Yes indeed!

As you head into your weekend and update your Apple software, rest assured, you can still meet with Fuze Meeting!

Two quick things to keep in mind.

1. OSX Lion does not include Java by default so you’ll need to download and install it here first:  http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1421. If you had a beta version of Lion, you will need to reinstall Java or reinstall Chrome (comes with Java)
2. If you do not want to use Java, you may manually install the Fuze Meeting Application directly (without java) here:  https://www.fuzemeeting.com/downloads/Fuze_Meeting.dmg

Enjoy, you Apple fanboys and girls.

The Fuze Meeting team got quite a treat yesterday when a couple of us were wandering through the Apple store scopin’ the iPads on Market Street (we’re in SF) and WHAM, we saw that …

The Fuze Meeting mobile app is one of the default apps on all in-store iPhones!!!

For serious! I mean, yes, we were expecting it…but we didn’t know when they would hit stores and man-oh-man are we pleased!

So naturally, I cut my Fuze T-shirt into my best 80’s-off-the-shoulder get-up and popped out to take a picture with our little mobile collaboration buddy. Say cheese! *click*

“What,” you ask, “makes Fuze Meeting on the iPhone so amazing that Apple would actually ask us to feature it in stores?” Well – a few things actually.

• It’s super sexy. You know Apple cares quite as much about design as they do about functionality. Don’t worry, we’re functional too, but the sleek factor really gave us a leg up here.
• It’s intuitive to use. As in – you probably won’t find yourself using the Google machine to tap out ‘how to use Fuze Meeting iPhone.’
• It’s the only free app on the iPhone that is a client for OCS. OCS is the Microsoft Office Communicator program – like IM for the workplace, but you can’t get it on your phone for free, unless of course you use Fuze!

Calling all pseudo photographers who want free T-shirts!

I see right through you. You’re almost probably for sure definitely going to sneak into an Apple store in the near future to ogle over the iPad. While you’re waiting, swing around to the other table and take a picture of you (or…anyone) holding up an open Fuze Meeting app, send it in to community(at)fuzebox(dot)com, and maybe, JUST MAYBE you can have your very own hand cut 80’s Fuze Box T-shirt. I will personally break out the scissors and mail the sender of the email their very own sliced-up t-shirt if I deem the photo to be “totally awesome.” Awesomeness includes but is not limited to costumes, poses, puppies or Apple stores in fun locations!

Disclaimer: This is hardly a real contest and judging is completely based on my personal feelings of awesomeness. I may send 4 T’s, I may send 40…not knowing is part of the adventure! If I feel like I want to post the images on our Facebook or Tweetshare pages, then I will. So don’t send something you don’t want public. And good luck!

I know, I know…adding new technology to your workday can be an adjustment. BUT I HATE CHANGE! Shhhh, change is fine. Once upon a time there were some old timeys complaining about this do-hickey-email-gimmick that will never last and…look at us now. Of course, changing any work process is always an adjustment, no matter how many benefits there are – and online meetings are no exception. Suddenly, you can no longer rely on your winning smile and eye contact to engage your audience. But with a little pre-planning, your web conference can be just as thorough, just as complete, and just as effective as your in-person meetings. If you missed Tuesday’s post, there’s some juicy stuff in there, as well.

1. Mute button is the new black. That button on your phone of the mic with a slash through it? That’s your best friend when you’re not talking or presenting. A noisy background in a web meeting is akin to having someone do a silly dance outside your conference room and makes it hard to pay attention to your hard work.  Encourage your attendees to use it also – noise distractions come from everywhere.
2. Upload files instead of sharing your desktop. I know, I know…desktop sharing is so easy and requires very little pre-planning. AND, it’s really quite useful for things like webinars, software training or meetings-on-the-fly where you didn’t have time to upload files ahead of time. BUT (yes there’s a butt) there are a couple of reasons this may not always be the best approach.
   • Whatever it is, it’s going to look better when uploaded. If you have the time to pre-load a file – it will look sharper (and not to mention more professional) if uploaded first.
   • Synchronicity. If your network connection is slow and your attendees’ networks connections are slow, forget about it. Fuze Meeting is really quite quick and fluid for desktop sharing…but we can’t control what’s going on on your end. Uploading files takes a link out of the digi-chain.
   • And just a friendly reminder…there are all sorts of personal or embarrassing pop ups and notifiers that can pop up on your desktop when you’re not expecting them. More on this in a few days.
3. Keep Attendees engaged with presentation rights. Here’s a sneaky trick. Do you think someone’s not paying attention? Let them drive (AKA present) for a minute and reign them back in.
4. Periodically allow for questions. “Please hold all your questions until the end” is a great way to ensure your attendees forget their questions.  Instead, take a moment at the end of each section of your agenda (which you obviously did because you read the previous post) and ask if they have any specific questions about this part of your presentation.
5. End on time. The last thing attendees will remember about the meeting is what time it ends. If you focus on short meetings with higher productivity, it will be easier to get attendees excited for a second meeting by respecting their schedules.

Hope you enjoyed the double post with a little April Fool’s joke posted in the middle. See you in a few.