Caddickisms

I Googled my head off for help with this last night and couldn’t come up with anything, so I thought I’d put this out there for those of you who want to put your head through your monitor because Captivate is driving you insane.

Yesterday I was editing a recording I made in Adobe Captivate 2. It was only 18 frames, about 7 minutes long, and is a demo of a system we use at work. Should have been a slam dunk.

The Problem

For the most part, everything went fine until I published the file to SWF with HTML. But when I played back the published file, at about the 5th frame, the audio gained a very pronounced echo which lasted a couple frames, and then left the rest of the audio sounding like it was in a tin can.

I figured, “hmm… must be a glitch,” so I published it again. Same thing, but this time the problems happened on different frames.

I tried publishing again after changing a couple publishing settings: same effect - screwed up audio on different frames. Each time I published (about 8 times total) the audio was screwed up in a different way, and I never edited the file between publishes.

Needless to say I was a bit frustrated.

The Solution

I tossed out a rather annoyed email to a co-worker, who responded this morning with the answer (and it’s at this point that I have to say to her again: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!).

Apparently she had run across the problem before. I don’t know how she figured it out, but the answer is to adjust the slide timing slightly using the Audio > Edit Timing… feature.

The Edit Audio Timing window lets you grab a slider indicating the start time for an effect or frame change. Grab any one of those sliders and move it slightly (my suggestion is to be more zoomed in than shown here so you really are only moving it slightly). Click OK, then republish and everything comes out fine.

One thing you might want to do is verify that none of the timing of objects on your slides changed. It could happen, so make sure you check.

Why this works is a mystery to me, but there you have it. Hope it helps someone.

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Urgent News Release - HostPC Community Support Forums

See, this is how people are supposed to behave. I have a lot of respect for Joe’s integrity. Joe is the owner of HostPC, the hosting service I use here. On June 1, when his competitor ThePlanet suffered a major crisis that took down their clients’ sites, Joe made this offer:

This evening, one of the datacenters for ThePlanet suffered a major explosion in their electrical room which knocked out power to thousands of customers and destroyed three walls of the building. This was a MAJOR event, supposedly affecting >9,000 servers.

As the leader in DirectAdmin services, we maintain several areas where we can accomodate emergency situations such as these. We are making available, at no cost, as space permits, room for other hosting companies to move their customers (using Directadmin only) temporarily to our facilities.

If we can be of assistance during this emergency for you or your Directadmin customers, please call our Texas office directly at (979)985-5488 - or send an email to joe@hostpc.com with your details (name of company, contact, space needed, etc) - and we’ll see what we can do to accomodate you as best as possible. We don’t have unlimited space, but are willing to share what we do have available to get you and your clients through this emergency.

Best wishes to those affected by this issue. I’m sure ThePlanet is doing everything possible to get services restored.

He didn’t do it to steal the customers. According to the linked discussion, when the crisis was over everyone moved back where they came from. He actually helped a competitor out of a jam because it was the right thing to do. Not a whole lot of businesses would do that.

HostPC provides a great, professional, and low-cost service and they operate with integrity and a customer service perspective. I’ve been with them for years now, and I’m happy I found them. The kinds of things like the quote above are just the icing on the cake. I not only enjoy their service, I’m proud of them.

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I had the opportunity to visit the blog connected to Oprah’s “A New Earth” course on Eckhart Tolle’s book. I’ve been looking at this training experience over the last few weeks from the perspective of a corporate training professional. You can see my thoughts on the recorded sessions and the live sessions as well.

Something that is hard to get across to executives who see blogs as strictly online personal journals is how a blog can be used in a training setting. I’ve not found any good examples of blogs being used for corporate internal (or external, really) training either — probably because those blogs would be internally accessible and blocked from outside access, but I’ve also not seen much usage indicated in industry surveys, so I think blog usage in training is relatively small, unfortunately.

Oprah’s course is the first example I’ve seen of a blog being used for training purposes, so I finally have an example of at least one method of using a blog for training. The method they’ve chosen seems to be a “summarize the session” format, though it’s a bit early to tell how it’s going to go long term.

The good

• They’re using a blog! The advantage of this over just a discussion board is focus and (hopefully) expertise - at least the way it’s being used here. While a discussion board has it’s strengths, a new reader can get overwhelmed with the number of new topics and responses potentially created at any given time, and it may not have an acknowledged expert participating in each thread. A blog has a focused “article” written by someone who has some involvement with the course, or at least subject matter. So a new user not only has a relatively linear path to follow, but a set of expert thoughts along that path.
• They’re pulling some of the comments from previous entries to incorporate into subsequent posts. This is a key to involvement and investment of the student reading the blog. If there is no acknowledgement that the author is reading the comments, they run the risk of becoming faceless and uncaring in the student’s eyes. Using reader comments pulls the readers into a community where they’ll feel more like openly sharing because they’re involved in the conversation.
• They keep the posts at a reasonable length. This is obviously subjective, but the longer the post, the fewer people will read the whole thing. Posts that are too short are meaningless. Finding that middle ground of covering the points you need to hit while not blathering on is hard to do.
• The writing is conversational. Cold, impersonal writing, of the kind typically found in many training materials, frequently saps the energy from the material and makes it harder to read. People like to feel like they’re in a conversation, so they’ll typically pay closer attention to relaxed writing and will forgive a grammatical mistake here or there. (Won’t you?)
• They are extending and expanding on the main points of the session being covered. This serves both to provide more ways to think about the material, and simply as a reminder of the main points.

The bad

• Only one post a week? I’d like to see a little more reinforcement of the points than that. Not a whole lot more, but one more post a week would certainly be an improvement. Keep the conversation and reinforcement flowing.
• No involvement in the comment threads. They pull some of the comments for the next post, as I said, but it would also be nice to hear from the expert mid-thread, just to let everyone know you’re invested. Especially if you’re only posting once a week. There’s no need to respond to every comment - that would be overkill once you pass a certain number of comments - but hit a couple every now and then.
• Formatting is not used well. In fact, there is virtually no formatting in the posts beyond paragraph breaks. Don’t be afraid to use headings, bullets, italics, or something to help the reader scan the posts. This would be especially helpful for responding to comments - figure out some way to set off the quotes you’re pulling from the comments. Most blog software makes that automatic, so it’s not hard, and it’s disappointing they aren’t paying more attention to readability.
• Use graphics. I fail miserably with this here, but the Oprah blog could benefit from something visual incorporated into the posts, too.
• The title font should be bigger. This sounds kind of picky, I know, but the title should at least be the same font size as the body text. It appears as if the titles are a smaller font, but bolded, which throws me off when I’m scanning.

In all, I’d say they’re making a good effort, and hitting some important usage points, but there’s certainly room for improvement in some pretty simple areas.

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I’m curious what you all use for your RSS feed readers. How do you keep track of the blogs you read?

If you choose “Other” leave a comment below and let me know what you use. I’ll add it to the poll.

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Well, I was on the live session tonight (read about my experience with last week’s recorded session). For the most part, as I expected, the experiences were the same. There were some bumps in the data stream early on (and once later), but it got ironed out within about 15 minutes, so I was satisfied with the transmission itself. I was very worried at the beginning because the resolution was dropping significantly at times to the point where I couldn’t make out faces. They took care of that, but then there were instances where the audio and video froze and I lost part of the conversation for 5 seconds at a time. As I said, though, those issues were pretty well hammered out quickly.

I loved that they ran segments from the previous session prior to the live session, along with a countdown to the live session. Excellent reinforcement and review, and great setting of expectation.

It’s a seriously slick production, visually, and I really wouldn’t expect any less from a TV production studio. There have to be at least 3 or 4 cameras in that studio.  I have to imagine they’re using at least the same amount of production staff for this that they use for Oprah’s TV show - probably more to accommodate the internet interface.

Overall, all of the “good and bad” points I mentioned in my last post are still valid, except the audio for the commercials, which were included in the stream - and only at the very top of the show, instead of sprinkled throughout as in the recorded session - so there was no volume incongruity.

I was disappointed that there was no back channel chat, though it can be distracting.

The interface for asking a question was imposing. You had to enter your full name, full address, email address, and phone number - all required. There was no “email” link that I saw, so it’s very possible that the producers would call you to ask your question on the phone (a possibility with which I was uncomfortable). That’s one way to cut down on the questions you get, which I suppose would be important for an audience of this size.

Oprah did plug a follow-up XM radio show immediately after the session for members with access to that. That’s pretty cool that they are extending the conversation that way, but really, as I said before, why not promote the online interactive pieces? They’re more widely available and easier to participate in.

I did spend some time on the discussion board today as well, in the Aha! section. There was certainly plenty of participation. Much of it was on point, too. There was some noise, and arguments flared up here and there, but with a topic this controversial that’s to be expected. I haven’t gotten out to the blog yet. It should be interesting to see how that’s being run.

Overall, looking at this experience from the perspective of a corporate training professional focused on online delivery, it has been an interesting ride so far. I’m picking up some ideas for how I’d like to run a program internally that I hadn’t thought through previously. The online workbook is an “aha” experience for me, for example. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. There are obviously some things I’m not going to be able to do - the multiple cameras and nice studio, for example (heck, even live streaming video is out of my reach at the moment) - but there are also things I think our team can do better. Structuring the sessions and moderating the discussion forums come to mind.

Technorati Tags: Oprah, A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle, distance learning, e-learning, online

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I’m currently watching the recorded version of Oprah’s first session of her “class” on A New Earth, which is about “new spirituality”. For the purposes of this post, however, the topic is irrelevant. What I’m interested in is how it’s being pulled off as an example of a massive, live, online facilitated event.

This is, I believe, the single largest event of its kind (Oprah says there are over 700,000 people connected to the course), and it’s being run by people who undoubtedly have the resources to pull it off, so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

I had to download a proprietary player, which isn’t unusual for this kind of event. When I tried to get into the event (late, because I had some other commitments) for the live broadcast, everything launched, except the video/audio. Later I found out that was a common issue, because they ran into issues with so many people simultaneously trying to access the ‘class’. Nice to know the huge boys (not just the big boys) have the same problems we all do.

So I gave up.

Now I’ve gone back and am watching the recorded version in preparation for part 2, which begins tonight. I’m actually glad I got blocked out, because now I get to contrast the live vs recorded experience. As for the recorded experience:

The good

• I’m getting no problems with the video or audio. Very smooth. Very clean. (I’m running through a cable modem, and the player reports I’m getting 706kpbs.)
• The integration of Skype video phones is nice, and done very cleanly. (There’s a whole production staff making that integration happen, I’m sure, but the technology is out there and available.)
• The presentation style is obviously interview, call-in show style, which is pretty engaging, though it’s still a presentation and not an interactive format (well, there are punctuations of interactivity for individuals, but not group-wide interaction). Still, I can understand doing that for an initial session. It doesn’t hurt that the presenter is an extremely talented and experienced interviewer (Oprah).
• Nice integration of the callers’ inputs - Skype phone, phone, and email (though it’s funny that there was apparently a problem with getting an email to Oprah’s private screen at one point).
• Extra-session activities: this is where the whole thing really gets exciting. Behind the “Talk with Others” link on the player, you get to a page that points you to discussion boards, a course-focused blog, and a way to find local reading groups. There are even links to specific discussions (Favorite Quotes, and Aha! Moments, specifically) to really focus your involvement for those who aren’t comfortable just browsing through aimlessly. This is such an important part of the experience - this is where the interaction and personal investment pays off, and likely where the most actual learning occurs. Providing these tiered ways to get involved (watching, reading, commenting, discussing) is what is going to make this a success.
• Workbooks and exercises: Questions are presented, suggestions for ways to apply the concepts are given, and there is a place for you to respond and record your thoughts privately, in addition to the public outlets. It’s a directed study-guide. So important.

The bad

• Commercials. Don’t put commercials in my classes. It makes it feel even more like a TV show.
• Lack of audio control (or consistency of audio) for the commercials. I have my computer’s audio turned up because of some other audio programs I use. I turned the volume down on the course player to an acceptable level. When the commercials come on, there are no controls, and the audio jumps back to default levels. The first time that happened it almost blew my ears off.
• Not mentioning the “extra session” materials during the session (except for one off-handed mention of the discussion boards). An orientation to the overall structure of the course, not just the presentation, would have been a great add to the first session. That’s a lost opportunity that could have helped involve those who are a little less internet savvy. Tell me how to get involved and make the most of the experience!
• Along the same lines - the lack of an agenda hurt as well. I’d like to see an agenda for the overall class (i.e., topics for each of the 10 sessions), as well as an agenda for each session. How long is the setup/intro? How long are we going to have for Q&A?
• The lack of live interactive moments: polls, for example, would have been of tremendous use in this session. There may be ways to get more interactivity that aren’t obvious in the recorded session (back-room chats, for example), but I’ll have to wait to see if they do that tonight.

Those are my thoughts on the recorded experience. We’ll see how it differs from the live experience I (hopefully) have tonight.

Technorati Tags: Oprah, A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle, distance learning, e-learning, online

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This time I followed the directions to delete (almost) all the WordPress files on the server before uploading the new versions. That seems to work much better than overwriting them.

So far I haven’t seen any errors (though the database upgrade page was filled with errors, it also said it was successful at the end). Here’s to nothing cropping up moving forward.

And it even looks like I might be able to keep my theme. Still haven’t messed with the sidebars yet. That’s next.

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Argh.

Well, I finally upgraded WordPress to 2.3.3. I’d been putting it off because I was afraid it would break things. It ended up being worse than I thought.

I’m still finding errors in the upgrade itself! I had to pull old versions of files just to get it complete the upgrade procedure. Who knows what I’m going to find when I finally get through all this.

Most of the plugins I use actually work fine. That’s nice. The one exception is the polls, which I just have to upgrade, but holy cow, that one’s a pain in the neck to upgrade. From the instructions, it looks harder than upgrading WP itself.

And the biggest disappointment…. my theme, Tiga, died. It was already having problems with the previous upgrade but I was able to get past that issue. This time, it’s too much for me to figure out. Seems to be a sidebar widget problem, mostly, but that’s beyond me. It’s a shame, ’cause I really like this theme. Guess I gotta go out on a search. If anyone has suggestions for a nice 3 column theme, I’m all ears. (If I get the polls working, maybe I’ll put up a poll on it… ).

Anyway… lots of transition around here for the foreseeable future. Don’t be surprised if things break, get fixed, go away, come back, and just look plain different.

[Update: HA! At least three hours invested in this so far, and I finally got to the point where I had to restore my previous version. Too much was broken. I couldn't even edit posts. Cut my losses and run. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow night.]

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My company has recently shut down all access to YouTube. I get that. I completely believe that many people are using company time and bandwidth to watch all sorts of inappropriate — or just plain time wasting — content. From a certain perspective, I can support the decision to prevent that from happening.

There is a war between those who would waste company time and resources, and those who are tasked with keeping that from happening.

I am collateral damage.

Part of my job within the training department is to research new content creation and distribution technology, and to integrate that into our training delivery. YouTube is, for better or worse, an important part of that responsibility for two main reasons:

1. It is itself one of the most popular examples of that new technology.
2. Due to it’s popularity, it is used by many other people to showcase their own discoveries and new uses for content and distribution technology - thereby making it a valuable resource for me to do my job.

Information sharing is critical to my job. The ability to see what other people are doing/have done in converging technology and training is a significant way for me to not keep reinventing the wheel. The ability to create and deliver training products that appeal to a culture steeped in these new technologies requires me to have access to these technologies to begin with.

Is YouTube the only way for me to keep up with these advancements and new ideas? Not at all — far from it, actually. For example, blogs are actually a great source for these ideas as well (in fact, here are two that I keep a sharp eye on: e-Learning Technology, and Corporate e-Learning Strategies and Development). The interesting thing about these blogs, though, is that they frequently use embedded movies from YouTube as examples of what they are talking about! I can’t see these things when I’m inside the Corporate firewall, so I’m missing a significant portion of the point!

I’ve also used YouTube videos to help me explain the concepts and technology that I am trying to ’sell’ internally. For example, I used this video to help me showcase the concept of a wiki - and even embedded it in my wiki for the pilot group to see. Now it’s just an unexplained blank space on the page because the video is blocked.

That same video, and others like it, are also good examples I can use with our training team to help think about other ways to create training that may appeal more to a large portion of our employee base. Now I can’t share those examples anymore.

Collaboration, sharing, and openness - that’s where we should be going. That’s what would help us work more efficiently, smarter, and more effectively, in many cases. But the barriers to doing this at a large organization (like mine) are hard to overcome. There are times it feels like I’m fighting an uphill battle. This is just the latest setback.

Blah.

Technorati Tags: corporate IT policies, YouTube, productivity, training, development, new technologies

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Quitting Facebook just got easier - NY Times

In the wake of the recent controversy, including NY Times coverage, Facebook has announced it will delete users permanently upon request.

The request must be made through a form on a revised Help page:

The updated Facebook help page now includes the question “How do I delete my account?” The answer: “If you do not think you will use Facebook again and would like your account deleted, we can take care of this for you. Keep in mind that you will not be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any of the content or information you have added.”

The entry then says, “If you would like your account deleted, please contact us using the form at the bottom of the page and confirm your request in the text box.”

This is a good move. I’m a bit more comfortable now. Though the generic warning to users to be careful what you post still stands (after all, anyone could copy anything you post), it’s good to know that at least the company I’m trusting with my data isn’t going to be the one using it without my permission.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, privacy

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