Together with a number of other companies, we see great value in utilising the new digital communications technologies we find in our home, for business. SCL is passionate about increasing member access to legal knowledge and this is the primary goal of the SCL webinars. Members can attend, ask questions and jump to the bits they are most interested in without the time and expense of getting to a venue. As SCL is a national organisation, and many of the meetings are held in
How does a webinar work?
The webinars are designed to work alongside the actual seminars. We take along the necessary cameras, audio and computer equipment to the seminar and, as unobtrusively as possible, film and broadcast the event live. Members pay to access the seminar and logon via a web browser, to the broadcast, or ‘web’cast to give it the correct technical term. The member can type in a question at any time and the host sees all the questions that the online audience has submitted and can answer them whenever they wish.
At the end of the webinar a digital recording is uploaded for members to access whenever they want.
Can anyone watch it?
As with any video, members need some basic equipment to attend a SCL webinar. Most laptops have all the video and audio hardware and software required, as Bill Gates kindly installs this when your computer is first built by the manufacturers. The audio should be listened to via the speakers on the PC or via headphones. The other basic requirement is a broadband connection. The video signal uses a relatively small amount of bandwidth but this is more than a dial-up connection can provide. All the technical requirements are detailed on the help screen that accompanies the webinar. Older desktop computers and corporate firewall policies can present challenges but in general anyone should be able to attend.
Is it as good as the real thing?
We would let you be the judge of that. We see it as a better option for people who don’t want to travel, who don’t feel the need to ‘network’ over a glass of wine and for those who are busy that evening.
The technology also allows people to present, as well as attend, from their own office to simplify things even further.
As with all things technological, the SCL webinar will only be as good as the content – the questions raised by the audience and the quality of the speaker – but we now all have easy access to the lessons learned by some of the best legal minds in the legal profession.
Click here to link to some of the recent webinars.
Charlie Blackburn is founder of brightTALK: www.brightTALK.com.
