Widgets and Badges

In the post-modern, atomic world of the web, information is no longer presented in a monolithic package, but is broken up into "parts" and published and syndicated where desired. Widgets and badges represent examples of these "web parts" wherein people and publishers can copy and paste various micro-content as they please. That the upcoming, highly regarded Web 2.0 Expo has a whole session on this validates the rise of widgets and badges in the realm or publishing and marketing on the web.

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We The People

We attended a webinar today entitled "Best Practices to Improve Webinar Lead Generation." Produced and hosted by Communique Conferencing (and powered by WebEx) the sixty minute webinar was well orchestrated and had some great tips and advice to improve deal flow through webinars. Of particular note was one slide that said "The messenger is more important than the message."  This was emphatically reinforced by the presenter, who basically said what attracts people to webinars is more than just the content - it's the speakers. It's people. We're couldn't agree more.

Behind all the online meeting technology and slick slide presentations are the people who speak in online events. Presenters. Subject matter experts. Keynote speakers. Panelists. Etc. The speakers in webinars are sometimes forgotten amid the wizardry and newness of webinar event technology. Yet speakers, according to the presentation today, are often the main draw to a successful webinar.

People - the presenting speakers, the hosts, the event producers, the publicists, the event marketers, the attendees and the industry professionals are what Eventspan will feature and surface - in addition to other functions - through social networking tools and features on the forthcoming site. Moreover, for "speakers" we will be launching the first "speakers bureau" for experts to list and network themselves in the world of virtual events. People are more important than their presentations and Eventspan will flourish personas in this impersonal void in online events.

The event may be virtual, yet the people are real.

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Virtual Events As The Antidote To Glossophobia

We recently came across this arcane term: glossophia. In short, it means "fear of public speaking." Probably one of the most common phobias, it's estimated that it affects most people in some way at some time in their lives. Who in a business setting hasn't gone before a super large group for a presentation and not felt jittery?

In the realm of online events like live webcasts and interactive webinars, how do public speakers feel and respond to the sense of being in the virtual "spotlight" compared to being on-location to present to an audience? What is the level of speech anxiety while hovering over a speakerphone while presenting in a webinar? What is the level of anxiety while your video image is streamed in a live webcast? Anecdotally, and generally, we know that both of these virtual event examples, where speakers could be speaking to hundreds of people, are dramatically less stressful than in-person speaking engagments where there might be only a dozen people.

As we get ready to launch the EventSpan platform, the role of speaking in virtual events and the lessened self-consciousness and anxiety (for most) that go with it are interesting sidebars.

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First Trip. First Post.

A touch of writer's block usually accompanies publishing the "first post" on a new blog. Our inspiration for the first post on Eventspan, the product blog for our forthcoming Web 2.0 website, came to us today with the buzz about the first trip to the United States of the new Airbus A380, pictured above from a few minutes ago landing at JFK airport. Billed as the world's largest passenger jet and capable of carrying 853 passengers, our respective "firsts" combine to form some rich irony. To wit, EventSpan is billed as "the virtual event network."

EventSpan will soon launch in a business world of rising oil costs, carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming, and airtravel-related fears of terrorism, security hassles, and weather delays. The site will allow people to, variously, search for online events; publish event listings and promote web-based events; and network socially for business purposes in the world of virtual events. All constituencies associated with the production, promotion, and participation in virtual events will come together on EventSpan.com.

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