It's happened. The internet has become so evolved that one no longer has to worry about leaving their home computer to attend a seminar. No surprise really, considering that one can do just about everything else at the click of a button, from grocery shopping to dry cleaning. So long as you have a high speed set up and decent hardware, you can just pull up a chair in your favorite underoos and plug into a self improvement seminar. Oh, the irony.
You'd think I would berate the fact that folks have become such ridiculous digital couch potatoes that they can be easily confused for agoraphobics. However, I'm forced to admit that the idea of a live "webinar" intrigues me. Online seminars are hardly a novelty—corporations commonly employ them. However it's starting to now evolve to the point where the self-starter can also benefit from this resource, so long as one knows where to look.
Take HOW Magazine's upcoming webinar, in September. Here's what they plan to cover:
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
• Why you must focus on a market if you want to succeed in business
• How to identify the ideal target market for your design business
• How to choose a market that blends your skills and interests with the needs of the market
• How to determine if the market you've chosen is viable
• How to find and reach the best prospects in your target market
What I Like:
• They're addressing particular needs of a specific group...in this case, the entrepreneur. In the words of my sister, I "skeeve" generalisations. HOW didn't try to hit a non-descript mass audience with vague "fortune cookie" topics in the hopes of bringing in numbers. Contrary to what some might believe, John and Jane Q. Public do not have completely identical business marketing agendas.
• The sponsors are a relevant industry role model. Some of Ilise Benun's accolades during her career include numerous spotlights in magazines and is author of multiple books on self promotion. Point blank, I want to learn the secrets of her success...I want to pick her brain...I want her success to help inspire my own success. Having someone who's success you wish to emulate is quite naturally a big factor in investing in a seminar. Peleg Top has an equally impressive resume, especially when you take into consideration his "modest" beginnings.
• You get swag delivered to your doorstep. Well, not "swag" more than presentation materials to aid in following along, because when you think about it, you can't bring a recorder to this session, now can you? And speaking of which, you also have access to an archived recording of the seminar for an entire year, so who the heck even needs it in this brave new webinar world.
What don't I like? Well, I never like the price ("self starter" should be another name for "starting strapped,") but it's a necessary evil. You would however, think that the price wouldn't (or shouldn't) be as steep since the actual venue is eliminated, but I digress. As with a seminar you physically attend, you still gotta pay to play. For what it's worth and considering the sponsors that will be hosting, in this case, it should prove to be worthwhile.
So final consensus: Webinars good? Depends. If you're not in the mood to hop on mass transit to schlep to a hotel ballroom teeming with a crowd that's waiting on a line to enter, then jostling for the perfect vantage spot to sit in on the seminar, this could be your ideal cuppa. So long as the hosts are worth the price of admission, the presentation and site are stimulating and engaging and the topic addresses in a modicum of detail the needs of your business, I say give it a shot—I plan to.
Melting monitor faces drawing by Anthony of Frenetic Pen Project
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