THE FUZE TEAM BLOG: Join the real-time conversation

17 Syllables Never Said So Much

Posted by Fuze Meeting - Kristen

We just had a doozie of a Facebook contest and it was more fun than you could wave a stick at! Users who were interested in testing our iPad app were encouraged to write a haiku about Fuze Meeting beta for the iPad.

10^th Grade English Class Review:

A haiku is a Japanese style of poetry used to convey a simple (and in this case witty) message.  A haiku has 3 lines and one stanza, and usually has a syllable count of 5, 7, 5. Part of the beauty of haikus is that they lack rhyme or rhythm – so each line can stand alone!

And now – for a few haikus we particularly loved!

Feel hot summer sun,
Be cool testing beta Fuze app.
Communication!

- Dale

Launching a new biz
Just for pro photographers
Fuze – for interviews!

-Dana

Hot summer commute
What can save us from the heat?
Cool meeting with Fuze

-Sloane

I work with clients
Live and die by remote meetings
Fuze for iPad: GO!

- Robert

Did you have a haiku stirring in your brain? Do you love to take part in fun and easy competitions? Then don’t miss the fun. Like us on Facebook!

How to Get A Ride in A Tesla

Posted by Fuze Meeting - Kristen

What with Tesla Motors’ IPO today, we thought, what better time to share our favorite internal video? That’s right. This puppy’s gone totally viral among the 80 Fuze Box employees.

So to answer your question: How do I get a ride in a Tesla?

We enthusiastically answer: Work at Fuze Box!

Happy to share! It’s great to work at a spot where getting the employees to smile is a top priority.

Fuze With Skype: What to Consider When Choosing A Web Conferencing Headset

Posted by Fuze Meeting - Kristen

Just this afternoon, some of the team here were in a Fuze Meeting webinar and I noticed almost all the callers were on Skype. That said, either they were home alone, annoying the rest of their office with loud voices emanating from their computers, or on a headset. And since I’ve done my best to swear off telecommuting, I’ve been on a constant search for the *perfect* in-office web conferencing headset experience.

I’m not in love with my headset choice YET (Freetalk Everyman Headset – more on that later) – but 4 headsets in the last 3 months make me somewhat of an expert on headset rejection – so here’s a short list of features to consider when finding an online meeting headset solution.

#1 Connection

Headset rejection #1 was because, foolish me, didn’t realize that not all computers have a mic jack. Headphone/mic jacks and USB connections both work really well in terms of sound, but you’ll probably have to mess with the input/output settings a bit if you use a USB connection. On the other hand, all computers have a place to shove a USB cable, so you won’t be stuck there like a cross-eyed buffoon staring at your headphone jack in the headphone port with your mic jack dangling of the edge of your laptop. (Sore subject)  My recommendation: go with the USB.

Found yourself with the double-jack and a computer that won’t work with it? Don’t worry – they have converters and (let’s be honest) it’s probably not a bad idea to have a stereo headphone converter handy in case you only have your iPhone set with you.

#2 The Boom Boom

Chances are, you don’t really notice that your headset mic isn’t working for you until you start getting annoyed with all the ‘could you speak up’ complaints. Finally, someone had the good sense to suggest that the problem was my mic and headset #2 was out the door. I switched from an on-cord mic to a boom mic, and the audio complaints went away. A plus side of the boom mic? Feeling like a pop star and asking people if they’d like fries with that. My Recommendation: Boom

#3 Headphones

Headset #3 got the boot because it only had a speaker on one ear, and I just decided I’m a surround sound girl.

But – there’s all TYPES of headphones. In-ear buds, foam headphones, and the very intense gamer-style foam padded headphones. This is a personal choice, but, for me…the buds fall out and the gamer headsets do too good a job of cancelling out the noise. I work in an office, so I actually like the ambient noise and currently use the Freetalk Everyman Headset that SKYPE suggests, but…I’m not in love.

Why, you ask? They’re a bit flimsy and they only come in black. I’m still on the hunt for the perfect headset and I gladly take suggestions!

Note: Fuze doesn’t necessarily endorse the products shown or mentioned, but – if you’re looking for them here are the links: Input/output Converter, Stereo Converter.

The Hybrid Meeting

Posted by Fuze Meeting - Kristen

With throngs of engineers camped out behind their computers like it was going out of style, the engineer folk are turning out technology and applications faster than the blogosphere can keep up with them. So, then what we get is a world where things exist even before they have names. THEN, amidst all the chatter, a name ARISES. And this one really caught my eye.

The Term: Hybrid Meeting

The definition: A meeting where there are some participants sitting together in a meeting room AND some participants are attending the meeting remotely via web conference. Think of it as a mash up between virtual and in-person meetings.

And when you think about it, most of your online meetings (especially the important ones) are probably just this. And while we’ve offered tips (and more tips) on optimizing your meeting for web conferencing, they weren’t specifically directed to the very frequently occurring hybrid situation.

However, you don’t need a list of tips this time. When presenting in a hybrid meeting, just ask yourself one question: Could I still give this presentation if I was sitting down?

I don’t suggest you forsake your well practiced hand motions and charming smiles. I’m not even suggesting that you *do* stay in your seat. I’m just noting that, if you’re going to get up, be aware that the people attending your meeting virtually don’t know what “this here line” is. Just like on a web conference, use your annotation tools to highlight what you’re talking about…or go old school and just use your words “I hereby give you: the PURPLE line.”

Got any tips for navigating the hybrid meeting? Comment!

Online Collaboration? – A Little Tweeting Helper for Sharing Files

Posted by Fuze Meeting - Kristen

Just when you thought Fuze Box couldn’t do anything else to help you out with your web conferencing, document sharing and online collaboration, we raise our fists and the Fuze Box team collectively shouts “Lo! Yet another collaboration tool!”

Oh yes, you heard me. We’re turning out new products quicker than you can utter “sign me up for 30 new licenses, please!”

New Product: Tweetshare

Logo: Black bird with enviously skinny thighs and a firm gaze through wee beady eyes.

Purpose: Share and discuss files at Twitter speed. You can also setup Twitter Fan Pages – just like Facebook Fan Pages, but better! And as you would expect (because it’s logical and you expect us to be logical) conversations will now be *drum roll* in order!

Tell me more!

Yes.

Of course it’s our sister site and of course we love it in that special familial way, but it is OF COURSE meant to make your life easier.

All you have to do get started IS:

1. Visit Tweetshare.com
2. Log in with your Twitter credentials
3. Upload or embed videos, photos, presentations, docs and more to Twitter!
4. Watch the Twitterverse comment and vote!

Wait there’s more!

Do you work for a brand, or are YOU the brand? (Probably yes to both.) Do you ever need feedback on your brand? (Obviously yes) Are you trying to leverage Social Media to promote yourself? (If not, get with the program) Oh. Well, then how about Fan Pages?

Fan Pages on Tweetshare are the answer to your “What the heck do I do with Twitter” musings. On Tweetshare, a Fan Page is a public profile that enables you to share your business and products easily with Twitter users. You can also showcase presentations, videos, product shots, whitepapers and webinars to a professional (or unprofessional) audience. Engage your community real-time with posts, polls and questions!

Go ahead. Give Tweetshare, a whirl. You’ll love it.

Fuze Meeting for iPad

Posted by ralenda

Like most of you, we at Fuze Box have been eagerly awaiting the news of the iSlate, iTablet…iPad. It’s quite nice if I say so myself…but it’ll only be as good as its content. So our intrepid Fuze Meeting team are already working on developing the easiest, boldest and most powerful collaboration service for the iPad. We have a couple of months of work to do while Mr. Jobs and team deliver the iPad but we’re confident that web conferencing and collaboration will never be the same. Stay tuned to this post by subscribing to the RSS feed for future announcements.

Get connected with “social meetings”

Posted by patrick

We’ve made some updates!

Your awesome feedback has helped us create the newest version of Fuze Meeting, which we are happy to announce is available today at www.fuzemeeting.com.

We’ve kept the same great low price but added some valuable features to make Fuze Meeting the most innovative and easiest web conferencing service.

Universal contacts: Access all your address and personal IM contacts from multiple applications such as Microsoft OCS [beta], Gmail, LinkedIn and more.

Social meetings: For ad-hoc webinars, share meeting links in real-time on Facebook and Twitter.

Enhanced high-definition presentations: Now supporting Microsoft PowerPoint animations, transitions and imbedded multimedia, without desktop sharing enabled.

On-demand content availability: Fuze Meeting enables pre- and post-meeting content available on-demand to all meeting participants.

All this and more for $29, less than half the cost of Cisco WebEx!