When I came across Authorstream, the immediate thought that came to my mind was it is an exact replica of popular online presentation site Slideshare. However, after a closer look it was clear that Authorstream has number of additional features that makes it quite appealing to online powerpoint presenters !
Authorstream not only allows users to upload powerpoint presentations online, but it also has ability to convert your presentations into video format (mp4), if you have set up ‘Rehearsed Timings’ or have recorded audio ‘Narrations’ in your Powerpoint presentation.
The uploaded presentations can also be downloaded to iTunes. Now thats neat !
Also, these uploaded presentations can be downloaded in all three formats – powerpoint, video as well as Audio.
Authorstream offers free authorpoint flash plugin tools for users to create multimedia powerpoint presentations and to do a batch upload directly to the site.
I was lucky enough to find the same presentation uploaded on Authorstream as well as Slideshare. Check out the difference for yourself.
Slideshare Presentation
Authorstream Presentation
The only thing I found lacking in Authorstream was its speed. The presentations does take long time to load. Now that could be a dampener.
I have been a great fan of slideshare since its start, however, I think its time that they too introduced these features. Having said that, Slideshare does have something called slidecast where users can integrate mp3 audio from an URL to the slides.
I was quite impressed with the Authorstream offerings. Give Authorstream a try and let us know what you feel.