Fuze Meeting iPad Beta Testing
Submissions via Facebook
Do you parade around your iPad mocking those who have only tiny sad glowing screens in their cellular hands? Do you try to prove all the naysayers wrong by toting your iPad into work meetings to showcase the ‘not just for play’ functionality?
Then we want YOU to be a Beta tester for our Fuze Meeting app on the iPad.
The thing is…we only have 10 coveted spots available for Beta testing, so we’re going to make a bit of a game around it!
The Game: A Posting Frenzy
The Time: THE TIME IS NOW…THE TIME IS NOW
The Commitment: Is not teeny. It could take up to 30 minutes to install the app depending on your iPad proficiency. We ask for about 1.5 hours of testing (AKA attending/conducting meetings) over the course of a couple of weeks. And then, we’d like your feedback!
The Reward: Is gargantuan. You’re the first (and only) to get a sneak peek at the slickest thing to hit the market since roller blades. You’ll also get to keep the app on your iPad when Beta is over – enlisting the envy of all.
How to become an iPad Beta tester for Fuze Meeting:
- Get an iPad – You’ll need to have your own. It would also be fantastic if you had some knowledge things like…ad hoc app instillation and UDID.
- Like/Fan us on Facebook
- In a short post to our Facebook wall, explain why YOU’D be an ideal Beta tester
- And we are saving one (or more) spot for whoever can best convey this message in haiku form.
- If you are chosen, keep an eye on your Facebook inbox. Our Community Manager Kristen will send you a message letting you know the next steps. You’ll have 24 hours to respond before we move onto the next person on the list.
The contest is open NOW. So get to it! We’ll make our choices by the end of the week by alerting you over Facebook and we’ll take it from there!
What if I don’t get a Beta account?
Don’t worry, the real deal is on its way. We’re beefing it up and beefing it up and now …it’s looking a little more like late Summer/early Fall. But – she’s a-comin’!
See you in Beta,
The Fuze Meeting Team
6 Questions for Larry BoBerry
(and the Infinite Meeting)
Larry BoBarry (may or may not be his actual last name), our live demo guru, spends his week with a headset slung over his noggin, a mouse welded to his palm and a hankering to show people about the wonders of Fuze Meeting.
Those of us who sit an ear shot away have heard some pretty interesting things coming out of the demos, and the we thought WAIT…let’s ask Larry some questions!
How long have you been demoing for Fuze?
I’ve been doing the live demos here at Fuze for about 7 months.
How many demos would you say that is?
More than I can count even with my shoes off.
What is the thing that people are most confused about when they get into a Fuze Meeting?
How content is shared.
Care to set them straight?
Fuze has two basic methods of sharing content: the classic “let me show you my screen” and the “upload your file to the Fuze Meeting system.”
“Let me show you my screen” AKA desktop sharing is great for showing websites and custom applications or programs.
“Uploading your file” AKA content sharing allows for higher quality, collaboration and much faster access. Hosts and presenters should use this method if they want to share: PowerPoint, Word docs, HD videos, audio files or high res images.
What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened on a demo?
The was one customer who thought he’d discovered a bug – he was sharing his own screen, but was seeing his own screen within that screen, causing an infinite loop – kind of like holding two mirrors together. Turns out he had accidentally opened two browsers and joined from both so he was essentially viewing his own screen share (and screen within the screen share (and screen within that screen within the screen share and so on)).
Larry BoBarry (may or may not be his actual last name), our live demo guru, spends his week with a headset slung over his noggin, a mouse welded to his palm and a hankering to show people about the wonders of Fuze Meeting. Those of us who sit an ear shot away have heard some pretty interesting things coming out of the demos, and the we thought WAIT…let’s ask Larry some questions!
How long have you been demoing for Fuze?
I’ve been doing the live demos here at Fuze for about 7 months.
How many demos would you say that is?
More than I can count even with my shoes off.
What is the thing that people are most confused about when they get into a Fuze Meeting?
How content is shared.
Care to set them straight?
Fuze has two basic methods of sharing content: the classic “let me show you my screen” and the “upload your file to the Fuze Meeting system”.
“Let me show you my screen” AKA desktop sharing is great for showing websites and custom applications or programs.
“Uploading your file” AKA content sharing allows for higher quality, collaboration and much faster access. Hosts and presenters should use this method if they want to share: PowerPoint, Word docs, HD videos, audio files or high res images.
What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened on a demo?
The was one customer who thought he’d discovered a bug – he was sharing his own screen, but was seeing his own screen within that screen, causing an infinite loop – kind of like holding two mirrors together. Turns out he had accidentally opened two browsers and joined from both so he was essentially viewing his own screen share (and screen within the screen share(and screen within that screen within the screen share and so on)).
5 MORE Ways to Revel in Your Fuze Web Conference
What’s that you mean 5 more ways???Ah, well for a list of the first five – look here!
1) Coming Soon – Remote Control – Control freaks rejoice! Anyone screen sharing in a Fuze Meeting can now grant remote control to other meeting participants. Remote control is great for technical support, interactive product demonstrations, remote training and more.
2) Software Presentations –With Fuze Meeting, you can use the lag-free desktop sharing to showcase that product that you’ve been toiling over. And without having to travel to show it off, you can afford the time and the money to get it in front of zillions*. (*rough estimate)
3) Review and approve work – Interdepartmental mail, FedEx and messenger services can take a back seat. Share and approve work online, you’ll save a day and a wad of cash on every approval. From xrays to high res image corrections; from in-process Powerpoint to HD video editing – you can keep you review process online and on time.
4) Sync your team – Fuze is great for internal team meetings, and with everyone’s schedules everywhichway, you can make your life a little easier. Cut out a step and use our Outlook plug-in to get your Fuze Meeting directly into their calendars.
5) Have an impact and reduce your impact. $aves on travel and hassle, but it also saves this big blue planet. One round-trip flight between JFK and SFO (about 5K miles) adds up to about 2500 pounds of C02. That’s equivalent to 15% of one US home’s electricity use for an entire year!
5 Ways to Indulge in Your Online Meeting
Is Fuze Meeting better for individuals to present, train and sell, or would you say it’s better for collaborating among a team?
Well, yes to both.
Fuze Meeting is a great way to put your self in front of a crowd for any presentation no matter what the brilliant idea is that needs sharing. That said, businesses around the globe have found Fuze to be invaluable for syncing internal teams – their plans, their thoughts, their visions.
And that’s not all – here’s 5 ways that you can use Fuze Meeting to squeeze every ounce of juice from your work day.
1) Internal Team Meetings – You’ve got a talented team. But one of them is in Boston, two are in Minnesota, and yet another is in Silicon Valley. Get ‘em all on the same page with a daily 20 minute online sync up. You’ll get more done and have fun doing it.
2) Creative Pitches – Need to show off your sleek design work or next big campaign? You’d better be using software with high res image and HD video capabilities. Hey. Have you heard of this great product called Fuze Meeting?!?! Make sure your work is presented the way it should be seen…in high resolution, including video, images and more.
3) Conference Calls – Yep, use our super cheap telephony without even logging onto a meeting. Just dial into Fuze, enter your room number and you’re all ready to go! Does this mean that you can save even more money because you can cancel you cash guzzling conference call service? Yes. Yes it does.
4) Sales Demos – Give sales presentations, demonstrate applications, and even review contracts online. It’s wicked easy for your attendees and taking the meeting online means that you get in front of more people, ace more pitches, and close more deals.
5) Mobile Meetings – Don’t be shackled to your desk 24/7. Go to the App Stores and grab the fastest and slickest meeting in the industry for your iPhone, the only app that provides hosting capabilities from a Blackberry, and the ONLY web conferencing software available on Android devices. Are you an iPaddict? Well then sit tight because iPad meetings are just around the corner.
How to Get A Ride in A Tesla
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
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
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!
We’ve got the FIRST Online Meeting Android App
Did you hear that world? We’re officially first YES FIRST to market with a web conferencing or online meeting or mobile meeting or desktop sharer or meter-on-the-goer or WHATEVER you want to call it – we are first, first, first with a dedicated app for your Android.
Not JUST a mobile browser-based, jimmy rigged version that sort-of works on your Android if you shake it just right, but a real-deal app built especially for that Android device in your hands (Note: if one is not currently in your hands, just pretend for a sec).
So, you ask, what have you in this Android app?
- View desktop sharing – Yep. See exactly what they’re looking at on their computer screen when you view their shared desktop! And (I know what you’re thinking.) You can zoom in see everything really clearly. Copy, images, everything.
- Get Active – To break out my press release language – you get an unprecedented ability to watch and listen to high-quality video and audio – start, stop and pause with the same level of functionality as meeting hosts have. Wowzers! (That last bit did not make it into the press release)
- Share content straight from your Android – As soon as your meeting host designates you as a presenter, you can upload video or image files straight from your phone.
How do I get it?!?!?!
Annotator to Presenter to Host
Icon Explanation and More
Check it out! Per your requests, we’ve decoded all those funny little icons, trying our best to make your meeting experience as easy as possible. Actually, we went one step further and created am entire tour of the Web Attendees Box. Check out our very thorough presentation. You are able to view it in full screen mode by clicking on the menu option in the bottom left.
Anything else you need help understanding? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to make sure we’re helping you as much as we can.
The Live Demos Are, Yes, Live
As (maybe?) you know, we recently moved offices to accommodate our growth so we shuffled the seating arrangements and most of us got new neighbors. So, your favorite Fuze Meeting Community Manager (me) is now happily sandwiched between Tatiana, the woman who keeps our office standing and Larry, one of our Live Demo guys (the other one is Caryl and she works remotely from Arizona).
Quite to my amusement, about three times a day, I hear Larry say “Yes, it’s actually live. Don’t worry, it sort of surprises a lot of people.”
So – seemed to me like the World Wide Web could use a little reassurance! When we say ‘Live Demo’ we actually mean that there’s someone there on the meeting waiting to answer your questions from 8 AM to 2 PM Pacific. The live demo is geared towards potential customers (though quite a few existing customers hop on with easy questions). On top of THAT we have a whole customer care center at the ready to answer anything a little stickier.
So…looking for answers for Fuze Meeting?
Drop in on a Live Demo
Or contact customer care via live chat or email or call them at (800) 844-4118 and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a Fuze Meeting expert!
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fuzemeeting: We made the list! Top Mobile Apps 2010 http://fuze.me/9V7 @gist, @dropbox, @evernote, congrats to you, too!!!
9/09/10 07:11PM
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