🧑‍🏫Course and Event Platform Review: on.zoom.us

Zoom is the company and verb of 2020 and continues to dominate the video conferencing marketplace in 2021. Considering the scaling and support Zoom had to roll out to accommodate millions of new users, you might think they would have little time to innovate. But Zoom is zooming ahead to lots of new features and ways to use its service.

On innovation is a new platform called On Zoom (on.zoom.us), which allows content creators (called hosts) to provide classes, group events, and workshops. Hosts are offering everything from cooking lessons to workout lessons, or, in my case to how to understand blockchain.

With On Zoom, Zoom has created an elegant platform that integrates video conferencing, a course catalog, a ticketing system, a payment system, and the post-event follow-up. Zoom is also offering this as a “free” service. If you charge for your workshops, you pay just what the payment processor assesses Zoom. So 95% or more of the ticket goes directly to you. You can also offer events free of charge in which case there’s no processing charge.

Another fantastic feature of this is that people can use this for fundraising. On Zoom also integrates with a nonprofit donation platform called Pledgeling. They have an integration specifically for zoom: https://www.pledgeling.com/zoom. This integration allows you to raise money before, during, or after an event). Or you can even have a telethon-style event to raise money. A custom video overlay allows the live tallying of money raised.

You must have to have a paid zoom account to be a host; your Zoom license limits the number of tickets you can sell. For example, I have a personal license on Zoom that allows me to host up to 10 people at a time and up to 100 people. Therefore, I can sell 100 tickets or give away 100 free seats to my event. Or split the 100 seats between paid and free tickets, etc. If I get more demand, I would need to expand my license to offer or sell more tickets.

While still in beta, this service works great. I’ve experimented with offering two events. My technology-lectures are not bestsellers, but the platform is excellent.

Web Link: https://on.zoom.us/

J. Scott Christianson is a technologist and an Associate Teaching Professor of management at the Trulaske College of Business, where his interests are focused on the impact of technology on society. You can connect with him on his website, LinkedIn, Twitter, or by following his newsletter, The Free-Range Technologist.