Thing 17: Prezi and Slideshare

Thing 17 of cpd23 asked us to look at Prezi and Slideshare.

Prezi

Prezi is a presentation tool which unlike PowerPoint has no defined start and end. Instead it is a blank canvas on which you can layer information, pictures, documents and just about anything else you can think of. You can plot a path around your bits of information, zoom in and out and even go upside down (not advisable without a very, very good reason).

Is there ever a good enough reason to go upside down?

I'm really glad to have been introduced to Prezi, however am yet to be won over. It has to be said the main reason for this is that I just don't have the need for it at the moment; the only time I would need to do a presentation is in work and we have PowerPoint templates that we need to use.

Secondly I've re-discovered what was always apparent in art lessons - I have zero creativity although I did have fun playing with the different tools. 

Finally, despite all the great advice out there about how to create a good Prezi (have a look at the Wikiman's Ultimate Guide to Prezi), I've yet to see an example that doesn't make me feel a little queasy from all the moving around and zooming in and out. That might just because I'm watching them up close on a small screen. In "real life" and at a distance they might be easier on the eye.

What's certain though is that a flashy Prezi will not make up for poor content. Content has to be king and you need to choose your presentation method to suit it and your audience. 

All that aside, if done well I can see Prezi could provide a much more flexible and interesting alternative to PowerPoint.

Slideshare

Slideshare does exactly what the name suggests. People can upload and share presentations such as those created in PowerPoint. 

I enjoyed browsing the site and found some interesting presentations. I however find it hard to make much sense out of presentation slides alone; after all it's the verbal commentary that would have provided the context and understanding.

Saying that though, as suggested in the cpd23 post it's a great place to draw inspiration from when you are working on a presentation, especially if like me you have little creativity.