All recorded videos are not created equal. Here’s why easily captured and conveniently accessible on-demand videos are so important – and how you can create them with Mediasite Join.
Too often, great ideas and important details are lost when the video conference ends. But what if there was a way to turn that lecture or meeting into a dynamic, interactive video – one that’s accessible anytime, anywhere to students, employees or trainees?
With Mediasite Join, there is.
Mediasite Join automatically records and manages everything said and shown during collaborative web and video conferences for easy playback on any device. Even better, it does all this while integrating with the web or video conference system you already have in place.
But that’s really just the beginning. Mediasite Join allows you to enhance your video in ways that increase its value as a tool for . . .
- Sharing insight and expertise
- Promoting a more effective learning experience
- Creating high-quality content for a unified, searchable video library
[Read: What’s New with Mediasite Join?]
In this Q&A, Bill Cherne, AV and digital media expert and Mediasite’s VP, Customer Success & Support, explains how Mediasite Join opens up a whole new world of options for your recorded videos – and why that matters today more than ever.
Q: Considering how busy people are today, aren’t we already drowning in too much content? What’s the value of recording video?
A: Yes, there’s a ton of video content out there. But it’s obviously not all of equal worth. How valuable are your meetings, lectures, training sessions, etc.? And how great would it be if you could direct people to a searchable video library of these events, one that they could easily refer to whenever they wanted?
You likely already have the infrastructure to handle web or video conferences or deliver classroom lectures to remote viewers. So why not maximize your investment by using a technology that can preserve valuable discussions, lectures, and training sessions – not to mention missed meetings?
Mediasite Join does that and so much more. You can expand the reach and usefulness of your video and even reinvigorate it by adding a wide range of features to increase its value.
Oh, and let’s not forget this: People want it. Employees, trainees, students – they’re all coming to expect access to on-demand video. That’s not going to change. In fact, that expectation is only going to grow more intense in the future.
Q: Why do we need Mediasite Join? Can’t we just use the free recording option that comes with our video-conferencing service provider?
A: Sure, the recording capability that you have from your provider is an option. However, it’s not a solution for creating unified, easily accessible, highly useful video content. And here’s why: You’re likely going to be left with a large video file that’s way more cumbersome than it is useful. Emailing it doesn’t work well, and even putting it up on your network drive has its problems.
On top of that, the video itself will be limited in what it presents. So, let’s say you had a collaborative, highly informative meeting involving three locations, numerous attendees and slide presentation content. Your basic recording option will probably only capture audio and screen-share content. In other words, a lot of great detail will be missed. On the other hand, with Mediasite Join – rather than a stripped-down version of a meeting, discussion or lecture – you can have a comprehensive record of what happened. You get a recording of the audio, the various camera feeds and any content that’s shared. And just to be clear, Join lets you deliver the same video experience to mobile, laptop and desktop users.
Q: Beyond simply viewing it, what else can be done with a Mediasite Join video file?
A: Where do I start? This is where the benefits of Join really come alive. In addition to easy-to-use editing tools that allow you to quickly touch up or repurpose a video, Join empowers you to . . .
Deepen viewer engagement with polls, bookmarks, helpful links, questions, quizzes and post-video surveys- Allow viewers to quickly navigate videos with slide previews and chapters
- Provide auto-scan capabilities for all video slide content and audio transcripts, creating a searchable, metadata-rich video library
Q: What about video analytics? Can Join help track and better understand how viewers are using video? And what’s the real value in that?
A: Absolutely. Once your video automatically uploads to your Mediasite server, video creators and system administrators can begin to identify viewer behavior. For example, intensity maps and related data can indicate the most viewed segments, as well as viewer drop-off points. In fact, with customizable reports and graphics, Mediasite Join’s analytics capabilities allow you to better understand all viewing activity.
The real value in information like this is that it can help shape follow-up discussions, indicate where viewer interest is and isn’t and inform the way you enhance the video further to promote viewer engagement. For example, you could add quizzes, related links, study guide questions or post-video surveys.
Knowing how your users are viewing video gives you the power to continually improve its effectiveness, whether it’s to delineate a new marketing campaign, present a compelling description of a new product or service or improve learning outcomes for students or trainees, to name just a few examples.
Q: In a nutshell, how does Mediasite Join actually work?
A: Let’s say you have a video conference with participants in three different locations, in addition to content from a slide presentation. Whoever initiates the video call would invite Join to the call string just as if it were any other participant. Once Join is on the call, it essentially sits in on your meeting like a silent participant while it records everything.
In other words, the recorded video file captures all the streams of a meeting or lecture – the audio, the multiple camera streams, as well as slide content. When your meeting is done, the recording is routed directly to its specified Mediasite folder. Anyone given access can easily view it, share it – basically do whatever you’ve given them permission to do with it.
Q: What options do we have in terms of using Join?
A: You have two options:
- You can use Mediasite Join as a hosted service in Mediasite Video Cloud. There’s no installation of equipment. For most customers, the service option works great.
- We also offer a version of Join that we sell as an appliance. That means we do an on-premises installation of an actual piece of hardware that has your server OS and the Join software on it. This can work better for healthcare systems and certain corporations that have more stringent privacy requirements.
Note that both options provide the same level of quality.
Q: What if we’re using an older video-conferencing system? Does Mediasite Join support older models?
A: Here’s the good news for you: Mediasite Join doesn’t really care what platform you’re on or how old your system is. Join simply records in the standard video codecs, i.e., H.323, H.239, and SIP. So, even if your system is older – as long as it supports those three standards – you should be able to use it with no problems.
Q: Can you give examples of how Join is helping your customers achieve new levels of success with video?
Two universities immediately come to mind: University of Florida and Western New Mexico University. They were already using video or web conferencing for classroom scenarios that involved both a primary location as well as satellite locations. In both cases, Mediasite Join enabled them to leverage their existing video infrastructure to create a better learning experience for students.
For example, WNMU relies heavily on video and web conferencing for instruction due to its multiple rural satellite campuses. The university has been using Mediasite since 2010 and added Join to its suite of solutions in 2015.
Faculty have reported improvements in student pass rates since implementing Mediasite Join. Along with that, the university has benefitted from the ease of integrating it into its existing video-conferencing systems. No matter where WNMU students are, Join enables them to benefit from a state-of-the-art technology that promotes better learning outcomes. You can learn more here.
Similarly, University of Florida uses Join campus-wide. It records high-profile campus events and faculty meetings occurring within its large agriculture and health colleges, which have satellite offices around the state. Faculty can’t always attend meetings, and some don’t have the necessary video conference equipment to dial in remotely, so Join records the meetings for people to watch when it’s convenient. Learn more here.
Q: How would you summarize the value of using Join?
A: Video has consistently proven to be a profound tool for teaching and learning. Along with that, the need – and expectation – for high-quality, interactive on-demand video continues to grow. Join empowers you to take video content and transform it into a vital resource that’s easily accessible to users.
For more information, check out this webinar on the benefits of Join.
This blog was originally published in February 2018 and updated on Jan. 14, 2020.
