Geoff, I want to preface this with the comment that the Legacy-sponsored webinars have been wonderful assets for the genealogy community, and I appreciate them very much. I've attended nearly 90 of them and will continue to attend them.
Having said that I must say that the issue of the handouts is a relatively minor annoyance for me. When I have attended seminars in person, either free or for a fee, there have often been handouts provided by the presenters. Those handouts were often intended to give attendees material they could glean from listening to the speakers and taking notes. By providing the detailed information on paper the speakers did the attendees a service by reducing the need to take detailed notes of things like web and mailing addresses, book titles, etc. That also allowed the attendees could pay more close attention to the speaker, thereby reducing the number of questions during, and after the presentation. It was pretty much a win/win situation. Sometimes the handouts also included supplementary information not spoken by the presenter. My impression of the nature of the handout material associated with Legacy-hosted webinars is that it comprises considerable information that is not presented verbally or on screen by the presenters. Offering such additional information in the for-purchase-only handouts gives customers additional incentive to purchase the webinar CDs, and I certainly understand the financial logic for such a marketing decision. However, I am not fond of devoting an hour-and-a-half listening to a presentation spiked with remarks advising me that there is significant additional information available only in the handouts. That is particularly objectionable because those attending the webinars contribute to the content of the CD by asking questions and making comments during each presentation. As an attendee of an original broadcast of a webinar my objection to having to buy the CD to get the handout is heightened by the fact that I am often given little idea of what I am getting in the handouts for the price of a CD recording of a presentation that I have already sat through! Often all I know about the handouts is that they comprise a certain number of pages. At least when I attend a seminar in person I can view the handouts and decide whether I wish to take a copy away with me, or purchase them if there is a fee. I can understand charging a fee to those who did not attend a webinar, but those of us who attended, it seems a bit much to expect us to pay the price of a CD full of information we have already heard, merely to get pages of unknown information. Perhaps Legacy could offer webinar attendees the option to buy the handouts separately as PDF downloads for a more reasonable fee, and without the CD? Thanks, John Zimmerman Mesa, AZ On 12/6/2012 11:44 AM, Geoff Rasmussen wrote: > Interesting discussion everyone....there have only been a > small handful of webinars where we have given away the > handouts for free. Nearly all webinars include the > handouts on the CD only. This decision allows us to > partially pay for the costs (not inexpensive) of > marketing, hosting, and producing each webinar and > permitting them to be viewed for free. Your discussion has > caused me to rethink the term handouts - I guess the term > implies that they are free, so many we need to come up > with a better term. If you have any good suggestions, > please email me at [email protected]. > > Thanks, > Geoff Rasmussen > Millennia Corporation > [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > www.LegacyFamilyTree.com <http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/> > > > > On Thu, Dec 6, 2012 at 10:59 AM, Ronald Bernier > <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > I'm curious has anybody had the courtesy to ask > Legacy/Geoff directly about the handouts? Maybe it's > just easier to have a mob action to slam Milennia on a > public forum. > > Ron Bernier > Woonsocket, RI > Sent from my iPhone > > On Dec 6, 2012, at 12:56 PM, "Wes" <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > On 06-Dec-2012 12:42 PM, Brian L. Lightfoot wrote: > >> You and several thousand other participants have > now learned that Millennia and Judy Wight have managed > to redefine the word "handout" to mean available for > purchase instead of its historical meaning, i.e. > freely given. The next real seminar that I attend in > person, I think I'll interrupt the speaker and ask > "How much are these free handouts here at the back of > the room?" > >> > >> Why or why did they did just not say that the > additional information was available on the CD which > is available for purchase? Then there would have been > no questions. > >> > >> Brian in CA > >> (PS - Just like you, I followed the link during the > live webinar for the "handouts" and found myself on > the Millennia web page where one could buy the CD. I > looked all over for the small print about obtaining > the handouts then it occurred to me. They were free > but only if you paid for them.) > >> > >> <snip> > > I, too, am irked by the fact that the handouts are > no longer included > > with the webinar. They used to be, but I guess > Millenia caught the > > greed bug just like wallstreet. > > > > Wes > > > > > > > > Legacy User Group guidelines: > > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > > Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: > > > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. > 21 2009: > > > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > Online technical support: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp > > Follow Legacy on Facebook > (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and on our > blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). > > To unsubscribe: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp > > > > > > > > Legacy User Group guidelines: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. > 21 2009: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > Online technical support: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp > Follow Legacy on Facebook > (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and on our > blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). > To unsubscribe: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp > > > > > Legacy User Group guidelines: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > Online technical support: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp > Follow Legacy on Facebook > (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and on our blog > (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). > To unsubscribe: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp Follow Legacy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and on our blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). 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