This is one of my rare personal introspective blog posts – a bit of a change from the strict business perspective I try to adhere to on The Webinar Blog. Feel free to skip over this post secure in the knowledge that you are not missing any important web conferencing news, tips, or best practices. I’ll be back to the business posts forthwith.
Since you are still reading, I hope you’ll indulge my public soliloquy. I have been basking in the warmth of good wishes from friends and business colleagues on my Facebook account on the occasion of my birthday. Thank you for thinking of me! But looking at that anniversary reminded me that it has also been five years since I moved from using webinars as part of my corporate marketing duties in Silicon Valley to a new home in North Carolina and a new business offering web seminar services and consulting.
It has been gratifying to see the industry of web conferencing take off and gain public acceptance as I guessed it would. When I started Webinar Success five years ago, I spent a lot of time explaining what a webinar was and why it offered business advantages. Now those questions seem quaint. Instead, people ask which web conferencing technology offers the best features and how can they make their presentations more compelling and effective.
I have had the fun and privilege of working with private individuals, small businesses, and the largest international corporations as they strive to improve their public presentations. I get to work on content creation and review, event production and support, live on-air moderating, and (perhaps my favorite activity) presentation skills training. I have collaborated with audiences and clients across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. All without leaving my office.
When I started promoting my exclusive concentration on support services and training for web events, it was an unconventional – almost nonexistent – professional niche. Now I see more and more entrants coming into this space with similar offerings. It’s nice to see the validation of the value of this work and the benefits it brings to businesses.
In reviewing my blog statistics, I note that I have written almost 550 posts, and this post notwithstanding, I have tried to pack them with hardcore business value. If you haven’t tried it already, just click on “Tips” in the right-hand column and you can browse through hundreds of entries with advice and best practices that you can apply in your presentations. Is it vain to admit that I am proud of the visibility and growth of this blog as a trusted source of information for the web conferencing community? I now have about 900 feed subscribers and a few hundred additional page hits each day. And I still don’t take advertising or sponsorships from vendors that could influence my content.
I’ve been fortunate enough to gain trust and recognition as a public speaker and industry resource as well. I’ve made appearances in print, in webcasts, and (gasp) in person to help spread the word about web seminars as a business tool and to offer my professional insights and experience.
Many times in my professional past, by the time I had spent five years working in one job I started to feel burned out and yearning for a change of direction. But here it is five years on, and I feel as energized and enthusiastic as the day I started. I love doing this work!
Here in America, the Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner. I suppose I’m a bit early with my thanks, but my combined personal and professional milestones made me realize how lucky I am, and I just wanted to share my good feelings with you. I give you my thanks for being a part of this great industry – whether you are a client, a business partner, a blog subscriber, or a newcomer to the field. I appreciate you letting me be a part of it all.
With best wishes,
Ken Molay
President, Webinar Success
