Formerly known as Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro, Adobe Connect provides solutions for Audio and video conferencing and is ideal for online meetings and the hosting of webinars.
Similar to Zoom meetings, Adobe Connect is preferred among those who wish to host classroom-like events virtually. Some of the features of Adobe Connect allow for recording webinars and live videos.
Adobe Connect is a web conferencing software, and lots of organizations and corporations use it for live training and virtual conferences because it enables collaboration across different platforms. It also doesn’t require participants to install software to be part of meetings; they can join from their desktop anywhere in the world.
Also, Adobe Connect has unlimited and customizable meeting rooms and multiple meeting rooms per user. It also has a mobile application that is compatible with Android & iOS, has a central content library, and allows for screen sharing, notes, chats, and whiteboards.
Adobe Connect can practically recreate actual learning environments and, unlike other online meetings, has the capability of retaining the attention of participants through specialized features, which we’ll explore later on.
It contains three significant applications: Adobe Connect Webinars, Adobe Connect Learning, and Adobe Connect Meetings.
Let’s begin our review of Adobe Connect by looking at its history.
Adobe – History, and Overview
Adobe Connect is a web conferencing software that enables online audio and video collaboration across devices and is used to conduct online meetings, webinars, and training sessions.
Presedia initially developed Adobe Connect. At inception, it included PowerPoint to Flash plugin and a training module. Soon, further development led to the addition of a training module and live video conferencing. The plugin was later referred to as Adobe Presenter, while the live web conferencing feature was called Breeze Meeting.
Soon, the Breeze meeting was acquired by Adobe after applications like Training, Events, Presenter Test, and Events were added to the software. On acquisition, Breeze Meeting was rebranded to Adobe Connect, which includes all the programs.
Adobe Connect was formally announced in 2019, although most of the tools were already available before then.
Adobe Connect is unique because it doesn’t consider all meetings alike. It treats training differently from seminars, and meetings are also treated differently. This meant you could customize the meetings with different types of layouts, thereby personalizing your experience in various ways. This feature is always a con rather than a pro for new users who may find it quite confusing and overwhelming. However, it gives users more control over how onscreen pods and chats are presented.
It is a single platform with multiple functions. It has features such as email integration and customizable conference rooms. Also, it has visualization tools such as polls, chat, whiteboards, and a console for mixing video streams to improve audience participation.
It is an all-in-one platform that can help to promote your meetings, register prospects, and offer real-time analytics. It also integrates with multiple programs to make your work even more seamless.
With Adobe Connect, you can connect with people virtually with powerful features to make it appear natural. The virtual experiences mimic real-life conditions, which helps attendees to remain constantly connected, which makes it a top option for training, meetings, and webinars.
Adobe Connect is optimized for interactive learning because hosts can evaluate the participants’ engagement. Its integration with learning management systems allows for assessment tools like quizzes, tests, and surveys. Because of this, many of its users are educators who deliver remote lectures.
All of these features are also available on mobile devices.
It has powerful storyboarding and engagement design capabilities that keep the host and participants always engaged.
Adobe Connect is also designed to help the host stay in charge of every meeting. It has thoughtfully designed interactions and tools to help you read your audience like a live meeting and helps the participants stay as lively as possible without the host losing the plot.
That’s not all. Adobe Connect is also designed to help those with different kinds of impairment enjoy the meetings with its accessible designs. And if you’re concerned about network security, you should consider Adobe Connect. It has a solid structure that enhances protection for the participants and host, keeping their data and information safe.
For regular web meetings, Adobe Connect allows for a maximum of 25 participants; however, as many as 1,500 people can be supported in webinars.
What Adobe Connect can do for you
If you are an educator who wishes to optimize remote learning without losing the benefits of an actual classroom, you will appreciate the power of Adobe Connect.
With a strong focus on engaging the participants (learners), Adobe Connect has video-conferencing tools that will provide a great classroom experience, engagement of learners, customizable interfaces, and offer the host complete control of the setting.
If you’re an entrepreneur who wishes to host a free webinar to boost sales and want to learn how to use the resources of Adobe Connect, you are at the right place.
Let’s look at some of the things Adobe Connect can do for you.
You can use Adobe Connect to manage and track the curriculum and learner enrollment in your online classroom by integrating with any Learning Management System like the Adobe Captivate Prime LMS. You will be able to manage your class better.
One thing that is synonymous with Adobe Connect is customization. Both the host and participants can customize the room. Hosts can choose any colors, logos, or images that can help drive home whatever is the theme of the meeting or class.
Adobe Connect provides Pods, which create virtual storyboards that make remote learning even more enjoyable. These layouts can be easily created by just adding a name and sizing them to improve interaction or choosing from several custom examples.
As an excellent learning platform, Adobe Connect also allows you to create storyboards to help your learners focus better on what you want them to be concerned about. You can create attractive layouts with images, notes, multimedia, or even quizzes.
Adobe Connect also provides several templates that make it very convenient to set up new rooms, reuse rooms, and create and reuse different polls, quizzes, and content.
Other features that make learning practical include breakouts, which allow you to split your classes into smaller groups, tools to request actions from the audience, polls to test the preferences and opinions of participants, as well as the ability for participants to pause the video and continue at their own pace even if the class is still ongoing.
Adobe Connect has an engagement dashboard that allows the host to gauge participants’ participation level and track how well they are keeping pace with the class. To help better engagement, there are tools for those suffering from hearing or seeing impairments.
Before your webinars and sessions, you can use Adobe’s automated custom-branded mailers to promote your events through invitations, confirmation, and reminders.
How to get the most out of Adobe Connect
With all the functionalities Adobe Connect offers, here are tips to improve how to get the best out of the platform. Always remember to conduct rehearsals before hosting an audience and open your online room at least 10 minutes before start time.
- Always connect to a fast and reliable internet connection, and always remember to close all VPN connections.
- Always choose at least a medium bandwidth.
- When using audio, always use your headset and don’t use speakerphones
- Be sure to set your videos playback settings with these specs:
- Frame Size: 800px Width max
- Bit Rate: Between 500kbps to 1mbps
- Audio-bit Rate: No more than 41kbps.
- When sharing a screen, permanently remove any photo background on your computer. If possible, use more than one computer, so one is used as the host and the other when you share your screen.
- Your background should not contain photographs.
- Stay with universally acceptable fonts with your texts. Arial, Arial Black, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Times, Courier New, Verdana, and Georgia are the most acceptable.
- Avoid having many applications running at once.
- Always use full-screen mode.
- Don’t upload files higher than 100 Mb to the virtual room
- Always upload your content into to content library before the live event
Adobe Connect alternatives
Although Adobe Connect has many unique features, you may want alternatives for some reasons. For example, it doesn’t have a dial-in service, you can’t invite non-Adobe users, and it charges $50 a month for its cheapest 25-person meeting.
Some people may say it is a bit pricey. Here are some alternatives that may not necessarily be cheaper but with similarities that may also impress you.
They include:
Conclusion
Adobe Connect is a solid platform that helps in making video conferencing a fascinating affair. It has powerful tools and an almost overwhelming number of options that may become an issue for beginners.
However, once you learn how to use them, you’ll find the platform excellent in keeping your webinars and classes interactive.
For those who need to get the best out of Adobe Connect, especially with audio quality, we have highlighted tips that will help and make your experience worthwhile. So if you haven’t tried it out yet, go for it and feel the difference in Adobe Connect!
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