3 SlideShare Features You May Mistakenly Dismiss

Nothing like a newbie to bore you with stuff you may already know.

Although I created an account on SlideShare about 10 months ago, I recently upgraded to a premium account.

I finally put my money where my mouth is.

Are you like me? You go all gangbusters, then you decide perhaps you should find out how things work.

In that spirit, the following are 3 SlideShare features you may want to pay more attention to.

#1 – Transcript

SlideShare creates the transcript directly from any text on your slides.

The result is seldom pretty – especially if you are an old school bullet-lover.

There is a Remove Transcript button (as shown in the red circle); however, that option is available only to Gold and Platinum paid subscriptions.

If you have a free or Silver account, you have two choices.

1. Resign yourself to be stuck with an ugly transcript
2. Use the transcript as an edit tool for keywords

Obviously, option #2 is a better choice.

• Think keywords before creating your presentation
• Use keywords much like you would in a blog post
• Use the transcript as a final edit tool

This suggestion assumes you are not one of those keyword-stuffers.

People will probably not read your transcript, but don’t dismiss its value.

The right keywords in the transcript deliver effective search engine optimization (SEO).

#2 – Comments

While SlideShare is no Facebook (thank goodness), there is an opportunity to interact with readers.

Similar to Comments on your blog posts, you don’t want to ignore readers that take the time to comment on SlideShare.

To ensure you are notified of new comments ~

• Make sure the Subscribe to comments box is checked
• Comments appear below your presentation and your viewing statistics

#3 – Speaker Notes

The PowerPoint aficionado is familiar with speaker notes.

If you are a Slap & Post person when it comes to SlideShare, you should know that speaker notes are also automatically uploaded.

Speaker notes appear in a tab next to Comments (as illustrated below).

Automatic uploading of speaker notes could be good or very bad.

• Are notes clear to a reader?
• Do you want them shared in current format?
• Is there conference-specific information only attendees would be interested in?

As an alternative, you can upload presentations in PDF format to prevent the uploading of speaker notes.

Early Dismissal

Learn from my mistakes. I put the cart before the horse – which I often do.

1. Be strategic in keyword use that appears in the transcript
2. Encourage comments and interaction with viewers
3. Avoid slap & post – review speaker notes

What gems have you discovered about SlideShare?

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About Cathy Miller

Business writer with 30+ years experience helping you keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours.