Although I have known about and used SlideShare in the past, I haven’t yet loaded anything so, thanks to Alesandra Blakeston for triggering me to use my own performance support content for a first, simple example using my own templates as well – more to come including videos and using this content from this performance support item to demonstrate other authoring programs, sites and tools (much of which will be hosted in my new virtual server from Host Europe in Cologne).
When version tracking is enabled for a list within a SharePoint site, each time the data in the list item changes, a new version of that list item is made available. Versions are not displayed as separate list item IDs but the version history can easily be accessed from viewing the list item separately or from a view within the list. Version tracking can be very helpful for lists as you’ll be able to view exactly what changed from which column of the list item and the user that made the changes.
Activating Version Tracking
Access your list and choose >List >List Settings >Versioning settings and select Yes (followed by clicking OK) from Create a version each time you edit an item in this list? You can also limit the number of versions to retain; only interesting for lists where list items are updated very frequently and you don’t need all versions saved.
Results of Activating Version Tracking
Once versioning has been activated, displayed list items will provide you will the version number (bottom, left-hand corner) as well as an icon and link at the top, to view the history of each version (the history of changes to column selections / entries).
Version History of changes to columns (entries and selections changed for each column and when and by whom) can also be accessed from list items displayed within standard views.
Each list item’s version history will display all column entries and selections that have been changed for each version providing the date and time the changes were made as well as the system user who made the changes. Seen in the image below, you can delete all version information if required for this one particular list item displayed. This captured version history can only be displayed as seen below; it cannot be displayed via a datasheet view or exported to Excel.
You may individually be interested in activating Alerts for a list in order to be informed via eMail of all changes to any list items either via a daily summary or immediately, each time any changes to any list items are made.
Results of Switching Version Tracking Off
A list and its list items do in fact track updates within the system even though you may not have versioning activated and the information is not displayed or stored directly within the list. Because of this, when you deactivate versioning from a list, the only result is that the information is not displayed or saved within the list (e.g. if you were to save the list as a template).
Hence, you can deactivate versioning without any worries and furthermore, you can also re-activate the versioning later on and expect that all updates made to the list items in the past will be available once you activate versioning again in the future.
Using my one video “FFM Stadtwald und Jacobiweiher mit Poochie + Obernburg mit Mutti” as an example, this blog will focus on the different possibilities I am currently leveraging to host and share video files (via this WordPress site’s media library, YouTube, Vimeo, Kaltura, SlideShare.net and TechSmith’s Screencast.com).
WordPress Blog Site’s Media Library
I really like loading my videos to WordPress – keeping my videos and imagery in the “same site”.
FFM Stadtwald und Jacobiweiher mit Poochie + Obernburg mit Mutti
►
YouTube Channel (Video Manager)
My first choice is to load video files into my WordPress Media Library and my second choice is to load the video file into YouTube and embed the link to the video on YouTube from my WordPress site’s posting (which is very easy / user intuitive). Often, I will host my videos in WordPress and in addition, load them into YouTube as well, providing a link to the posting from WordPress from the video on YouTube (e.g. if I want the video to be visible / identifiable directly from YouTube but want to lead users to the WordPress posting for details, text, clarification, etc.).
Vimeo
Although I find Vimeo very user intuitive, I don’t find too many reasons for using it more than WordPress or YouTube; at least I can easily grab a direct link to the video (http://vimeo.com/65448567), share via Facebook, Twitter, etc. and the code to embed (updated by WordPress after copying and pasting) is accepted by my WordPress site which is currently hosted on WordPress.org as of now (I may move the site to an external web hosting solution to leverage more options). Definitely thumbs up for Vimeo with the aforementioned as well as the user interface (fresh, rich and intuitive).
Kaltura Open Source Video
Kaltura is definitely one of the Kings out there, in particular for large enterprises, enhancing their intranet and internal knowledge exchange solutions; social media for learning. I am very impressed with their trial offering which doesn’t expire so you have plenty of space and time to test much of the standard functionality available. Big thumbs up here as well as for their sales representatives who are very communicative, competent and friendly!
Since my WordPress site is hosted on WordPress.org, I cannot embed the code to display and playback the video here (maybe later on after I move my WordPress site to a web hosting solution from Host Europe) – if and when that time comes, I will leverage “Kaltura’s All in One WordPress Video Plugin”.
However, what I can do is separately link to the video via the link you receive from the same embedding window (see above) which is (specific for this video): http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/3z7j – from there, I can additionally share to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even by creating a new WordPress posting.
SlideShare.net
Loading content into SlideShare is easier than I thought and now that I have started using it (with a recent PowerPoint presentation), I am quite impressed – by the name of the platform, I hadn’t yet thought about loading video files rather only PowerPoint and PDF files. There are many advantages in using SlideShare though to represent your profile, company, etc. so I may indeed find myself using it much more in the near and longer-term future.
The user interface of SlideShare is fantastic including the social media components, sharing capabilities, embedding (which I couldn’t do though since my WordPress site is hosted on WordPress.org), separation of all uploads into Documents, Presentations and Videos, and the other goodies like Analytics. You can change the language at any point in time to English, French, Spanish or German and I am certain I will find many more reasons to pursue usage of SlideShare from my simple experiences from this week; moving this up the ladder in priority.
Certainly I appreciate TechSmith’s Camtasia Studio and Snagit but I haven’t yet been “tickled” by Screencast.com – I can grab the direct link (http://www.screencast.com/t/1h1rouhtnYZ) but am challenged with the embedding links available (talking as a simple user and wanting this process to be more user intuitive).
Yes, I am very happy with my photography and yes, I have loads of beautiful imagery so, I thought I would share some of my PowerPoint template files (.potx files) with some nice images, in case helpful for anyone. If you have a better solution for me sharing such files, please be so kind as to let me know.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Click here to download the 14 templates (15 MB) after which you can save these .potx files in your specific location (e.g. AppData > Roaming > Microsoft > Templates) so that they’re available when selecting File > New > My templates; as seen below:
Thanks to effeff® (consulting for virtual business realities) for introducing me to Tobit.Software’s VERY COOL and easy to leverage App for Facebook Pages’ content that is zapped into your own, downloadable App – chayns® which I highly recommend checking out; I am just barely learning about it now but am thrilled to hear that such an affordable (€uro 29,50 per month) solution is available.
I personally won’t have any time nor capacity to learn how to create Apps going forward (nor is it my cup of tea) and assume this may be the case for many others so, this could be the answer to your current thoughts about getting your business, restaurant, club, association, organization, etc. available as a free, downloadable App!!!
Currently you need to understand German to use their site, instructions, etc. but I believe they’ll be offering all of this in English soon if I remember correctly (perhaps even other European / global languages as they grow). The affordable solution is very simple to install and creates a “Willkommen” component from your Facebook Page – check this out from effeff® and/or chayns® – followed by a great, downloadable App with your Facebook Page’s content, from the Apple App Store, BlackBerry World, Google Play Store, etc.
Contact the VERY FRIENDLY and COMPETENT staff at Tobit.Software with any questions.
If you know me well, you know I am already in love with at least three eLearning authoring programs – this week I fell in love again; with SlidePresenter (very different compared to other internal or external solutions and well worth looking into). After testing and even meeting up with the CEO this week, here at home in Frankfurt/M., I decided I just had to write about this brilliant solution I certainly will be watching, recommending and leveraging going forward.
You may find some kinks here and there as well as enhancements you’d love to see implemented but I am convinced this will improve in the near future and be greater than it already is. Trust me, when you launch your first published presentation and experience the results – in particular the full screen mode – you’ll immediately want more.
The site and their blog are both available in German and English (and you can switch between languages at any time; even during development).
So, let’s have a very high-level look at SlidePresenter (with what I know today from my testing and research).
Why use SlidePresenter?
You have something important to say and deliver to a wide audience – you want to deliver a video message (already generated and available for publishing) of yourself talking about whatever it is that is important to you.
You have a PowerPoint presentation or a PDF file or images, etc. that you want displayed when you talk about your important topic.
You have no time or capability (internally or externally) to have standard authoring programs used to package and publish your content e.g. from an instructional designer / eLearning developer and hosted in a Content Management Server (CMS) followed by other complexities.
You can use a computer and read simple instructions to load content into a platform followed by tweaking a few simple items and publishing your content.
You’re a professor, a freelancer, a CEO of a mid-sized or large-sized company that needs to provide a visual and verbal delivery of content (whatever it may be; training, business imperative updates, marketing videos, etc.) to an audience that wants and needs your content on-demand and to review again in the future – perhaps you want to charge for the full view of the content, if not free (this is standard functionality available).
You want to embed your content into your internal or external sites, your blogs – send links to your presentations to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and XING.
You don’t want to deal with any current, technical roadblocks posed by other solutions (e.g. is it HTML 5-enabled, is it mobile-enabled).
Sure, you can do something similar (as an eLearning developer for your SME / Sponsor) with authoring programs but you need to host the content you publish somewhere – where will that be and does the solution need to be so complex and expensive if it’s just a video message with imagery (e.g. PowerPoint slides, PDF or picture images)?
You are the SME / Sponsor and you don’t have access to an eLearning developer, the training department, etc. and would like to spend less time developing and publishing your content.
How to use SlidePresenter (very high-level; several details not introduced)
"Vision without a task is only a dream. A task without vision is but drudgery. But vision with a task is a dream fulfilled."; "All greatness of character is dependent on individuality. The man who has no other existence than that which he partakes in common with all around him, will never have any other than an existence of mediocrity."; "You cannot be anything you want to be – but you can be a lot more of who you already are"; "Live and Let Live"; "Tell me and I could forget… Show me and I may not remember… Involve me and I will understand…"; "Imagination is more important than knowledge"; "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Leadership pointers, how to guides and training on the various different software packages I use, e.g. Excel, PowerPoint, Inkscape by Alesandra Blakeston
for triggering me to use my own performance support content for a 
