Philippine Webinars

Webinars rely on technology most especially on bandwidth.  Without it you can’t attend or host one.  If it’s too slow you’ll be disconnected several times.

Unlike our first world counterparts, our bandwidth is shared and not guaranteed.   Broadband providers here offer a fast download rate but we know that we don’t get the “stated” speed in our plans.

So, the question is: What Internet provider can I rely on to successfully host or attend a webinar?

We’ve managed to test the huge broadband players with several webinar tools prior to us launching and still constantly testing on every session we’ve hosted.  For this post, I’ll focus on the residential service and not the wireless broadband products. Here are the results:

SMART BRO

The 999 Unlimited plan that has a speed of 1mbps.  This should be good to go but because the connection isn’t stable, it’s not recommended.  The “transformers” experience was born when we used it.  I realized, in hindsight, that I should’ve counted the number of times I said “You sound like the Transformers!” during our meetings.

An attendee would be able to connect to a session but might encounter some difficulty hearing the speaker at some point.  For speakers, I would say don’t even dare to use it, not unless you want a catastrophe in your hands.

BAYANTEL DSL

The 384kbps plan just won’t cut it.  Yes, it may be enough to cover the minimum speed, but remember it isn’t guaranteed.  The 1699 plan is workable.  We’ve had a few successful sessions under this plan, mostly on the hosting side.  Just a few tips before you go and subscribe.

If you are presenting and hosting, it’s better to do a speed test at certain times of the day.  It’s still not as reliable as you would expect.  Though you won’t get disconnected as much, the lag time is huge!

As an attendee, this plan is suffice to attend webinars.  Just don’t expect sessions that offer video streaming to work as well.  The host or speaker has to be ready for any unexpected lag times, so those who don’t rely too much on slides, this could work for you.

SKY BROADBAND

So far, we’ve managed to successfully host webinars through this service.  But, we subscribed to a plan that has a high download and upstream speed.

Their 1.5 mbps plan would be good for attendees and speakers, having an upload burst speed of 512 kbps.  I will recommend them for your webinar sessions.  If you could get a static IP address, which is an additional P200.00 then get it.  This will make sure your connection is stable.

PLDT DSL

This is a tricky one.  Their 999 plan is suffice and has worked well with our sessions.  Though they can’t promise the upload speed at this point.  They say it’s the same as the download speed, but based on experience, it isn’t as reliable.  Getting a static IP address is not recommended since they charge an arm and a leg to get one.

The trick here is to request for the installer to connect your line to the “new lines”.  It’s more stable and faster.

The last two would be my recommendation.  Just take note that there are different factors to consider to ensure a successful webinar session.  Bandwidth is just one of them.

Image courtesy of Mayank Austen Soofi

The numbers are increasing.  Facebook users log in to their accounts almost everyday.  The venue where they log in isn’t limited to their homes.  It has now crossed over to the workplace.  This has caused some concern amongst management (though, they too, access Twitter and LinkedIn).

Janette Toral, founder of Digital Filipino, will discuss the use of social media, blogs, and social networks within the workplace and how it poses as a challenge to Human Resources in a one-hour webinar session on November 5, 2009 from 4PM to 5PM, Philippine time.   This ProFora Lightbulb session will answer questions like:

• Should we allow employees access to social networking sites like Facebook and Friendster?
• How do we avoid situations like employees posting information about the company in their blog by sharing their angst about fellow employees?
• Does social media contribute to productivity of an employee in the workplace?
• What is an ideal social media usage policy that we can use for our company?

Join this webinar to know more and join in the discussion.

Image courtesy of Anne Helmond & kerryct

In partnership with ProFora Media, Digital Filipino is celebrating its 10th anniversary alongside with One Internet Day this year. As we empower more Filipinos globally with the Internet, it is fitting that webinars are introduced, not only to educate of the numerous opportunities that it can bring, but the benefits of how this platform can bring everyone together to collaborate.

The celebration will be a whole day event, starting from 9AM and ends at 8pm on September 17, 2009.  There will be 9 FREE webinars available from different industries.

This is not only a milestone for Digital Filipino, but for ProFora Media and the webinar industry within the country as well, as this is the ever first virtual conference to be done in the Philippines.  Be part of history and attend a Philippine webinar.  Share it to your friends and colleagues so they, too, can be part of this event.

To check on the list of webinars to be conducted live on September 17 and to register, you can visit ProFora’s events page.

The Philippine webinar scene is now being dominated by Janette Toral, founder of DigitalFilipino and known for being an e-commerce expert within the country.   In partnership with ProFora Media, a virtual events company, she will be conducting a series of webinars starting August 24, 2009.   From email marketing to e-commerce project planning, her webinar workshops will engage audiences and keep them asking for more.

Here is a list of her upcoming webinars.  All are going to be 2 hours in length and will start at 1000AM and end at noon Philippine time.

Email Marketing
August 24, 2009

Social Network & Advertising
August 25, 2009

Blog Marketing & Advertising
August 26, 2009

Generating Online Income through Google Adsense
August 27, 2009

E-Commerce Project Planning & Creating an eStore
August 31, 2009

Accepting Payments Online
September 1, 2009

Mobile Marketing
September 2, 2009

Blogging 101
September 3, 2009

Web Content & SEO Writing
September 7, 2009

SEO Tools & Techniques 101
September 8, 2009

Setting Up & Analyzing Blog Traffic Statistics
September 9, 2009

Marketing your Website through Google Adwords
September 10, 2009

As this is an online event, anyone can join from around the world.  Register now! Seats are limited.

ProFora Media is accepting registrations for an upcoming webinar on the State of E-Commerce in the Philippines by Janette Toral.

Janette will be discussing the latest updates on the latest statistics, industry developments, policy updates and trends in E-Commerce within the Philippines during this complimentary one-hour webinar.

This live session will be held on July 16, 2009 at 11:00 AM Philippine time.

Expert speaker Janette co-founded the Philippine Internet Commerce Society in 1997 and lobbied for the passage of the Y2K Law and E-Commerce Law.  She published her e-commerce book in year 2000 that gave birth to DigitalFilipino.com.  She is the first Filipino author published by McGraw-Hill Education Asia.

She is a recipient of the DTI / CITEM E-Services Philippines E-Champion Award 2008 for Policy Development following Senators Magsaysay and Roxas.

For registration inquiries, you can contact ProFora at 63.2.3767040 or info @ proforamedia.com.

Your life, your business, your blog. Learn how to make them work together, effectively and efficiently.

Web-logs or blogs are fast becoming more than just a chronicle of one’s life. With today’s technologies, it has made it even easier for anyone to start one and businesses have also taken advantage.

Whether you just started a blog or have been maintaining several at a time, getting the word out to your audience can be daunting. Let this webinar show you how it can be an effective tool whether for business or personal use.

This webinar will show you how to:

• Start your blog the right way with the right content.
• Improve your blog using the Visionary Blogging Method
• Evaluate your blog and what you should improve
• Know the deciding factors whether it fits your business
• Leverage your blog to create income
• Create a winning social media strategy

Expert Speaker Easton Ellsworth is a blogging and new media strategy consultant who advises companies and individuals on how to use blogs and social media more effectively. From 2005 to 2008, Easton worked as an editor for the Know More Media blog network.

He is the creator of the Visionary Blogging method for blog and blogging skills improvement and the author of an e-book on passive income generation. He served as the assistant event coordinator for Blog Action Day 2008 – Poverty and currently works as a community leader at BlogCatalog.  Easton also writes blogging news and advice for The Blog Herald.

If you are interested in attending, you can post a comment here.  Include your preferred time as well.

Do you know what a webinar is?  How does it work?  What are the benefits?

You can now attend live seminars without leaving your home or office! Save on travel.  Save time.  Save money.

Online seminars—or webinars– is the new way to learn or share knowledge. If you have a high-speed internet connection and a PC headset, attending a webinar can be a more economical and practical alternative to traditional seminars.

One of its benefits would be savings on travel costs.
If you live in Metro Manila, you know how stressful it can get during the rush hours.  Traffic is terrible!  Yes, the coding scheme might help a bit but because of the sheer number of vehicles being bought is increasing, you know it’s only a short term solution.  Because of traffic congestion, most people are late for meetings and are just not productive.  Not only do you waste time, you use up more gas and spend more on maintaining your vehicle due to wear and tear.

A classic example would be a salesman trying to meet as many clients as possible on a given day.  If you were to market and do your presentation through a webinar, you can schedule an hour a day (or week) to meet your potential clients, without having to travel.  This saves you a lot of money!  Your potential leads then increase because you can invite several at a time.

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Did you know that a minimum wage earner can retire as a multi-millionaire? Do you want to be wealthy but aren’t sure where to start? This webinar will show you how!

It’s not true that a high salary or rich relatives are the only sure ways to achieve wealth.  If you dream of reaching a point in your life when you wouldn’t have to worry about money, then this is for you!

This webinar aims to:

• Simplify the complex world of finance.
• Reveal investment strategies you can take to jump start your journey to wealth.
• Break “Money Myths” such as having a high salary to achieve your desired wealth.

Expert Speaker Hoover Uy de Baron is a Registered Financial Consultant (RFC) and specializes in managing the hard-earned money of Filipinos.  He has been investing for the last 13 years and specializes in real estate and stock analysis. Hoover has experienced most of the financial pitfalls that all investors normally go through and his wish is for others to learn from his mistakes.  He currently is a director and officer in various finance, real estate and insurance companies.  He finished his MBA in the University of Western Australia.

Hoover is currently writing articles in his blog, How to Make Everyday a Sunday.

He regularly speaks at his own webinar, hosted by ProFora Media twice a month.  Included in his webinar is a free consultation with his attendees after the session.  If you’ve attended his session, tell us about your experience.

Is your Quality Assurance program measuring up with the best?  Let this webinar reveal you the essentials of a topnotch QA program.

Call Center Quality is more than just tagging scores on an agent’s performance.  While metrics can be reliable, they don’t fully monitor the overall dynamics between agent and customer.  An effective Quality Assurance program is dependent on finding out the “complete picture” of every call, including the “unmeasurable” elements, and that’s why contact centers are struggling to find the winning formula behind Quality Assurance.

Beneficial to contact center managers, supervisors and QA professionals, this 1 1/2 hour webinar will reveal how to get the most out of capturing, analyzing, reporting and coaching for Quality Assessment purposes.  You will learn about:

• Defining your program goals
• Balancing call quality and call metrics
• The Common Scorecard pitfalls
• Successful calibration
• The bottom line in data reporting

Expert speaker Tom Vander Well has been providing Quality Assessment (QA) in contact centers before “your call may be monitored” was a common phrase to consumers.  For the past 17 years, he has been on the cutting edge of this developing discipline.

He is a partner and Vice President of c wenger group, a consulting firm in Des Moines, Iowa, USA that helps companies like Volvo, John Deere and Principal Financial Group, measure and improve service quality in their contact centers.  His group incorporates Customer Satisfaction Research, Quality Assessment and Training into a cycle of continuous improvement.

Tom has become a popular speaker on the subjects of QA and Customer Service.  He also writes a blog that has been called the “Best Call Center Blog” by a leading industry magazine.

If you’re interested in attending this webinar, you can leave a comment and include your preferred time.

You’ve heard it from your friends. Working in a call center is the hottest thing in the employment scene. Fast career growth, free training, and a high salary. But, this is your first time and anxiety sets in.

What do you do? What are the requirements? You’ve submitted your resume’ but it has been weeks and you haven’t received a call back. You went through a lot of assessments but don’t know why you failed.

This webinar aims to:

• Orient participants on the standard call center recruitment process
• Provide standard interview questions and tips on how to answer them
• List common requirements expected of a call center agent applicant

Expert Speaker Jam Mayer-Flores has been in the industry for 8 years and specializes in training and quality. She started as a call center agent and worked her way up to becoming an executive in a global call center. Her passion for education has led her to do consultancy work as a Call Center Career Coach. She maintains the Call Center Blurbs blog and has written for Know More Media at Call Center Script.

Important Note: This webinar is exclusively for the Philippine market.

If you are interested in learning how to maximize your success in getting a job in the call center industry, do leave a note and include your preferred time.