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 Streamline
Your Training With Streaming Media
By Ronni Rhodes
Streaming
Media: The process of digitizing audio and video content for delivery
over corporate Intranets and the Internet.
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 teleconference, 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 sales and marketing programs.
Please
direct all questions and comments to:
Ronni
www.
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