Corbin

IN THIS ISSUE:

• New Article: Keeping Up With Distance Learning
• New Additions to Corbin's Web Site Favorites
• New Article: Computer Viruses: 5 Easy Steps to Guard Your Data
• Technology Use Survey for Meeting Professionals
• New Article: Application Service Providers (ASPs)
• 88 Important Questions to Ask Before You Buy
• --- and more!

SPONSORS

Thanks to the following newsletter sponsors:

Conferon (www.conferon.com): Now offering clients a comprehensive web-based meeting consolidation tool called Conferon Meeting Management Solutions (MMS) powered by PlanSoft.

Passkey (www.passkey.com): Learn how you can become Passkey-enabled. See us in March at IACVB in Ottawa and at ResExpo in Atlanta.

Rhoberta Shaler, PhD, (www.SpeakingAboutWork.com) Seattle-based professional speaker, consultant and writer  focused on 'People Skills for a Competitive Edge' to  improve workplace relationships and strengthen teams.

NEW ARTICLE: Keeping Up With Distance Learning

"The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." -Alvin Toffler

We are living in amazing times. People are awash with new technology and the rate of change in getting faster. The   world's body of knowledge is said to be doubling every 10 years! With this information overload, the challenge is how  do you keep up with it all? 

People are finding that what they learned in college is simply no longer relevant and that life-long learning is a must to remain competitive in the marketplace. To answer this, corporations and associations are turning to distance learning. In many cases, distance learning can broaden the reach of traditional meetings and reinforce what is taught there.

This article will cover a several of the meeting industry related trends in this area.

www.corbinball.com/articles/art-distancelearn.htm

ADDITIONS TO CORBIN'S "FAMOUS FAVORITES FILE
www.corbinball.com/tips.list.corbinslist.htm

I have just completed the quarterly update of my online favorites file, the most extensive link list of meeting planning and technology sites on the web with more than 2001 categorized listings!

Listed below are some of my recent finds:

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Eloquent (www.eloquent.com) offers "a rich media publishing solution" what does that mean? 

You can simultaneously see video of a speaker or trainer, hear the audio track, see their high-resolution slides, and read the transcript of what is being said, all on demand on the web. This operates on using a free downloadable browser plug-in that even allows you to increase the presentation speed without the speaker's pitch rising like the "chipmunks" cartoon character.

Now that would be a nice feature for some of the live presentations around. ;-)

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KeyRF (www.l3sys.com) remote advance for PowerPoint slides

Break free from you computer when giving PowerPoint presentations. This wireless advance device is small -- about the size of a Zippo lighter, has a great range (100+ ft), and since it uses radio frequency so you don't have to point it at your computer. No software needed -- it plugs right into your mouse/keyboard receptacle. 

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Airline Web Site Links: http://web.princeton.edu/sites/citdocs/misc/air800.html

This handy site lists the toll-free number and the hyperlinked web address of just about every air carrier in existence.

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PCMA's Online Meeting Planning Glossary: www.pcma.org/toolbox/ccandmore/tool_glossary.htm#a

This helpful and easy to access glossary has about every meeting planning term you can think of.

NEW ARTICLE: Protect Yourself from Anna, Melissa, the LoveBug and Other Viruses. 5 Easy Steps to Guard Your Data

On February 12, I received more than a 25 email messages from people I know beckoning me to check out an attached photo of teen tennis star, Anna Kournikova. I didn’t succumb – I didn’t open the files. If I had, a virus worm  would have immediately seized control of my Outlook email messaging system, sending off dozens of this same self-propagating message under my name to contacts in my address book. Fortunately for the senders, this particular worm was not a destructive one. It could have, for example, just as easily wiped out the contents of the sender’s hard drive after sending the messages.

Computer viruses are out there and can do serious damage. They can destroy data and, in extreme cases, even make your computer unbootable. Fortunately, with more than 20 years of actively using computers and the web, I have caught only two benign Word macro viruses and I have never lost data. However, this has not been just luck. It has been because I have carefully followed five rules of virus protection as listed in the article:

www.corbinball.com/articles/art-virus.htm

Technology Survey for Meeting Professionals

Help! I would like your assistance in a far-reaching questionnaire dealing with your current technology use.

Rodman Marymor, CMP (from Cardinal Communications) and I are conducting this survey is to discover what planners like and want (or dislike and don't want), and compare to what facilities and service providers are doing (not doing) today. The results will be sent to you in my next newsletter, published at my web site and, also will be jointly presented by Rodman and I at the IACC Annual Meeting on March 27th

There are two separate surveys:

1. Meeting planners: http://www.regweb.com/regwebhost/plannersurvey

2. Meeting facilities/service providers: http://www.regweb.com/regwebhost/suppliersurvey

In thanks for responding, if you include your name and email address, you will be entered in a drawing for one of 5 copies of my latest book, The Ultimate Meeting Professionals Software Guide (www.corbinball.com/services.guide.htm) and/or one of 5 spiffy cotton Cardinal Communications golf shirts.

All personal information provided in this survey will be held in strict confidentiality. Your survey answers will be aggregated with all other results. Your name and email address will not be included in any part of the survey. We will ONLY use your name and email address to send you results or a prize (if your name is selected).

Also, please see my privacy statement at the end of this newsletter as well.

NEW ARTICLE: Checking Out Applications Service Providers (ASPs)
88 Key Questions to Ask Before You Buy

Application Services Providers (ASPs) are changing the face of the meeting planning software industry providing software as a *service* rather than a *product.* Similar to paying a monthly charge for water or lights, software companies will lease their software and support on a yearly or a transaction basis. In many cases, these products are less costly to own than their "shrink-wrapped" counterparts.

But planners should have many questions: Will these products meet my needs? Are they robust and secure enough to replace the software I currently am using? How do I evaluate them? Will the companies still be here in a year or two? This article will address a number of these questions and provide an extensive 88-point checklist of evaluation questions to ask.

www.corbinball.com/articles/art-asp.htm

CORBIN'S SPEAKING SCHEDULE
My speaking schedule for March and April is bringing me to: Kenya, Tanzania, London, Malta, Sydney, Canberra, Houston, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Nashville. However, I would love to come to your city as well so please contact me and let's set a date: www.corbinball.com/contact.htm

KENYA TRIP TO GO ONLINE

I will be in Kenya and Tanzania for 3 weeks in March speaking for of the East African Chapter of the Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE). This trip, however, will not be "all work and no play." My wife, Charlotte, and I have several days scheduled in five national parks on safaris. I will have my digital camera along and intend to take photos of as much of the culture and wildlife that I come across.

I will put my travelogue and photos up to my web site when I return. Please watch www.corbinball.com for updates or just simple wait for the next newsletter for the link.