Thursday, December 20, 2007

Start Your Own Webcast with Ustream.tv

Ever dreamed of having your own TV show? Well with Ustream.tv, a webcam, microphone and a few clicks that dream can quickly become reality.

Even if you don't dream of becoming a web tv star, Ustream is a great tool. I've used it for recording staff development sessions. Folks can watch the session from their classroom and send questions via the chat room or view the archived copy that Ustream stores for you.

Now, I hate to see myself on camera so I had to find a way to conduct software training without being seen. I tried videotaping the screen using my webcam during the first session, but it didn't work that well. I needed something to broadcast my desktop through Ustream. I poked around the Ustream site a little and found some of their recommended tools. The one I've started using is WebcamMax.

WebcamMax works with Ustream as well as other programs like AIM and Skype. With this software, you can broadcast your desktop, enable PIP, and add over 1800 special effects to the broadcast image. It's very simple to use and costs less than $30.

Homework for tonight...check out Ustream.tv and download the free trial version of WebcamMax.

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