Interesting ways to share information during Investment club meetings
Paul Madison on
I'll let Laurie and others talk about how to or not to expense technology for investment clubs (I do agree with her that there really is probably no benefit of running the cost through the club). I thought I would take a stab at the interesting technology that can be used to help facilitate today's modern investment club. There are some very good free and or very cheap options available to us.
First, if you are a club that meets online or have a few people who want to call in from a distance then you might want to consider a couple free options:
Skype (which is now owned by Microsoft) allows audio and video communications for up to 25 people (all on computers or with Skype on their phones or tablets) for free. The latest Skype version allows people to share their video (web camera) or share their screen (like a PowerPoint presentation) with other participants who are on computers on the call and this does not cost anything. Even if you are all sitting in the same room you could use Skype as a means to share a presentation without having to use a projector. Of course everyone will need a computer (or at least share one between two people). You will also need an internet connection. You can checkout skype at www.skype.com
Google Hangouts is another free way to do video conferencing for up to 10 people. You can share either your video or screen with everyone else in the call. You can ckeckout Google Hangouts at this link https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/
Don't have a projector but you meet where you have access to an HDTV (flat panel TV) and WiFi? If so you can buy a Chromecast stick for less than $35.This will allow you to "cast" web pages from a Chrome browser window to the TV so that everyone can view them. (Chrome is a free browser from Google and it is used just like Internet Explorer or Firefox.)
Any information on the web like bivio, yahoo, msn money, morningstar, the online version of Toolkit and more can be shared. You won't be able to share stand alone applications like Excel or Powerpoint or Toolkit but Microsoft does have online versions of their office applications that are compatible with the standalone versions. These online versions can be viewed through Chrome and thus can be "cast" to your Chromecast. You can also use Google Docs for documents or spreadsheets or presentations. Those can be shared through your Chrome browser.
If you want a low cost laptop to use for your meetings you might want to consider a Chromebook. This is a new style machine that is built just to do web browsing (which is what more and more of our computing is). It is not a Windows machine. Chromebooks look just like a laptop but are much simpler and tend to be much cheaper (normally around $200-$300). The machine takes advantage of applications that work on the web and store documents in the cloud. The chromebooks use Chrome as a browser and so you can use the Chromecast device mentioned above. This won't work if you rely on traditional Microsoft Office applications like Excel and Powerpoint unless you want to use the online version of those applications.
I am entertaining the idea of doing some Webinars for bivio around technology and investment clubs. I would talk about and demonstrate technologies like the ones mentioned above as well as other technologies. I would love feedback from those of you that might find this of value.
Thanks,
Paul Madison
Roy Chastain on
Yes, Yes, Yes! I would find it very valuable and will suggest to my partners that they should watch them.
Roy "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." (Ronald Reagan, 8/8/1992)
On Nov 13, 2014, at 12:40 PM, Paul Madison <madispa@gmail.com> wrote:
I'll let Laurie and others talk about how to or not to expense technology for investment clubs (I do agree with her that there really is probably no benefit of running the cost through the club). I thought I would take a stab at the interesting technology that can be used to help facilitate today's modern investment club. There are some very good free and or very cheap options available to us.
First, if you are a club that meets online or have a few people who want to call in from a distance then you might want to consider a couple free options:
Skype (which is now owned by Microsoft) allows audio and video communications for up to 25 people (all on computers or with Skype on their phones or tablets) for free. The latest Skype version allows people to share their video (web camera) or share their screen (like a PowerPoint presentation) with other participants who are on computers on the call and this does not cost anything. Even if you are all sitting in the same room you could use Skype as a means to share a presentation without having to use a projector. Of course everyone will need a computer (or at least share one between two people). You will also need an internet connection. You can checkout skype at www.skype.com
Google Hangouts is another free way to do video conferencing for up to 10 people. You can share either your video or screen with everyone else in the call. You can ckeckout Google Hangouts at this link https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/
Don't have a projector but you meet where you have access to an HDTV (flat panel TV) and WiFi? If so you can buy a Chromecast stick for less than $35.This will allow you to "cast" web pages from a Chrome browser window to the TV so that everyone can view them. (Chrome is a free browser from Google and it is used just like Internet Explorer or Firefox.)
Any information on the web like bivio, yahoo, msn money, morningstar, the online version of Toolkit and more can be shared. You won't be able to share stand alone applications like Excel or Powerpoint or Toolkit but Microsoft does have online versions of their office applications that are compatible with the standalone versions. These online versions can be viewed through Chrome and thus can be "cast" to your Chromecast. You can also use Google Docs for documents or spreadsheets or presentations. Those can be shared through your Chrome browser.
If you want a low cost laptop to use for your meetings you might want to consider a Chromebook. This is a new style machine that is built just to do web browsing (which is what more and more of our computing is). It is not a Windows machine. Chromebooks look just like a laptop but are much simpler and tend to be much cheaper (normally around $200-$300). The machine takes advantage of applications that work on the web and store documents in the cloud. The chromebooks use Chrome as a browser and so you can use the Chromecast device mentioned above. This won't work if you rely on traditional Microsoft Office applications like Excel and Powerpoint unless you want to use the online version of those applications.
I am entertaining the idea of doing some Webinars for bivio around technology and investment clubs. I would talk about and demonstrate technologies like the ones mentioned above as well as other technologies. I would love feedback from those of you that might find this of value.
Thanks,
Paul Madison
Edgar Berners on
Chromecast would not work on my 5-6-year old laptop, but then I found (very belatedly) that said laptop has an HDMI output, so problem solved.
Ed Berners
St. Joseph Valley Investors Club
South Bend, IN
From: Roy Chastain <roy12@me.com> To: club_cafe@bivio.com Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2014 4:01 PM Subject: Re: [club_cafe] Interesting ways to share information during Investment club meetings
Yes, Yes, Yes! I
would find it very valuable and will suggest to my partners that they should watch them.
Roy "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." (Ronald Reagan, 8/8/1992)
On Nov 13, 2014, at 12:40 PM, Paul Madison <madispa@gmail.com> wrote:
I'll let Laurie and others talk about how to or not to expense technology for investment clubs (I do agree with her that there really is probably no benefit of running the cost through the club). I thought I would take a stab at the interesting technology that can be used to help facilitate today's modern investment club. There are some very good free and or very cheap options
available to us.
First, if you are a club that meets online or have a few people who want to call in from a distance then you might want to consider a couple free options:
Skype (which is now owned by Microsoft) allows audio and video communications for up to 25 people (all on computers or with Skype on their phones or tablets) for free. The latest Skype version allows people to share their video (web
camera) or share their screen (like a PowerPoint presentation) with other participants who are on computers on the call and this does not cost anything. Even if you are all sitting in the same room you could use Skype as a means to share a presentation without having to use a projector. Of course everyone will need a computer (or at least share one between two people). You will also need an internet connection. You can checkout skype at www.skype.com
Google Hangouts is another free way to do video conferencing for up to 10 people. You can share either your video or screen with everyone else in the call. You can ckeckout Google Hangouts at this link https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/
Don't have a projector but you meet where you have access to an HDTV (flat panel TV) and WiFi? If so you can buy a Chromecast stick for less than $35.This will allow you to "cast" web pages from a Chrome browser window to the TV so that everyone can view them. (Chrome is a free browser from Google and it is used just like Internet Explorer or Firefox.)
Any information on the web like bivio, yahoo, msn money, morningstar, the online version of Toolkit and more can be shared. You won't be able to share stand alone applications like Excel or Powerpoint or Toolkit but Microsoft does have online versions of their office applications that are compatible with the standalone versions. These
online versions can be viewed through Chrome and thus can be "cast" to your Chromecast. You can also use Google Docs for documents or spreadsheets or presentations. Those can be shared through your Chrome browser.
If you want a low cost laptop to use for your meetings you might want to consider a Chromebook. This is a new style machine that is built just to do web browsing (which is what more and more of our computing is). It is not a Windows machine. Chromebooks look just like
a laptop but are much simpler and tend to be much cheaper (normally around $200-$300). The machine takes advantage of applications that work on the web and store documents in the cloud. The chromebooks use Chrome as a browser and so you can use the Chromecast device mentioned above. This won't work if you rely on traditional Microsoft Office applications like Excel and Powerpoint unless you want to use the online version of those applications.
I am entertaining the idea of doing some Webinars for bivio around technology and investment clubs. I would talk about and demonstrate technologies like the ones mentioned above as well as other technologies. I would love feedback from those of you that might find
this of value.
Thanks,
Paul Madison
Paul Madison on
Edgar,
Glad you found the HDMI out as that will allow you to use an HDTV (Flat panel TV).
On the Chromecast it should work with a 5 year old laptop with no problems. The only requirement is that the laptop have WIFI (wireless networking). You have to have Chrome installed and in Chrome you have to have installed the Chromecast extension. Both are free.
Chromecast would not work on my 5-6-year old laptop, but then I found (very belatedly) that said laptop has an HDMI output, so problem solved.
Ed Berners
St. Joseph Valley Investors Club
South Bend, IN
From: Roy Chastain <roy12@me.com> To:club_cafe@bivio.com Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2014 4:01 PM Subject: Re: [club_cafe] Interesting ways to share information during Investment club meetings
Yes, Yes, Yes! I
would find it very valuable and will suggest to my partners that they should watch them.
Roy "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." (Ronald Reagan, 8/8/1992)
On Nov 13, 2014, at 12:40 PM, Paul Madison <madispa@gmail.com> wrote:
I'll let Laurie and others talk about how to or not to expense technology for investment clubs (I do agree with her that there really is probably no benefit of running the cost through the club). I thought I would take a stab at the interesting technology that can be used to help facilitate today's modern investment club. There are some very good free and or very cheap options
available to us.
First, if you are a club that meets online or have a few people who want to call in from a distance then you might want to consider a couple free options:
Skype (which is now owned by Microsoft) allows audio and video communications for up to 25 people (all on computers or with Skype on their phones or tablets) for free. The latest Skype version allows people to share their video (web
camera) or share their screen (like a PowerPoint presentation) with other participants who are on computers on the call and this does not cost anything. Even if you are all sitting in the same room you could use Skype as a means to share a presentation without having to use a projector. Of course everyone will need a computer (or at least share one between two people). You will also need an internet connection. You can checkout skype at www.skype.com
Google Hangouts is another free way to do video conferencing for up to 10 people. You can share either your video or screen with everyone else in the call. You can ckeckout Google Hangouts at this link https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/
Don't have a projector but you meet where you have access to an HDTV (flat panel TV) and WiFi? If so you can buy a Chromecast stick for less than $35.This will allow you to "cast" web pages from a Chrome browser window to the TV so that everyone can view them. (Chrome is a free browser from Google and it is used just like Internet Explorer or Firefox.)
Any information on the web like bivio, yahoo, msn money, morningstar, the online version of Toolkit and more can be shared. You won't be able to share stand alone applications like Excel or Powerpoint or Toolkit but Microsoft does have online versions of their office applications that are compatible with the standalone versions. These
online versions can be viewed through Chrome and thus can be "cast" to your Chromecast. You can also use Google Docs for documents or spreadsheets or presentations. Those can be shared through your Chrome browser.
If you want a low cost laptop to use for your meetings you might want to consider a Chromebook. This is a new style machine that is built just to do web browsing (which is what more and more of our computing is). It is not a Windows machine. Chromebooks look just like
a laptop but are much simpler and tend to be much cheaper (normally around $200-$300). The machine takes advantage of applications that work on the web and store documents in the cloud. The chromebooks use Chrome as a browser and so you can use the Chromecast device mentioned above. This won't work if you rely on traditional Microsoft Office applications like Excel and Powerpoint unless you want to use the online version of those applications.
I am entertaining the idea of doing some Webinars for bivio around technology and investment clubs. I would talk about and demonstrate technologies like the ones mentioned above as well as other technologies. I would love feedback from those of you that might find
this of value.
Thanks,
Paul Madison
Judy Simonson on
I think your webinar offer on technology such as those options you mentioned would be very worthwhile, Paul. I hope you do them and look forward to signing up!
Judy
------ Original Message ------
From: Paul Madison To: club cafe Sent: November 13, 2014 at 3:40 PM Subject: [club_cafe] Interesting ways to share information during Investment club meetings
I'll let Laurie and others talk about how to or not to expense technology for investment clubs (I do agree with her that there really is probably no benefit of running the cost through the club). I thought I would take a stab at the interesting technology that can be used to help facilitate today's modern investment club. There are some very good free and or very cheap options available to us.
First, if you are a club that meets online or have a few people who want to call in from a distance then you might want to consider a couple free options:
Skype (which is now owned by Microsoft) allows audio and video communications for up to 25 people (all on computers or with Skype on their phones or tablets) for free. The latest Skype version allows people to share their video (web camera) or share their screen (like a PowerPoint presentation) with other participants who are on computers on the call and this does not cost anything. Even if you are all sitting in the same room you could use Skype as a means to share a presentation without having to use a projector. Of course everyone will need a computer (or at least share one between two people). You will also need an internet connection. You can checkout skype at www.skype.com
Google Hangouts is another free way to do video conferencing for up to 10 people. You can share either your video or screen with everyone else in the call. You can ckeckout Google Hangouts at this link https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/
Don't have a projector but you meet where you have access to an HDTV (flat panel TV) and WiFi? If so you can buy a Chromecast stick for less than $35.This will allow you to "cast" web pages from a Chrome browser window to the TV so that everyone can view them. (Chrome is a free browser from Google and it is used just like Internet Explorer or Firefox.)
Any information on the web like bivio, yahoo, msn money, morningstar, the online version of Toolkit and more can be shared. You won't be able to share stand alone applications like Excel or Powerpoint or Toolkit but Microsoft does have online versions of their office applications that are compatible with the standalone versions. These online versions can be viewed through Chrome and thus can be "cast" to your Chromecast. You can also use Google Docs for documents or spreadsheets or presentations. Those can be shared through your Chrome browser.
If you want a low cost laptop to use for your meetings you might want to consider a Chromebook. This is a new style machine that is built just to do web browsing (which is what more and more of our computing is). It is not a Windows machine. Chromebooks look just like a laptop but are much simpler and tend to be much cheaper (normally around $200-$300). The machine takes advantage of applications that work on the web and store documents in the cloud. The chromebooks use Chrome as a browser and so you can use the Chromecast device mentioned above. This won't work if you rely on traditional Microsoft Office applications like Excel and Powerpoint unless you want to use the online version of those applications.
I am entertaining the idea of doing some Webinars for bivio around technology and investment clubs. I would talk about and demonstrate technologies like the ones mentioned above as well as other technologies. I would love feedback from those of you that might find this of value.
Thanks,
Paul Madison
Wilfried Hahn on
Paul,
As older clubs have more and more snowbirds as members, it would be of great value to be able to have them as participants in the monthly meetings. Therefore any technology, especially when free will be of great value.
I think your webinar offer on technology such as those options you mentioned would be very worthwhile, Paul. I hope you do them and look forward to signing up!
Judy
------ Original Message ------
From: Paul Madison To: club cafe Sent: November 13, 2014 at 3:40 PM Subject: [club_cafe] Interesting ways to share information during Investment club meetings
I'll let Laurie and others talk about how to or not to expense technology for investment clubs (I do agree with her that there really is probably no benefit of running the cost through the club). I thought I would take a stab at the interesting technology that can be used to help facilitate today's modern investment club. There are some very good free and or very cheap options available to us.
First, if you are a club that meets online or have a few people who want to call in from a distance then you might want to consider a couple free options:
Skype (which is now owned by Microsoft) allows audio and video communications for up to 25 people (all on computers or with Skype on their phones or tablets) for free. The latest Skype version allows people to share their video (web camera) or share their screen (like a PowerPoint presentation) with other participants who are on computers on the call and this does not cost anything. Even if you are all sitting in the same room you could use Skype as a means to share a presentation without having to use a projector. Of course everyone will need a computer (or at least share one between two people). You will also need an internet connection. You can checkout skype at www.skype.com
Google Hangouts is another free way to do video conferencing for up to 10 people. You can share either your video or screen with everyone else in the call. You can ckeckout Google Hangouts at this link https://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/
Don't have a projector but you meet where you have access to an HDTV (flat panel TV) and WiFi? If so you can buy a Chromecast stick for less than $35.This will allow you to "cast" web pages from a Chrome browser window to the TV so that everyone can view them. (Chrome is a free browser from Google and it is used just like Internet Explorer or Firefox.)
Any information on the web like bivio, yahoo, msn money, morningstar, the online version of Toolkit and more can be shared. You won't be able to share stand alone applications like Excel or Powerpoint or Toolkit but Microsoft does have online versions of their office applications that are compatible with the standalone versions. These online versions can be viewed through Chrome and thus can be "cast" to your Chromecast. You can also use Google Docs for documents or spreadsheets or presentations. Those can be shared through your Chrome browser.
If you want a low cost laptop to use for your meetings you might want to consider a Chromebook. This is a new style machine that is built just to do web browsing (which is what more and more of our computing is). It is not a Windows machine. Chromebooks look just like a laptop but are much simpler and tend to be much cheaper (normally around $200-$300). The machine takes advantage of applications that work on the web and store documents in the cloud. The chromebooks use Chrome as a browser and so you can use the Chromecast device mentioned above. This won't work if you rely on traditional Microsoft Office applications like Excel and Powerpoint unless you want to use the online version of those applications.
I am entertaining the idea of doing some Webinars for bivio around technology and investment clubs. I would talk about and demonstrate technologies like the ones mentioned above as well as other technologies. I would love feedback from those of you that might find this of value.