At first glance, SlideKlowd might appear to replace webinar or webcast software. I’d disagree.

In fact, I think it’d be a potent tool for anybody hosting virtual presentations or classes to add to their arsenal. Read on.

What SlideKlowd does

Let’s start with an in-person presentation.

You, the presenter, upload your presentation (PowerPoint or PDF) to SlideKlowd. You’ll still project your slides up onto the screen in the room for all to see.

You also, however, invite participants to join the presentation from a web-enabled device (via browser or smartphone app). The audience can now additionally view your slides on their device, but you also can use interactive polling, have the audience type in questions (like web conferencing), etc. If you wish, you can show those things publicly at the front of the room (such as the results to a poll). This is very cool stuff for an in-person presentation.

Of course, since everybody’s connected, you’ve got the ability to measure and report on attention, participation, etc.

Why use SlideKlowd with webinars, virtual classrooms, or online meetings?

Note that I don’t think this would be perfect for every webinar, but there are many use-cases where SlideKlowd might add a nice dimension to what you’re working on. Examples might include:

• Your conferencing solution doesn’t track attention or doesn’t handle mobile attendees very well.
• You’re going to have a mixed audience where not everyone is connected to the web conferencing solution.
• You have some attendees in an environment with poor web connectivity (but their mobile phones work fine).

The list could go on and on.

Could I use SlideKlowd instead of web conferencing?

Yes, technically you could, but since it doesn’t handle audio, you’d need a separate conference call. I won’t rant again about using cheap (free) conferencing, so let me position it this way:

If you were going to have a teleconference (audio only) and wanted to add a visual and some interactivity, it’d be a great addition.

If you were trying to decide whether or not to get SlideKlowd instead of a full-featured web conferencing solution, you need to poke a little more deeply. I’d say no.

The bottom line

SlideKlowd is a refreshing addition to the world of presenting and presentations. I’m not here to sell you SlideKlowd like I’m not here to sell you conferencing.

What I do know is that I talk to people every week who either have a conferencing solution that doesn’t entirely fit their needs or every use-case in their organizations, or they’re looking to get creative with how they differentiate their online events and classes from the run-of-the-mill stuff.

Either way, SlideKlowd might be worth a peek.