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Streamline Your Training Costs
with Streaming Media
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by Ronni Rhodes |
Editorial Note: If you are looking for new ways of training
another your employees, you should consider streaming media as an
option. Here's an overview of what streaming media is and how you
can benefit.
Kay
Graham-Gilbert
Streaming Media…now a well accepted Internet
technology. Yet streaming is still not being widely utilized by members
of corporate training staffs. Why is this? I would venture to guess that
lack of direct experience, hesitation to try new methods, and fears
about costly "TV type stuff" have all contributed to make streaming seem
like something too difficult to attempt successfully. |
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Granted, streaming media still has its limitations especially in the
area of delivering full- screen, full-quality video. But most of the big
players on the Internet, even those in head-to-head competition for the
fast-growing streaming audience, agree that as bandwidth continues to
improve, streaming provides a value added service to the Web. Live and
on-demand streaming has definitely arrived on the Internet and on
corporate intranets as part of a multimedia mix for all kinds of
applications including sales, marketing, and training. (I think that the
entertainment value need not be disputed.)
Streaming is economical and extremely
affordable. Once the training production has been completed, there
is no need for expensive tape, or CD-ROM, duplication and shipping
charges. The stream is available 24 hours a |
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day without human intervention and can remain on the company
site for an indeterminate time. Streams can also be archived for easy
access by new employees, customers and visitors. The cost of hosting and
archiving these streams is minuscule compared with the costs associated
with tape duplication, storage, mailing, and the personnel required to
perform these tasks
What is streaming exactly? Streaming promises quick access to meaningful
content without the aggravating wait for files to download. Downloading
requires that files be sent to the user's PC in their entirety before
they can be played; MP3 is a perfect example of this. The files then
remain on the user's machine until they are deleted. Streaming
continuously sends these same files, which have already been digitized,
to the user's PC while the user is listening or watching. When the
stream is ended, no data is left behind on the user's machine. Streams
can also be password protected for additional security.
Why is this technology so well suited for training purposes? The first
and most compelling answer is its availability. Unlike a video or tele-conference,
the participant sets the time and place for the training activity, not
the training provider. This is critical when you have a widely dispersed
sales group, your company has remote locations, or workers who require
training are on different shifts. This is also a very appealing feature
for those seeking higher educational opportunities.
Maintaining training standards and techniques is facilitated with
streaming media. The training provider is assured that all participants
will see and hear the same program. It also makes the producer's job
easier; he or she only has to "put-on" the program once
Instead of many times and can put more emphasis on quality production
values.
Streaming media can be seamlessly integrated with other tools as part of
the same program. An audio stream could be used with still or 3-D
graphics to talk about complex machinery, architectural plans, or
engineering drawings. Use a video stream in conjunction with workbook
exercises for the classroom. Combine audio, video, and graphics for a
facilities tour for remote sales people and their customers. Utilize
streaming as an effective employee orientation tool, also. Company
manuals can be adapted for on-line use and be available on the company
Intranet for training on demand.
Streaming media can provide the answer when a company needs to reach a
great many consumers at one time. I spent several years in the juvenile
products industry where product recalls are common. Many of those
recalls involve products that require a simple mechanical adjustment
that the end-user can easily perform when provided with clear
instructions. Streaming media could be used to demonstrate the
corrective procedure and save the company a small fortune by eliminating
unnecessary phone calls and product returns.
Streaming media technology is fast becoming an accepted method for
disseminating information as well as a technique to entertain and amuse
us. Now that broadband connections are readily available, companies that
are willing to harness these new techniques will be called "creators of
value" and the innovators of the future.
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Ronni Rhodes is the owner of WBC
Imaging, a company that specializes in web site enhancement utilizing
streaming media technology. With her husband, Don, a digital media
engineer, they work with companies to incorporate streaming as part of
successful and meaningful training and marketing programs. Please direct
all questions and comments to: Ronni@wbcimaging.com 520-742-5780
http://www.wbcimaging.com
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2005 Interactive Consulting. All rights reserved.
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