Further Cutbacks

As a newsletter editor, I see real effects from cutbacks. Such as when email addresses suddenly become undeliverable -- the employee no longer works there.

Another sign is the cutback in travel. CAD vendors aren't flying in the media to wine and dine them and to demo the soon-to-be-released software in person. 

The cheaper, almost-the-same alternative is the WebEx demo. WebEx and GoToMeeting events certainly do save time and travel money -- and are just as effective as sitting in person in a CAD vendor's conference room several timezones away. But WebEx still costs money to host.

And to save even more money, several "online" meetings I've had recently were telephone-only. If there are visuals, they consist of a PDF or PPT file emailed in advance.

Just some observations.

Comments

[Curt Moreno]

WebEx and GoToMeeting are clearly inferior products to Adobe's Connect Pro. Unfortunately, WebEx and GoToMeeting have massive market penetration so Adobe is fighting an uphill battle.

All of that aside, you are certainly correct. I've seen my training engagements for onsite training dry up considerably in 2009. Interestingly enough, it seems like the new fiscal year is a little brighter and we are scheduling 2010 dates.

So good luck to us all in 2010.

- Curt Moreno -

[andy stewart]

Personally, I use Showdocument for online teaching and web conferencing. I'm not saying these programs aren't good,
But I think a web-based application is always better, since there's nothing to download or install.
try it at http://www.showdocument.com . -andy