{"id":71026,"date":"2025-02-06T07:15:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T07:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/accounting\/never-been-on-a-webinar-before-heres-the-step-by-step-how-to-guide-to-get-you-trying-something-new-accountants-accelerator\/"},"modified":"2025-02-06T07:15:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T07:15:25","slug":"never-been-on-a-webinar-before-heres-the-step-by-step-how-to-guide-to-get-you-trying-something-new-accountants-accelerator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=71026","title":{"rendered":"Never Been on a Webinar Before? Here\u2019s the Step-by-Step How-to Guide to Get You Trying Something New \u2013 Accountants Accelerator"},"content":{"rendered":"


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It was 2011, I believe, when I hosted my very first webinar. Before that I was doing teleseminars, but I really like the video aspect that webinars brought. Hardly anyone was doing webinars in 2011, and the accounting professionals who loved trying new things \u2013 the early adopters \u2014 were always on the webinars, learning the latest about our emerging online accounting world.<\/p>\n

A lot has changed since 2011. For one thing, there are a lot more webinars, probably thousands available now in any one year. But there are still some people who have never been on one, and that\u2019s who this article is for.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time. Not only is it more time-effective to get CPE this way, it\u2019s also more cost-effective too. Almost every topic is available via webinars, and most of my introverted accounting friends with virtual solo practices love being able to learn at home in the comfort of their sweatpants.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve never joined a webinar before or had issues in the past, this is the guide for you. Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you\u2019d like step-by-step guidance, then you\u2019ll find it in this post.<\/p>\n

So you\u2019ve found a webinar you want to watch? Here\u2019s what happens next.<\/p>\n

What to Do BEFORE a Webinar<\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve found a webinar you want to attend, there will be some type of sign-up process online. If there is a cost to the webinar, you will probably need to pay via a shopping cart. For our paid webinars, our shopping cart sends webinar purchasers a receipt and a welcome email with instructions.<\/p>\n

In the above step, you\u2019ve paid for the webinar, but you may not have registered for it.\u00a0 Some vendors have automation like we do, and people who paid for a webinar will next get another email from customercare@gotowebinar.com<\/a> that looks like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Keep this email in a safe place until 15 minutes before the webinar starts. PLEASE NOTE: The webinar link in this email is unique to you. If you want the CPE certificate to be in a different name from the one you used to purchase your webinar, you probably need to contact customer support and give them a heads up.<\/p>\n

In our case, the welcome email contains an alternate way to register. You can also register using the registration link provided:<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of what that will look like.<\/p>\n

Registration URL:\u00a0https:\/\/attendee.gotowebinar.com\/register\/963578291393715715<\/a>
Webinar ID:\u00a0410-390-563<\/p>\n

Click on the above link, and you\u2019ll go to a screen that looks like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Enter your name as you want it on the CPE certificate, your email address, check the consent box, and click the Register button.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll get another email like the one we showed you at the beginning.\u00a0 Use this link to join the webinar.<\/p>\n

So, in summary, there are two ways to register \u2013 some vendors will register for you and all you have to do is look for the email, and some give you the link, and then you have to enter your info and again, look for that email.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re ready, but is your computer?\u00a0 You can run a system check to make sure your hardware is ready for the webinar: https:\/\/support.logmeininc.com\/gotowebinar\/system-check-attendee<\/a><\/p>\n

You can see the full system requirements here: https:\/\/support.logmeininc.com\/gotowebinar\/help\/system-requirements-for-attendees-g2w010003<\/a><\/p>\n

But be careful! Don\u2019t join by phone if you want CPE credit; you won\u2019t be recorded on the attendance log and the polling questions won\u2019t work on a phone.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Time for the Webinar; Now What Do I Do?<\/h2>\n

Fifteen minutes before a webinar starts, locate your registration email (show again below):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Click the big blue Join Webinar<\/strong> button.\u00a0 Your default browser will open a new tab and you\u2019ll see a pop-up asking Open GoToOpener?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Click the blue Open GoTo Opener<\/strong> button. Keep the GoToWebinar tab open during the entire webinar. You\u2019ll then see one of two screens:
1) If the Organizer hasn\u2019t arrived, you\u2019ll see this screen:
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2) If the Organizer has arrived but the webinar hasn\u2019t started, you\u2019ll see two windows:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On the left is the presentation window. When the webinar starts, the slides will be shown in this window. You can re-size this window any way you want.<\/p>\n

On the right is the GoToWebinar Control Panel. It auto-hides, so all you might see is an orange arrow with a few other icons.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Before we move on, there are two other ways you can join a webinar in case you lose your registration email.<\/p>\n

1) If you know the webinar number, you can visit https:\/\/gotowebinar.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Webinar ID:\u00a0410-390-563<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Click Join a Webinar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Enter the Webinar ID and your email address and click the Join Button. You\u2019re then on your way to joining the webinar.<\/p>\n