Webinar recordings are not a teaching tool

Okay, sometimes you'll need to record an online meeting or webinar for those who can't attend. But let's face it: No one likes to watch meetings they've missed. If you have a notes document, that will go a long way to catch someone up.

NOTE: Zoom has a 6-month life-span for recordings housed in their "cloud." That is plenty long for meetings and webinars (updated 2021: learn more about Zoom recording retention). Content meant to live on and be consumed outside of a synchronous meeting or webinar usually shouldn't be recorded in Zoom, and should definitely be edited if it is.

"Ain't nobody got time for that!" 

- Anyone told to watch a webinar recording

The exception

If you are recording an interview at a distance, Zoom is likely your best option to record. The Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) course I profiled awhile back used Zoom to interview an expert in the field (who happened to be in California). But we didn't use the raw recording. We downloaded the recording and edit it with WeVideo so the course could feature bite-sized, engaging content.

A team from Family Development held an online cross-state shared gifting circle process that's difficult to explain, but they weren't about to ask colleagues and funders to sit through the 3+ hour recording. They recorded the online meeting experience in its entirety with Zoom, but then we edited it down to a video that's less than 15 minutes long, alternating views to add visual interest, and inserting some slides to frame the transitions, again utilizing WeVideo.

Record yourself teaching for an online course

If you're not interviewing someone at a distance, I wouldn't recommend recording with Zoom. You can record a video of yourself in WeVideo, and use multiple video "layers" to put your slides in (making them image files might be easiest if there isn't animation). You can even use WeVideo to capture something on your screen (such as demonstrating the use of a website or software). Another option would be Screencast-o-Matic, which is a bit simpler, and also has fewer editing options.

Bottom line

Friends don't let friends put pre-recorded webinars in their online courses or other online "teaching" spaces. There are much better ways to share that content that are more respectful of your audience's time and attention. If you need some help taking the next step, please let us know! We're happy to help (and promise not to judge past recorded webinar utilization misdeeds).