Traditional Web Conferencing vs. Continuous Screen-Sharing? No Contest.

A few years ago, we zigged when everyone else zagged.

Companies like WebEx, Microsoft, GoToMeeting and scores of me-too copycats got lost thinking that if "more is better", then "lots more must be even better still."  What began as a simple idea -- "see what I see" -- got smothered in their heavy, complicated, too-often-unreliable "web conferencing" bloatware. 

Glance took a different path. We chose to focus on developing a lightning-fast, business-class screen-sharing service that people enjoy using casually -- a simple lightweight tool instead of a clunky heavyweight application.

Zagging worked.

We quickly found loyal followers in thousands of fast-moving companies who need to easily and reliably share their screens –- or see or control their guest's screen –- in one simple click, on and off, all day long. Meetings, demos, webinars, remote support and collaboration:  all were made easy, all could be conducted on the fly.

Glance is akin to opening a live window to your desktop. Guests see what you see, so they know exactly what you're talking about, in the moment. No fuss, no issues, no ambiguity. Glance ushers in a new era of continuous screen sharing simplicity for all.

I believe too many would-be "Web Conferencers" get frightened by their company's web conferencing applications. They fret about looking bad fumbling around with it in front of others.  Or they worry that their guests will have trouble connecting. So they don't use it.  An unused application provides no value.

But businesses that "glance" enjoy the fluidity of instant screen-sharing.  Because "glancing" is so quick and easy (and reliable!), "glancers" soon become accustomed to using it all the time.  So they harvest the value many times over.

See for your yourself.  Grab a free trial and experience that magic "A-ha!" moment that says you've found a simpler way to get stuff done.

Go on!  Give it a spin.  I think you're in for a treat.

Webinar presented by two Web Conferencing veterans - "Running Your Own Webinar: A Step by Step Guide for Success", 3/31/09, 1pm ET.

A free Webinar about...Webinars! Offered online Tuesday, March 31st at 1pm ET. Presented by Rich Baker, CEO of Glance Networks, and Brian Walkey, President of MeetingZone. Register today!

This free Webinar is a must-see for ANY small or medium-sized business looking to leverage the powerful new medium of Webinars effectively. 

A Webinar is simply a web seminar -- and today they're a big factor in any marketing mix. Attendees can see your presentations, charts, and more, in real time, from anywhere in the world. This new technology is full of possibilities...IF you've been armed with the right skills.

This definitive training session will explore the Top Ten Things You Can Do With A Webinar, Recruiting Presenters, Registering Participants, Promoting Your Webinar, Preparing Content, Hosting, Audio, Moderating and Presenting, Recording And Posting, and Followup Communications. In one highly engaging hour of learning, attendees will be transformed into "Webinar Pros."

The Webinar is free and takes place on your computer - anyone can sign up, but do it now while space is still available. Sign up and receive a URL and the phone number to join the session in one click.

Register today!

5 Ways Desktop Sharing Increases Sales

1. Sell software or online services? You can show your product in action, and  highlight its features. No need to rely on customers to install trial or demo software, or navigate  your website on their own. With desktop sharing, its like you're right there next to them.
2. Seeing is believing. Need to show drawings? Photos of properties? Charts and spreadsheets? Does your product or service sell better when the customer can see it?
3. Extensive online catalog? Help your customers find exactly the right product quickly.
4. With just a phone and an Internet connection, take your business from local to global. Expand your reach beyond clients you can travel to visit.
5. Pre-qualify prospects on the phone with a quick demo or presentation. If a voice-only sales call goes well, take it to the next step with a web demo that sets up and connects instantly. Don't let the prospect go cold with a complex web conference that needs to be scheduled for later.

- The Glance Team

Glance Stars In the Two Best Films of the Year!

 
Maybe we won't win any Oscars for these, but nobody can deny the importance of these two films.

Glance vs. WebEx - Glance 3x Faster
Glance vs. GoToMeeting - Glance 3x Faster

In these classic David vs. Goliath yarns, Glance is pitted against hulking, complicated opponents WebEx and GoToMeeting.

Glance runs circles around the competition to a score provided by Rossini (William Tell Overture). The facile narration of our CEO, Rich Baker, deserves props, too.

We always knew Glance was faster and so did you. But these videos prove it unflinchingly, in real time. Glance gets your web demo up and running 3x faster than WebEx and GoToMeeting, with way less buttons and tasks to perform. Seeing is believing - check it out. And feel free to spread the word. :-)

The Glance Team

Reverse Slam Dunk

The first few months of our new Reverse Screen Sharing feature (as part of the 2.4 upgrade for PCs in September) have been a runaway success.

All manner of businesses are now learning the joys of remote tech support and remote training, and wondering why they didn't do it sooner. The answer is simple: up until now, the technology to do this kind of thing has been clunky, slow, and aggravating. So, they avoided it. (It's kind of like why some people never bothered to watch videos or surf the web on their cell phones, until the iPhone came out.)

In Glance's able hands, reverse screen sharing soars! You see and control your guests screen in one click - so there's no reason to wait any longer. The future of reverse screen sharing has erupted into the present, and its free for all current Glance users, so dive in!

(And if you're currently using one of our big, lumbering opponents, feel free to switch and join the winning team any time.) You can download Glance 2.4 for PCs here. If you're reading this and you don't have a Glance account yet, grab a free trial, and if you're on a PC, you'll get our 2.4 version automatically.

Carla Gates

6 tips for better web demos

Many Glance customers use our simple desktop sharing tool for web demos.  They often ask for tips.  Here's what we tell them.

1. Take a practice run-though.  This isn't just to make sure you sound smooth or know the high points to hit. You'll know that you have the software and files it needs properly installed on your computer and configured correctly. You'll also see how fast your network can send screen changes.  You can make sure there's no embarassing content left over from internal testing -- yes, we've seen this happen in live demos! You'll get a better idea for pacing the demo and you can leave applications running and files pre-loaded to avoid start-up pauses.
2. Use a solid Internet connection.  Make sure you have plenty of bandwidth. Often ISPs tout their download bandwidth. But if you're hosting the demo, it's the upload speed that matters, and it's often only a tenth as fast.  (Check your speed now, using the Speakeasy Speed Tester here.)
   To avoid wireless fades or drops, connect your computer directly to your network and disconnect your wireless interface (here's how).  Some Windows laptops have a silly policy of connecting to a neighbor's network, dropping the existing connection on its wired interface.
3. Lower your screen resolution. We all like a nice big screen when working, but that's not what you want for remote demos. Lowering your screen size to 1024x768 or even 800x600 means your demo is transmitted much faster to your guests. It also makes it less likely your presentation will be shrunk down on your guest's side, making text hard to read.
4. Go for solid colors. You know about not wearing a checked shirt on TV?  This is similar. Good solid colors compress better and transmit faster. Avoid photos, gradients and textures when possible in your desktop's background, slides or charts.  You'll find screen changes and transitions come accross snappier.
5. If something goes wrong, keep talking.  We all have days when the demo gods don't smile on us. If something glitches, despite your run-through, it's usually not worth getting distracted trying to fix it. Acknowledge that something went wrong, and then move on. If it's a live product demo, have a backup slide presentation.
6. Finish strong.  Sum up what you've said.  Then pause for questions with a memorable or "sticky" image on the screen having a clear call to action.

Try these tips out on your next demo.  Like many of our customers, I believe you'll find that  web demos can be your most cost effective way to boost inside sales.

Mothers-in-law.. a Glance success story..

At MacWorld last month, quite a few people immediately latched onto the idea of using Glance (and our recently introduced remote control feature) to support their relatives with technical problems.   This comes up suprisingly often, even recently in an article Keith Shaw wrote for Network World. 

It seems to have become a real hazard of having any technical expertise these days.  Everybody needs and uses their computer, but the things are still so complicated with so many little things to go wrong.  Suddenly all your relatives want to talk to you...

It reminded me of an amusing story from an inimitable former colleague at Glance:

From: "Xxxx Xxxx" <____@gmail.com>
Date: September 23, 2007 12:10:49 PM EDT
To: glance@glance.net
Subject: Mothers-in-law.. a Glance success story..

So, it is Sunday morning, and I awoke to a bruised cranium (I'm afraid
last night involved Grey Geese instead of the traditional Grey Goose)
and a call from my mother-in-law. She was in a panicked state that
her email was no longer working, then demanding that I immediately
drive the hour to her house to resolve this issue. I believe you all
remember my monster-in-law stories, so there is no need to elaborate..

After delivering this call to me, my lovely bride grabbed my Mac, a
cup of coffee and the Excedrin. While booting my Mac I had the
"customer" quickly download 2.3. She got a session running, at which
point I asked for the key. Once in, I had her click on that new
fangled remote control button. I then promptly asked her to end the
phone call and leave her office.

The email problem was simple to fix.. she had her smtp and pop3
settings at pop.smtp.com.. I have no clue how she did that, I am just
so pleased that my entire Sunday was not ruined to resolve the issue.

I called the "customer" back to explain the issue was resolved. She
was amazed that I did so in a few minutes while working remotely. She
then added "I guess you will never have to drive to D_____ again?"..
hmmm.. I did not respond..

Thank you Glance...

Xxxx

Now we haven't really designed Glance as a remote support tool (yet...), but some people are using it that way.  And if it can save you an hour of driving or a lost half day of productivity or serious loafing time, that can be worth a lot!

-- Rich Baker, Founder & CEO, Glance Networks