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 Streamline Your
Training With Streaming Media
Streaming Media: The process of
digitizing audio and video content for delivery over corporate Intranets and
the Internet.
By...Ronni Rhodes
Streaming Media...one of the
hottest new Internet technologies! 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 a passing fad. (One could make a comparison to those "blinking buttons"
that were so popular on web sites for a short while.)
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 is inevitable. 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 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. This might seem like technical hairsplitting
but could be quite meaningful when corporate content might be sensitive or not
meant for any type of reproduction. Streams can also be password protected for
additional security.
Why is this seemingly less-than-perfect 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, while now in its
infancy, is well on its way to becoming an accepted method for disseminating
information as well as a technique to entertain and amuse us. While it may take
a few years for broadband connections to be readily available, companies that
are willing to be pioneers in harnessing these new techniques will be called
"creators of value" and the innovators of the future.
Ronni Rhodes
is the owner of WBC Imaging, a woman-owned Internet company that specializes in
web site enhancement utilizing streaming media technology. With her husband,
Don, a broadcast 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
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