.

Create a “lobby” Layout

Most people use email reminders with their Adobe Connect events to remind participants when a meeting is on the horizon. By nature, once that reminder pops up, participants naturally click on the URL to enter the session. It’s best to plan for participants entering about 15 minutes prior to start time by creating a layout, called a lobby, where participants will know they have correctly accessed the webcast and can hear audio. This is a great area to provide meeting room best practices, information about your company, product or service, a list of upcoming online meetings or perhaps polling questions to learn more about your participants. If you are using VoIP, it’s a good idea to include an MP3 player visual so participants will also know they can hear audio.

Again, these are just a few of our best practice tips. For a longer list of ways to consider improving your online meetings, visit our best practices document here. We’re interested in yours, too, so please share in comments.

And for the latest Adobe Connect news and updates, follow us on Twitter at @AdobeConnect. Or for your Adobe Connect support-related questions, you can find us at @ConnectSupport

Amy Brooks, Adobe Connect Event Producer