A Challenge to Zoho, Empressr and Thumbstacks
by Aner Ravon

I raised some eyebrows when I stated online presentation creation and sharing will never leave the desktop. Here’s the thing though, I never said that. What I did say (and still do) is that POWERPOINT is a desktop application which belongs on the desktop, and there’s a huge difference.

I have used Zoho, Thumbstacks and now Empressr (which is very impressive, by the way), and there is a common problem to all. They all have too much Microsoft Powerpoint in their blood and too little top down web vision. Out of all three, it seems like the Empressr folks have gotton closest with nice use of flash and with a unique presentation building sequence. Zoho and Thumbstacks are clearly Microsoft Powerpoint captive as they concentrate on web-mimicking the experience PPT offers. All score low in extended vision, though, which is why I want to present all three with a challenge.

My point is simple. Powerpoint is more then just an application. It has not only pioneered modern presentation technology but also presentation style and flow, business surrounding practices and graphical paradigms. This model does not fit the web though. It is too heavy as it requires a lot of computer resources. It is not geared towards sharing - PPT file sizes are too large and sharing comments is not really a usable option. It does not take advantage of portable web technologies - Flash, Podcasting, Ajax. It ignores web concepts such as social networks, photo sharing and video casting. On top of it all, it is based on a concept Microsoft came up with somewhere in the 90s and that has simply aged.

Web based presentations require a totally different mindset. From scratch. Creation should be very easy and dynamic. Presentation sequence needs to be more interactive and less sequential (dynamic, flash based menus?). Modern web technologies such as Video and Voice Podcasting need to be included. Sharing should not be limited to sending an email pointing to a web repository. It needs to include collaborative commenting and change tracking, perhaps even version management. “View offline” should replace “Import and Export”. The whole concept should be different because the whole ecosystem and mindset is different. 

So here is a challenge folks. You have a great opportunity. You managed to put together money, teams, resources and philosophies behind the need for online presentations. Can we all graduate the Microsoft school already? I will continue using Powepoint when I need to high graphics and sequential presentations. But this is not where my need for presentations ends - can I trust you to not miss the boat?

Aner Ravon
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