How to Set Up and Run a Webinar With DimDim for Free

DimDim is a webinar service that allows you to run presentations or share your screen with a group of people. They have a free version, which allows you to run a webcast or webinar with up to 20 people. You'll be able to share your computer screen or web pages. The paid versions allow you to use a whiteboard, share presentations and have more people attend. With both the free and paid versions you can record the class to save it or share with people who couldn't attend. Here is how to set up and utilize this helpful service.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer (any)
• Web Browser (any)
• Internet Connection

1. 
    

   Sign up for a free account at Dimdim (see link in Resources below).
   
   Make sure you fill in the correct email address and write your username and password down in a secure place, so you don't lose your login information.

2. 
    

   Sign in to Dimdim by Clicking the "My Dimdim" link on the top menu of the Dimdim website.

3. 
    

   Click on "Host Meeting" on the left side of the Dimdim website after you have logged in.

4. 
    

   Type in the Meeting Name. Your "Room Name" should already have your Dimdim username. This cannot be changed.

5. 
    

   Select the radio button next to Timing based on when you want to start your meeting. You can start it right away by clicking "Start Now" or "Schedule" to start later.

6. 
    

   Modify your options to reflect the date and time you want your meeting to start. Enter a start date and time, and make sure to specify the time zone you're in just in case some attendees are in other time zones.

7. 
    

   Set up a a one-time meeting or a recurring meeting by selecting an option in the "Repeat Option" field.

8. 
    

   Click on "Options" to set the options for your meeting.

9. Type in the agenda in the "Agenda" field.

10. Enter in the email addresses of the people you want to attend your meeting separated by a semicolon ";" if you know who is attending ahead of time.

11. 
     

    Click on the "Features" tab to set the features of your meeting. You can select your audio and video settings and other features to help you run the meeting the way you want to.
    
    When you've set up your meeting the way you want it, click on the green "Schedule" button.

12. 
     

    Click "Yes" if you want to schedule another meeting or "No" if you don't.

13. 
     

    Share your meeting by clicking "Share Widget" on your upcoming meetings page. You can share it on a number of social media sites, email or embed it directly into your website.

14. 
     

    At the time of your meeting, go to Dimdim and log in. Your meeting should be the first one up on the screen next to "Upcoming Meetings."

15. 
     

    Click the "Start" link underneath the calendar image. After a quick browser check, your control panel should appear.

16. 
     

    You can share web pages, your computer screen or documents via the Dimdim control screen that shows up after you start your meeting.

17. 
     

    You can also record your meetings by clicking the "Record" button in the top right of the middle panel once your meeting is underway.

Tips & Warnings

• To share your screen you may need to install a little program to enable Dimdim to access your screen.
• Be sure to allow Dimdim access to your microphone and webcam.

Resources

• Sign up for a DimDim account
• DimDim

[lklipfel]

on 1/8/2010 A very thorough article! Wish I found ehow before I started using dimdim!

[kevinmic]

on 8/29/2009 Alexia-

Thanks for putting together this step-by-step for running a webinar with Dimdim. Just shared a link to this on Twitter. Great work. Let me know how your webinars are going.

Thanks!

-k
Kevin Micalizzi, Community Manager
Dimdim Web Conferencing
e: [e-mail]
twitter: @dimdim
facebook: dimdim.com/facebook

Experience the Dimdim Live Webinar! Register at:
http://www.dimdim.com/aboutus/events.html

[andrewdonnelly]

on 8/27/2009 Hi Alexia,
Would you be interested in taking a look at Mikogo, a free web conferencing and remote support solution, for an eHow "How To"? Mikogo is free for commercial use and saves companies considerable time and money by reducing the need to travel for business meetings. I would be happy to send you further info or please feel free to read more at http://www.mikogo.com

Thanks!

Andrew Donnelly
The Mikogo Team
Twitter: @Mikogo

[josh12345]

on 8/27/2009 I know of a new alternative for DimDim - http://www.showdocument.com its a web-conferencing tool that lets you upload a document and view it with others in real-time. It is free and requires no installation. I suggest you tr it.

Josh