Toastmaster: Leonor
Inspiration: 2 mins David
Table Topics: 10 mins Gerry
  Table Topics Evaluation: 4 mins Bill
Club Business: Charles
Speech: 5-7 mins Alan “ ”
  Evaluation of the speech 2 mins Leonor
  Group discussion on speech content 8 mins Leonor
Speech: 5-7 mins Charles “ ”
  Evaluation of the speech 2 mins Gerry
  Group discussion on speech content 8 mins Gerry
Speech: 5-7 mins Bill “ ”
  Evaluation of the speech 2 mins David
  Group discussion on speech content 8 mins David
Timing: Charles
Meeting Evaluation: 7 mins Alan

Leonor’s speech aroused much interest, particularly from David. David has recently expanded his photography interests with a new camcorder and is now inspired to create video podcasts.

Video podcasts will certainly require a large pre-publishing effort to edit the movie. I guess that synchronising sound and vision of an edited file adds further complications. Techniques to upload the resultant video to a website should be similar to a voice file. The ultimate end-user may be limited to just a few technologies to view the podcast. Would you seriously watch a podcast on a 2 inch mobile phone screen or on an iPod?

Audio podcasts are very simple to create. Any sound recording device with a file output facility can be used. The objective is produce a standard mp3 file. Leonor demonstrated the use of an iPod and mobile phone to record voice with a laptop computer for any required conversion to mp3 format. The end user can easily download the resultant podcast for replay on any mp3 device. Simple.

Video or voice podcasts – is one superior or is it horses for courses? What do you think?

Toastmaster: David
Inspiration: 3 mins Mark
Speech: 5-7 mins Leonor “ ”
Evaluation of the speech 2 mins Alan
Group discussion on speech content 8 mins Alan
Speech: 5-7 mins Meechan “ ”
Evaluation of the speech 2 mins Ross
Group discussion on speech contest 8 mins Ross
Table Topics: 10 mins Bill
Tonic: 1 min Ross
Table Topics Evaluation: 4 mins Charles
Meeting Evaluation: 7 mins Gerry
Timing: Kristin
Club Business: Charles

All club members (with a Google email account) can access the spreadsheet to amend or enter roles for future meetings.  The Toastmaster for the particular meeting can be automatically advised by email of any changes made to the agenda. 

After the speech evaluation, there was a vigorous and passionate group discussion about the BEST interactive or automatic meeting agenda program.  Bill argued for the facilities of the free.toast.host website application, which provide a range of Toastmaster specific options.  Alan reminded the group that the VPE trainer at the recent COT session recommended Club Scheduler*. 

Discussion ran way over time and continued for 30 minutes after the meeting.  Who would have thought that the simple VPE planning agenda would raise such passion and controversy? 

* Club Scheduler details at the WHQ website www.toastmasters.org  or at www.clubscheduler.com

This will be a special speech-over-internet demonstration meeting using Skype video. We will hold an extended discussion on the pros and cons of our future use of this technology.

The meeting will be held at David’s house in Shelley. Refer to your member email for address details and starting time.

Toastmaster Ross
Inspiration: 3 mins Leonor
Speech: 5-7 mins David “Setting up a Skype Speech Session”
Evaluation of the speech 2 mins Charles
Speech: 5-7 mins Mark “Mashantucket USA”
Evaluation of the speech 2 mins Alan
Speech: 5-7 mins Bill “Chats, Calls, Conferences and Consignments ”
Evaluation of the speech 2 mins Leonor
Group discussion on using Skype for speeches: 8 mins Meechan
Group discussion on Skype’s bells and whistles: 8 mins Kristin
Group discussion on Netmasters next Skype steps: 8 mins Charles
Club Business: 5 mins Charles
Meeting Evaluation 7 mins Gerry
Timing Alan
Close David
Supper

www.avg.com

AVG Free is well known and well regarded virus scanner. It is not a full internet security suite. I use AVG Free on my Windows XP computer. It updates automatically each day for the latest anti-virus signatures; scans email and provides a safety check on web sites (e.g. on results from a Google search). Manual scans of single files, folders or USB memory sticks are quick and simple.

AVG Free has a major irritant. It takes around 90 minutes to do a (default) full scan on my desktop PC. As scans are set to run automatically every day I now set the scanner to start at 4.00am (when the PC is turned off) and start the scan manually when I think of it. It kind of defeats the purpose of up to date virus protection. Scan time can be reduced to around 45 minutes by de-selecting “scan inside archives”. Bill indicated AVG Free scans his PC in a matter of seconds. What is your experience?

FREE Voice and Video calls over the internet with SKYPE.

www.skype.com

The nitty gritty of Netmasters! Some members have been using Skype for personal calls for some time. Mark, Alan and David have recently installed the software and tested out video and voice calls. Next step – have a club member deliver a speech via Skype at home to the rest of the club at a meeting.

There are different versions of Skype to suit individual operating systems. Our three testers used Windows XP, Linux and Mac versions. No problems speaking (and viewing) each other.

Skype software is free and internet calls to other Skype users are free (V+VOIP). Skype offer chargeable options such as speaking from your computer to external local and international telephone numbers. There are options for conference calls (more than two parties) which I think are chargeable too. The main advantage of Skype is that it is world-wide and has literally millions of users. I have a niggling doubt about the definition of “local” calls with Skype. As a European company, are calls from Perth to Fremantle charged at the “international” rate? There may be advantages to use Australian VOIP software.

Using video uses Megabytes! On my niggardly 400MB ADSL1 plan, Skype uses about 5MB per minute. Irritants? Yes! Skype user documentation is woeful. Perhaps this is because the software is so widely used and known that there is no need for the company to provide detailed help files for a novice.

The use of standard domestic facilities and inexpensive computer peripherals will be a critical test for the ultimate aim of Netmaster members in remote localities to join in a standard club meeting.

Netmasters members: ensure Thursday 3 September is free of other engagements so you can take part in this historic event. Watch for emails detailing the meeting agenda and the actual address in Shelley.

The meeting will be held at Alan’s home starting at 7 pm.  See the emailed agenda for address details.  To start on time please arrive at least 5 minutes beforehand.

Toastmaster Bill
Inspiration 3 mins Charles
Research topics – 90 seconds each!

David “Naked DSL”
Meechan “Net Learning”
Ross “You Tube”
Bill “Finding Resources”

Club Business: 5 mins Charles

includes website update 90 secs David

Presentation: 5-7 mins Diana
Presentation evaluation 3 mins Meechan
Presentation: 5-7 mins Alan What is VOIP?
Presentation evaluation 2 mins Mark
Group discussion of the presentation content 8 mins Mark
Table Topics 10 mins David
Tonic 1 min Ross
TT Evaluation 5 mins Charles
Meeting Evaluation 7 mins Leonor
Timing  Alan
Close Charles

Supper

If you have any, add your suggestions for the meeting by posting a comment.