Carmen Ferrara’s Weblog 2.0

It’s been several weeks since I released the first public beta of Presio and I’ve been getting some great feedback so far. I was hoping to get an update released before the new year, but it looks like the next update will be coming in the next 2 weeks or so.

Based on feedback thus far, I’ve decided to add a rather significant new feature - Synchronizing existing media files to a set of slides. This feature had originally been planned for a minor point release, but based on user feedback I’ve decided it is something I need to get in before the final v1 release. Also included in this update release will be:

• Tracking the current slide during presentation playback
• Fixed intermittent presentation pausing bug (windows Media)
• Several minor enhancements and bug fixes

Merry Christmas.

Earlier this week, I made available the first “public” beta version of iPresent Presio. Prior to this release, Presio had been used primarily by FFF (friends, family, fools - to borrow a term from angel investing parlance). While I value the feedback of those close to me, it was time to release Presio out into the wild.

To truly understand where your software is at, you need to conduct a proper public beta. Finding beta testers for a brand new product is not easy. As with most things in the sofware biz, you’ll want to properly target your users. The goal is to find “quality” beta testers, not just warm bodies. For me, that meant finding users with a familiarity of web authoring tools, streaming media, e-learning, etc. Fortunately, I have been blogging and participating in various forums over the past year and was able to collect a list of interested users through my site. I’ve already received some great feedback as well as some reported issues that I’m working through.

I’ll be blogging about some of things uncovered by beta users and will start publishing more Presios (that’s rich media presentations) on a variety of topics so you can get a better feel as to what you can create with Presio. For a quick overview of how Presio works, take a look at this presentation:
Windows Media version or Flash Version

If you’re interested in trying out Presio, please visit the beta program site. The site has all the information to get started, and includes link to download Presio.