Put PowerPoint in Your iPod

My most FAQ in 1Q-2006?

"How can my audience members who have video iPods get my PowerPoint presentation into their nifty little devices?"

By "PowerPoint presentation", my questioners mean the real deal -- not just the slides or .ppt file...but the actual presentation - complete with narration.

I'm particularly heartened that educators (professors, teachers, corporate trainers, etc.) are doing most of the asking...it means that they're focusing on the desires of their audience. They've recognized that a growing number of students are actively using iPods....and that portable multimedia use is likely to grow over the coming years.

And if students have iPods, it's likely that they use iTunes to download music and other content. Apple computer announced in January 2006 that it has sold over 42 million iPod units...so if you are a presenter, educator, marketer, or communicator...it's time to start learning how to deliver content in the manner your audience is most likely to receive it.

To start: If you're an educator, why not ask your students to subscribe to your blog, so that they can download your latest presentation to their iPods...complete with your narrative, animation, etc? If students subscribe through iTunes to your class notes at the beginning of the semester, every time you post fresh content to your blog, it will automatically be downloaded to their iPods.

Apple gives you written instructions on how to make your presentations iPod-ready. And as a brief example, I've put together a 5 minute 40 second PowerPoint Presentation that I converted to an iPod-acceptable m4v video at 320x240 -- so that when you use iTunes to subscribe to this very feed and hook up your iPod to download fresh feed content...this PowerPoint presentation should automatically show up in your video iPod.

(You can also click PowerPoint Podcast right now to view the presentation directly on your computer, without sending it an iPod.)

At the moment, converting a PowerPoint presentation to an iPod ready video isn't a one or two click affair. But with the iPod's growing popularity, it's going to get easier as time goes by.

And business bloggers and online marketers - take note. What are you doing to get your product information and sales presentations iPod ready?

Your customer base is actively seeking content for their iPods. What are you providing them? ¶ 4/05/2006 10:44:00 AM