Social Media: Promote, Engage, Leverage, Repeat takes place on Wednesday, June 9, at 3 p.m. EDT. The webinar is free to attend but requires advanced registration at: bit.ly/aQYF41. The event will feature a panel of experts and a discussion of:

• The usual suspects (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin) plus a few to be considered
• Establishing a ‘social media timeline’
• Tracking and tackling issues before they hit
• Making the most of all networks, all the time

In a recent survey of about 1,500 employees, Frost & Sullivan found that nearly three-fourths of people are personally using social media tools and almost two-thirds do so as part of their day-to-day jobs.

“Businesses today cannot ignore the presence of social media in people’s lives,” said Melanie Turek, principal analyst with Frost & Sullivan. “Social media and networking is no longer just about connecting with friends; there’s an opportunity to utilize social networks to build a customer base, establish relationships and drive sales.”

Turek, who is a renowned expert in unified communications, collaboration, social networking and content-management technologies in the enterprise, has worked closely with hundreds of vendors and senior IT executives across a range of industries to track and capture the changes and growth in the fast-moving unified communications market. She will be joined on the webinar by two other experts:

• Alli Libb is the online event program manager for the American Marketing Association where she works closely with high-profile clients on a weekly basis to promote and produce educational webcasts.
• Elaine Ellis is the social media and marketing manager for Trada, where she is responsible for managing, engaging, and driving leads through their numerous social media platforms.

Visit www.readytalk.com or follow us on Twitter, @RTWebSem, for more information on this and other upcoming webinars.

ReadyTalk today announced the launch and general availability of Web Meeting 6, a significant upgrade to its web conferencing service that improves event ROI and meeting productivity with quick-to-start meetings; a new interface; enhanced features to increase audience engagement; and sophisticated marketing tools.

Meetings, sales demos, training sessions and webinars are easy to schedule and conduct with new tools designed for planning, meeting and sharing. New features include:

• Flash or Java participant entry (no participant downloads required)
• Robust polling and reporting capabilities
• Social media enhancements for promoting and sharing recorded webinar content
• Chairperson interface upgrades
• Audio participant name identification

Ease of Use & Access for Everyone
Web Meeting 6 features a simplified interface that makes it easy and intuitive to share slides, applications or the computer desktop. Users will also find that managing participants and co-presenters continues to be a streamlined process.

Building on a reputation for industry-best platform and browser support, Web Meeting 6 utilizes a Flash participant application that does not require a download and connects participants to a conference in less than 10 seconds. ReadyTalk also supports participants joining a conference with Java, making it the only conferencing provider to offer two participant applications. This ensures that everyone can join a conference; on virtually every computer platform.

“The introduction of Flash is huge; it makes entry into the conference fast and the speed that images, applications and slides are rendered continues to impress me,” said Michael Roseman, SVP at Astadia, Inc. “The new user interface is intuitive and makes the audience and presenter experience even better than before. Web Meeting 6 raises the bar on ease of use and web conferencing experiences.”

Sophisticated Marketing Tools
Web Meeting 6 makes it easy to promote webinars on social media sites with integrated tools for sharing to Facebook and Twitter. Conference organizers can quickly share invitation details and a link to a customizable registration page. Following a webinar, recorded content can be shared via Twitter, podcasted or embedded directly into Facebook and blogs with just a few clicks.

“The ability to reach a wider audience is essential to any organization hosting webinars; Web Meeting 6 makes interacting with social media channels a seamless process,” said Alli Libb, online event program manager, American Marketing Association. “Now, we can quickly embed recorded webinars directly to our community pages to share with our fans or embed them in our site as a resource for AMA members.”

In addition to integration with social media sites, Web Meeting 6 includes campaign management and detailed reporting. This allows conference and webinar organizers to identify how participants are hearing about an event and maximize ROI.

A Complete Package to Plan, Meet and Share
With Web Meeting 6, customers get access to a full-featured conferencing tool set at one affordable price.

“Web Meeting 6 makes it easy for organizations to hold successful conferences from start to finish. By providing tools to support the planning, meeting and sharing activities of running a web conference, ReadyTalk customers have a single service to use for everyday collaboration meetings or for complex lead generation Webinars ” said Scott King, vice president of sales and marketing, ReadyTalk. “ReadyTalk is the only service provider to give customers a single package with all the tools for collaboration, training, webinars and demos; there’s no need to upgrade or purchase other products. This means customers always have the right tools in their toolbox when they need them.”

A free trial of Web Meeting 6 is available at www.readytalk.com/try. Visit www.readytalk.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more information and best practices on using audio and web conferencing.

In light of recent national disasters, including earthquakes in Chile and Haiti, ReadyTalk, a leader in integrated audio and web conferencing services, today announced a free webinar to help organizations develop and implement a disaster preparedness plan. The webinar will be on Wednesday, March 31 at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT).

Unexpected disasters can cause businesses to relocate or even cease operation temporarily or permanently, which can lead to substantial economic and personal hardship. Businesses of all sizes must be prepared to respond to emergencies. This webinar will discuss how organizations should incorporate emergency preparedness and planning activities into daily business actions. Planning for the safety and survival of your employees, customers and infrastructure can maximize the chances for recovery.

The webinar is part of the ReadyTalk Webinar Series, which brings thought-leaders and experts together to discuss timely topics. Webinars are always free and present attendees with opportunities to hear best practices, tips for success or simply expand their knowledge about a new topic or business practice. Unlike previous events, this webinar will include a fundraising component. ReadyTalk is encouraging participants to donate to Mercy Corps’ ongoing relief efforts in Haiti. ReadyTalk will match up to $5,000 in funds donated through the ReadyTalk Facebook page. Participants can follow fundraising progress through Facebook and Twitter.

Experts will share lessons learned from real life examples and help participants prepare their own checklist of steps to have in place should their organization, large or small, face an emergency. The featured experts are:

• Jennifer Schmidt is a senior development officer with the international aid organization Mercy Corps. Jennifer has been involved with Mercy Corps.’ internal and external communication efforts during the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
• Karen Willcox is a training manager with the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC), an organization that provides local, state and federal jurisdictions with high-quality, hands-on, scenario-driven leadership training, exercises, technical assistance, and strategy development. Since 1998, NERRTC has provided training for more than 278,262 responders in all 50 states.

Disaster Preparedness: Does Your Organization have a Plan? is free to any organization interested learning more about how planning for the safety and survival of employees, customers and infrastructure can maximize the chances for recovery. Advance registration is required at: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=rb0pmz62vk60. Interested organizations unable to join the session, are encouraged to register to receive a recording of the event.

Visit www.readytalk.com or follow us on Twitter, @RTWebSem, for more information on upcoming webinars.

This is the third webinar in a five-part series designed to help non-profits with improving SEO, utilizing Facebook and using other free resources and tools. This session will focus on Google Grants, a program that offers free online advertising to select non-profits. Webinar attendees will come away with an understanding of eligibility guidelines, requirements for participation and program best practices. The featured experts are:

• Kristie Mun, Google Grants senior strategist at Google, manages the application review process with Google-employee volunteers; develops partnerships with external organizations to support non-profits; and collaborates on educational initiatives for grantees.
• Dennis Yu is the CEO of Blitzlocal.com, a 50 person agency specializing in lead generation via Facebook advertising, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising and web analytics. Yu is a 14-year veteran of online marketing via Yahoo! and American Airlines. He and his teammates also provide pro bono Google AdWords management to select non-profits.
• Brett Meyer is a past Google Grants recipient and currently the communication and web manager for the Nonprofit Technology Network, an association that aims to help nonprofits strategically use all aspects of technology more effectively.

Non-Profits and Google Grants: Your Questions Answered is free and open to any non-profit or organization interested learning more about Google Grants and hearing from both Google as well as a previous grant recipient. Advance registration is required at: https://ccpreview.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=6j7fyas626wj. Non-profits interested in the topic, but unable to join the session, are encouraged to register to receive a recording of the event.

The previous webinars in the series include Your Non-Profit Marketing ROI: Are you measuring it properly?, which examined simple techniques for quantifying SEO marketing efforts, and WordPress for Non-Profits: No Resources, No Problem!, a discussion on how NPOs can generate compelling websites using the WordPress platform. Recordings of the previous webinars are available on ReadyTalk’s website. The final two webinars will cover the topics of Facebook and serving as a non-profit board member.

Visit www.readytalk.com or follow ReadyTalk’s webinar series on Twitter, @RTWebSem, for more information on upcoming webinars.

ReadyTalk, a leader in integrated web and audio conferencing services, today announced a free four-part webinar series to help non-profits with improving SEO, accessing funding through Google Grants, utilizing Facebook and using other free resources and tools.

On January 20, the first webinar, Your non-profit marketing ROI: Are you measuring it properly?, kicks off with experts discussing simple techniques for quantifying SEO marketing efforts and measuring ROI. Participants will come away with an understanding of how to measure marketing channels, plus receive pre-made reports that can be customized as needed. The featured experts are:

• Dennis Yu, CEO of Blitzlocal.com, a 50 person agency specializing in lead generation via Facebook advertising, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising and web analytics. Yu is a 14-year veteran of online marketing via Yahoo! and American Airlines. He and his teammates also provide pro bono Google AdWords management to select non-profits.
• Gillian Muessig, president and co-founder of SEOmoz, a provider of search engine optimization tools, resources & community. Having helped to shepherd the company through its inception years, Muessig was the recipient of the 2009 World Brand Leadership Award. Known as SEOmom throughout the industry, Gillian travels the world evangelizing for both the company and the search marketing industry.

Your non-profit marketing ROI: Are you measuring it properly? is free and open to any non-profit or organization using social media platforms and interested in quantifying their marketing efforts. Advance registration is required at: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/fvalm085h8ib. Non-profits interested in the topic, but unable to join the session, are encouraged to register to receive a recording of the event.

In February, the second webinar in the series will feature experts on Google Grants, an in-kind donation program that awards free AdWords advertising to select (qualified) charitable organizations. March’s webinar will focus on Facebook and how to utilize the social network to increase awareness and engagement on both a national and local level. Additional details for both events will be available on the ReadyTalk website.

Visit www.readytalk.com or follow us on Twitter, @RTWebSem, for more information or for a free trial of ReadyTalk’s web conferencing services.

ReadyTalk today announced it is bringing leading web event experts together for a free webinar to explore the business drivers for web events and highlight how real-world organizations are using them to deliver value. The webinar, How to Make Your Next Business-Critical Web Event a Success: Tips from the Experts, will feature experts and power-users discussing tips and best practices for planning and executing high profile web events.

The webinar will be on Thursday, December 10 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern, and will feature opening remarks by Melanie Turek, a principal analyst with Frost and Sullivan followed by a lively panel discussion and question and answer session. ReadyTalk’s training director, Shawn Cardinal, will moderate the webinar and the panelists will include:

• Melanie Turek, principal analyst, Frost and Sullivan – Melanie is a renowned expert in unified communications, collaboration, social networking and content-management technologies in the enterprise.
• Alli Libb, online event program manager, American Marketing Association – In her role, Alli has run more than 100 successful webcasts for the AMA’s audience of marketing professionals.
• Ken Molay, president, Webinar Success – Ken is a prolific blogger on the subject of web conferencing and its applications and is a frequent public speaker on the topic of running more effective webinars.
• Brian Denker, VP of global growth, innovation and leadership, Frost and Sullivan – Brian has been an integral driver in the development and implementation of go-to-market strategies for the organization’s eBroadcasts – a global webinar service offering.
• Bradley Kravitz, marketing operations, RYMA Technologies – Bradley manages marketing operations from lead generation, nurturing, campaign execution and process automation.
• Rachel Stoddart, events manager, ReadyTalk – Rachel’s expertise in event management has helped hundreds of customers create successful web seminars of their own.

According to analyst firm Frost and Sullivan, the global web events services market reached $173.2 million in 2008 and is poised for significant growth over the next 5 years. While expansion in 2009 is moderate, the firm projects that pressure for enterprises to reduce costs will drive the industry to $400 million by 2014.

“Web events are a critical tool for enterprises, both big and small, as they try to conduct business as usual in today’s tough economic environment while eliminating costs, such as travel and downtime,” said Melanie Turek, industry principal at Frost and Sullivan. “This webinar will offer tips for running a successful event and provide ideas that empower companies of all sizes to maintain a worldwide presence while reaping the cost savings and bottom-line benefits promised by web events.”

All event attendees will receive a Web Event Best Practices Toolkit, compliments of ReadyTalk and the American Marketing Association.

The webinar is free but pre-registration is required at http://bit.ly/webevent. Attendees can follow the conversation and ask additional questions on Twitter by using the hashtag: #readytalk.

Visit www.readytalk.com or follow us on Twitter, @readytalk, for more information or for a free trial of ReadyTalk’s web conferencing services.

Comprehensive offering addresses need for professional, affordable web events; ReadyTalk poised to capitalize on significant market growth

ReadyTalk, a leader in integrated audio and web conferencing services, today announced the availability of the ReadyTalk Platinum Web Event, the industry’s first offering to combine web conferencing, operator-assisted audio, broadcast audio, comprehensive event services, recording and social media syndication into one convenient and cost-effective package.

According to analyst firm Frost and Sullivan, the global web events services market reached $173.2 million in 2008 and is poised for significant growth over the next 5 years. While expansion in 2009 is moderate, the firm projects that pressure for enterprises to reduce costs will drive the industry to $400 million by 2014.

“Web events are a critical tool for enterprises, both big and small, as they try to conduct business as usual in today’s tough economic environment while eliminating costs, such as travel and downtime,” said Melanie Turek, industry principal at Frost and Sullivan. “Combining everything required to run a successful event into a single, fixed-price package empowers companies of all sizes to maintain a worldwide presence while reaping the cost savings and bottom-line benefits promised by web events.”

ReadyTalk Platinum Web Event includes comprehensive consulting services before, during and after the event. From guidance on event strategy and registration customization to live event monitoring, a ReadyTalk event manager handles the logistics and technical details throughout the process so customers can focus on engaging attendees and communicating their message.

A key component of the package is the new ReadyTalk Broadcast Audio, which lets participants choose the audio option that is right for them – listening to the event over the Internet or dialing in with their telephone. Because it is optimized for smooth playback, low latency and low bandwidth, Broadcast Audio offers a high-quality listening experience.

ReadyTalk Platinum Web Event also includes post-event services including recording, editing, archiving and reporting. Customers can easily embed their event recording in web sites, blogs and other social media outlets, allowing them to maximize their distribution channels and reach. They also receive a podcast of the recording for added flexibility in distributing recorded content.

“Collaborating with and reaching audiences worldwide continues to rise in importance as companies operate and grow on a global scale,” said Scott King, vice president of sales and marketing, ReadyTalk. “With a fixed cost, the ReadyTalk Platinum Web Event with Broadcast Audio is perfect for reaching large groups and international audiences without blowing budgets.”

To help companies learn more about conducting successful web events, ReadyTalk is hosting a free best practices forum on Thursday, December 10, at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Experts from Frost & Sullivan and the American Marketing Association will discuss tips and best practices for planning and running large-scale web events. Registration and additional details are available at: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/jnlmjf893dbc.

ReadyTalk Platinum Web Event and ReadyTalk Broadcast Audio are available today. Visit www.readytalk.com or follow us on Twitter, @readytalk, for more information or for a free trial of ReadyTalk’s web conferencing services.

ReadyTalk was the recipient of the 2009 People’s Choice Award at DEMOgala for the launch of the ReadyTalk Media Player. The Media Player enables customers to embed web conference content on social media platforms, blogs, YouTube and other web sites.

DEMOgala is a technology conference and exhibition hosted by CSIA, Colorado’s technology association. This year’s event featured more than 50 speakers on 22 different panels discussing the newest trends in technology. ReadyTalk was one of 20 companies selected out of 130 applicants as a Showcase Company to exhibit innovations at DEMOgala. From the Showcase Companies, ReadyTalk was selected as the winner of the People’s Choice award for its innovative media player.

ReadyTalk Media Player, which does not require a download, is the first player in the industry to give users the ability to embed recorded web and audio conferencing content into Wordpress, MoveableType, LiveJournal and others. The launch of the Media Player follows ReadyTalk’s recent launch of Conference Center 4, which provides more robust user controls for scheduling and managing audio and web conferences.

“The new media player is another example of ReadyTalk’s dedication to providing social media tools that allow customers to distribute conference content to any audience,” said Scott King, vice president of sales and marketing, ReadyTalk.

Scott also spoke at DEMOgala with Adeo Ressi, of Thefunded.com. Together, Scott and Adeo discussed the topic of Building Your Business on a Shoestring and Avoiding Losing Control. They discussed different approaches to funding including boot strapping and partnerships.

For more information on the ReadyTalk Media Player and ReadyTalk’s web and audio conferencing services visit www.ReadyTalk.com.

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ReadyTalk, a leader in integrated audio and web conferencing services, today announced the launch of ReadyTalk Media Player, enabling customers to easily embed and share conference recordings on social media platforms, blogs, YouTube and other web sites.

ReadyTalk Media Player, which does not require a download, is the first player in the industry to give users the ability to embed recorded content into a user’s site of choice including Wordpress, MoveableType and LiveJournal. Today’s launch of the Media Player follows ReadyTalk’s recent launch of Conference Center 4, which provides more robust user controls for scheduling and managing audio and web conferences.

“Organizations and bloggers can now embed their web conference recordings into web sites and blogs with ease,” said Scott King, vice president of sales and marketing, ReadyTalk. “The new player opens up a world of possibilities, enabling customers to easily repurpose and share content. Our customers are demanding more sophisticated social media tools to publish content in an easily consumed package and to share the content in any way they wish – our new player delivers on those demands.”

The new media player is another example of ReadyTalk’s dedication to providing social media tools that allow customers to distribute conference content to any audience. ReadyTalk is also the only conferencing provider to offer a podcasting service with a hosted RSS feed and subscription page.

The innovative player automatically scales to fit a user’s screen, offers previewing by thumbnails and is playable in full screen mode. The ReadyTalk Media Player is compatible with any browser—FireFox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.

For more information on the ReadyTalk Media Player and ReadyTalk’s web and audio conferencing services visit www.ReadyTalk.com.

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For more information:
Bo Bandy
Marketing Communications & PR Manager
ReadyTalk
303-209-1593
bo.bandy@readytalk.com
Twitter: @bo_knows_

ReadyTalk today launched Conference Center 4, adding online customer support and enhanced conference management tools, further establishing ReadyTalk as a leader in integrated audio and web conferencing services.

“We recognize that our customers are looking to do more than create a meeting and send an invitation; Conference Center 4 gives busy professionals tools to easily coordinate and run great web and audio conferences by managing an attendee’s status with greater detail,” said Scott King, vice president of sales and marketing, ReadyTalk. “We’ve also incorporated a Resource Center that makes it easier for customers to access tutorials, utilize best practices information and review FAQs.”

Furthering its dedication to customer support, ReadyTalk’s Conference Center 4 includes online customer support available via web chat. The new chat function allows customers to get real-time support and assistance whenever they need it.

Conference Center 4 also allows customers to upload confirmed attendees lists giving them the flexibility to use third-party registration services. In particular, the feature gives those who charge for their events the ability to take advantage of Conference Center’s confirmation and reminder emails. The enhancement provides customers their choice of third-party systems while benefiting from Conference Center’s advanced email capabilities.