authorSTREAM is a powerful online presentation sharing engine that not only allows you to upload your PowerPoint presentations online for free, but also assists you to share them with your friends, students or co-workers located across the globe. authorSTREAM is a great online community that gives you access to numerous presentations on varied subjects uploaded by community members. You can find exciting presentations on just about any topic, rate them, post a comment and even embed them in your blog.

Who all can use authorSTREAM?

authorSTREAM is for everyone:

Educators looking to deliver their presentation to students over the web
Entertainers trying to reach out as many people as they can
Friends and families seeking to keep in touch by sharing their picture slideshows and greetings
Co-workers and classmates attempting to exchange content such as project presentations, homework assignments etc

What kind of presentation files does authorSTREAM support?

authorSTREAM currently support PowerPoint files (PPT, PPS, PPTX and PPSX formats) only. If you have a file in other formats such as Open Document Format, please convert it to one of the above supported formats.

How can I send feedback for improving authorSTREAM?

Whether you like authorSTREAM, or you have an issue to report or you would like to see new features and further improvements in it, we would love to hear from you. If you have any feedback about authorSTREAM, just mail us at feedback@authorSTREAM.com. Our support executive will get back to you within one business day.

Why cannot I see any slideshow in authorSTREAM player?

You need Flash 8 or above installed on your computer to be able to view an uploaded presentation

Registration:

How do I join authorSTREAM?

Registration with authorSTREAM is free. All you need to do is:

Click on the link marked ‘Join Now’ made available on the homepage.
Enter your first name, last name and a valid email address.
Get your unique name for authorSTREAM to be used as User ID
Choose a password for your account.

I did not receive my welcome mail.

Try checking your email client's spam folder, some email client's spam folder is more aggressive than others about identifying spam. If problem persists, mail us at support@authorgen.com and we will try to help.

Sign In:

How do I sign in?

Signing in is the initial step to access your authorSTREAM user account. To sign in, click on the link marked ‘Sign In’ made available on the homepage. Submit your email (you had signed up with) and password to let us verify your identity so that we can safeguard your account against any misuse. Click on the button marked ‘Submit’. An exact combination of username and password welcomes you to your user account with authorSTREAM.

I forgot my password. How can I retrieve it back?

If you have forgotten your password, click on the link marked ‘Forgot Password’ made available on ‘Sign In’ page. The Forgot Password page opens up. Enter the email address that you had signed up with. That will authenticate your identity to us and we will instantly email your password to on your email address.

I am unable to login. Why?

You can login with the e-mail and password you used to register on authorSTREAM. If you don't remember your password, please go to the ‘Forgot Password’ link to retrieve your password.

I’m encountering a server error while trying to log in, what do I do?

If you come across any server error, refresh the browser and try to log in. If the error persists, you can report the error to us at support@authorSTREAM.com.

I’m getting “username and password don’t match” error, what do I do?

Check that you have entered username and password correctly. If you remember your username, you can retrieve your password through Forgot Password link.

Are my username and password case sensitive?

Your password is case sensitive but the username is not.

How can I avoid entering password again and again while signing in to my authorSTREAM account?

Check “Remember me on this computer” box on the sign in page. If you don’t log out, your browser automatically signs in to your account next time you access the authorSTREAM web site.

Why is my username and password automatically entered on the login page?

Your browser settings store your username and password, so you automatically sign in to your authorSTREAM account. If you don’t want your browser to remember your username and password, follow these steps:

Click the ‘Tools’ menu at the top of your browser, and select ‘Internet Options.’
Open the ‘Content’ tab at the top of the dialogue box.
Click the ‘AutoComplete...’ button, and uncheck the ‘User names and passwords on forms’ and ‘Prompt me to save passwords’ boxes.
Click ‘OK’.

What happens if I check the ‘Remember me on this computer’ box on the sign in page?

You sign in to your account automatically by checking the box next to ‘Remember me on this computer’ on the authorSTREAM sign in page. This saves you from entering your username and password again and again. It is safe if you access your authorSTREAM account on your personal computer.

How do I sign out of my authorSTREAM account?

To end your authorSTREAM account, just click ‘Sign Out’ at the top of any page on authorSTREAM. Preferably you should log out of your account to maintain its security especially if checking your account on a public computer. We encourage you to log out of your account to protect the security of your email information. Logging out of authorSTREAM is especially important if you check your email on a public computer.

How do I know the password for my alternate email ID?

You can use your old password (that of your primary email's account) to login to authorSTREAM with your alternate email ID.

Account Info:

How do I view my uploaded presentations?

You can view your uploaded presentations on ‘Your Stuff’ page. You can also view all your presentations on Your Presentations page. Select ‘Your Presentations’ under the Your Stuff heading. The ‘Your Presentations’ page opens up displaying the presentation uploaded by you. By default your presentations are sorted as per the time of upload, the latest being on the top. You can further sort your presentations on the basis of number of views for a presentation & Likes and Dislikes of each presentation receives by clicking on the respective tabs.

How do I view the profile of a user?

To browse to the profile page of a user, click on name of the user that is displayed along with the title of each presentation. You will be directed to the page of the user.

How do I view the presentations uploaded by a user?

To view the presentations uploaded by a user you can browse to his profile page. To browse to the profile page of a user, click on name of the user that is displayed along with the title of each presentation. That takes you to the page of the user.

How do I change my password?

Go to ‘Update Profile’ page either from Your Stuff menu or from Your Stuff Page. Hit the link marked ‘Change Password’. The Change Password window opens up. Enter your old password. Enter the intended new password and confirm it by re-entering in the next field. Click on ‘Submit’.

How do I delete a presentation uploaded by me?

Click on the link marked ‘Your Presentations’ from ‘Your Stuff’ menu. The ‘Your Uploaded Presentations’ opens up displaying the presentation uploaded by you. Click on the link marked ‘Delete’ adjacent to the presentation you intend to delete.

How do I import my contacts?

You can now easily import address books from Yahoo!Mail, GMail, AOL, and MSN into your authorSTREAM account. You have two options available. You can import your contacts while sharing a presentation; OR by clicking ‘Import Contacts’ from right hand menu on Your Stuff page.
User can also import his contacts while uploading private presentation. Click on ‘Select Contacts’ then click ‘Import contacts’ for importing contacts. Importing your contacts takes just a few steps.

Click on the button marked ‘Import Contacts’
Select the email provider from which you intend to import contacts
Enter the respective username and password
Click on the ‘Import Contacts’ button
Remember your privacy is our top concern. We will not store your username and password; and recognizing that your contacts are your private information, we will securely import any information you upload for your own use
The address book from the selected email provider opens up
Select the contacts that you intend to import by clicking on the respective checkbox. You can select all the contacts by clicking on the link marked ‘Select All’ below
Click on the button marked ‘Add Contacts’
All the selected contacts will be added to your Contacts’ list

Why should I add an alternate email ID?

Adding an alternate email to your credentials

Allows you to log into your account with your alternate email ID (using your common password); and
Enables you to view the private content shared with you on any of the alternate email IDs

How do I add an alternate email ID?

You have to add your alternate email ID in your profile. To do so

Click on the link marked ‘Update Profile’ on Your Stuff page or Your Stuff dropdown.
The page titled ‘Your Profile’ opens up. It displays the basic info that you added to your profile.
The ‘Email Address’ field displays the email address that you signed up with.
Go to the field marked ‘Alternate Email ID’. Enter your alternate email ID, and click on the button (adjacent to the field) marked ‘Save’.

Where do I enter a password for my alternate email ID?

You don't need to enter a password for your alternate email ID. The password for your primary email account is your common password for all your email IDs with authorSTREAM. While signing in with alternate email ID, just enter the password for your primary email ID; you will be logged in.

Preparing your presentation to be uploaded

What quality of images/photographs can I put in my presentation? Can I use high resolution images?

We don't recommend any particular quality or resolution for the images. But remember that if you use very high resolution images, the file size will be great, and then it might take a while to upload on authorSTREAM. In addition to that the time to download the converted files from authorSTREAM servers may increase, and the transition from slide to slide in the player will be slower. On the other hand, using very low quality input images may lead to haziness or distortion in the converted slideshow. Thus you have to choose between the desired output quality and the time taken to download an actual slideshow into the embedded player. Higher the quality you want, slower the file download will happen, affecting the overall experience.

How do I add audio to my presentation?

You'll need to have a sound card, a microphone and speaker that can help capture audio. You can capture live audio through Record Narration option available in PowerPoint.

Uploading your presentation file to authorSTREAM

I am going to upload my first presentation. Are there any do's & don'ts for this?

Before you upload your presentation on authorSTREAM, please make sure you consider the facts mentioned below:

Do's (Recommended for best user experience)

Make sure the maximum size of your file is less than 1 GB.
Add audio using PowerPoint's ‘Add Narrations’ feature; or add ‘Sounds on animations’ Remember authorSTREAM does not support ‘Sound on Slide transition’ or a ‘Pre-recorded audio file’ embedded in your PowerPoint.
If you are looking to add a pre recorded file to the presentation, use authorPOINT.
Make sure that you mark the presentations you intend to protect as Private.
Avoid using rare and exotic fonts or ‘Read Only’ Embedded Fonts in your PowerPoint.
Avoid using inappropriate content, or copyrighted text or images.

Don'ts (For successful upload to authorSTREAM)

Don't add a password to your PowerPoint.
Don't enable the ‘Submit for Review’ or ‘Reply with changes’ option in your PowerPoint.

Do I need to sign up to upload a PowerPoint presentation?

No. You can also upload presentations as a guest (without signing up) and can claim your presentations later on.Becoming a member allows you to share your presentationt with your friends and family, post comments, Like and Dislike presentations, get Your Presentation widget, Present Live, send presentation videos to YouTube.

How do I upload a PowerPoint file onto authorSTREAM?

Uploading a presentation on authorSTREAM is a simple process.

Use the ‘Upload’ form made available on the homepage for Guest Upload; OR Login to authorSTREAM and click on the ‘Upload PowerPoint’ link made available to you all pages.
The Upload page is divided in three sections.
First section allows you to browse and select the presentation to be uploaded.

Remember authorSTREAM supports a maximum file size of 1 GB.
It should not be ‘Password protected’ or marked ‘Read Only' in the attributes.
Presentation should not contain Read Only Embedded Fonts. If you have used Read Only Embedded Fonts in your presentation, a message pops up at the time of saving informing you that all changes might not be saved.
The ‘Submit for Review’ or ‘Reply with changes’ option should not be enabled in the PowerPoint to be uploaded.

The second section allows you to enter the title and an explicit description of the presentation. Select the language used in your presentation. Enter the tags or the keywords used to describe and search your presentation. If you are entering more than one tag, separate them with a comma or space.
In the field ‘Display’, you can mark your presentations as ‘Private’. Check the checkbox. This ensures that your presentation will be seen only by the people whom you hand pick.
The third section lets you select the category within which you intend to include your uploaded presentation. Be careful while selecting the category as the category into which you place your presentation is a part of its description too and influence the chances of your presentation hitting peoples' searches. Select the language of your presentation.
Click on ‘Ok’.
Once your presentation has been added successfully, it is added to Latest Uploads on the home page. An email is sent to you on your email address on successful conversion.

I use a Mac! How can I upload presentations to authorSTREAM?

No problems! Just save the presentation to be uploaded in the default ppt format and upload.

What is the maximum size of the presentation file that can be uploaded?

Currently authorSTREAM supports a maximum file size of 1 GB.

What should I put in my description?

The description helps you best describe your presentation. It should be both accurate and interesting. Keep following things in mind:

Express explicitly about your presentation.
Use clear and precise description in complete sentences.
Make sure it includes such content that helps people search it easily and distinguish it from other presentation.
Categorize correctly as the category into which you place your presentation is a part of its description too.
The description should be such that it identifies the presentation to the category under which you have uploaded the presentation.
Be sure to include as much info as you can, but be careful not to include something that shouldn’t be displayed publicly, e.g. copyrighted material.

What are tags? How do I add them?

Tags are the keywords that are used to describe and search your presentation. For example, a presentation on ‘Tutoring Tips for Online Tutors’ might be tagged with “Tutoring Tips”, “Online Tutoring Tips”, and “Online Tutors”. Whosoever is looking for these tips can search on any of these terms and this presentation will be displayed in search results. Tags help you label your uploaded presentations so that other people can find them more easily. You can add tags in the second section of ‘Upload your Presentation’ page while uploading your presentation. Add as many tags as you can. If you want to enter more than one tag, separate them with a comma.

Why is my file upload taking so long? How long will my presentation take to upload?

Depending on your connection speed and the size of the video, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours to upload a presentation. Generally, if you have a high-speed Internet connection and smaller presentation size you can expect the upload to take somewhere between 1-5 minutes for every 1MB. However, the experience is different for every user because of the variation in internet connection speeds and file size.

How long are my uploaded presentations available on authorSTREAM?

Presentations always stay on authorSTREAM. However, presentations violating the Terms and Conditions can been removed by authorSTREAM.

Is there a limit to how many presentations I can upload?

No. We don’t have any limit for the number of public presentations you can upload. You can upload as many presentations as you like and that too free of cost. We welcome any number of presentations on just any topic. However you can upload only 20 presentations as private. If you need to upload more that 20 private presentation, contact us at support@authorSTREAM.com

My upload's been running a long time and hasn't completed. What should I do?

Cancel the upload. Check the length and audio settings for your presentation, and then try uploading it again.

Private Presentations

How do I make my presentation private?

If you'd like to make sure your presentation is seen only by the people you hand-pick, you should set your presentation to ‘Private’. While uploading, scroll down to the‘Display’ section and select the ‘Private’ option. This will mark your presentation as private. Remember that you can upload only up to 20 presentations for free.

Once marked ‘Private’ your presentation can be viewed only the people you select. You can see a ‘Select Contacts’ link adjacent to the ‘Display’ field. It enables you to select the contacts (whom you intend to share the presentation with) while uploading the presentation. While sharing the presentation, always double-check to be sure the contact list you select includes only the people you want to see that presentation

How do I share my private presentation?

There are two ways you can share a private presentation.

While uploading the presentation, click on the link marked ‘Select Contacts’. A window displaying your contacts’ list pops up. Here you can select the contacts with whom you intend to share your presentation. While selecting the contacts, you have two more options available:
- You can import contacts from your address books at Yahoo! Mail, GMail, AOL, and MSN, by clicking on the link marked ‘Import Contacts’. Follow these steps
  - Select the email provider from which you intend to import contacts
  - Enter the respective username and password
  - Click on the ‘Import Contacts’ button
  - The contacts that you import here will be available to you while sharing the subsequent presentations also.
- You can add more contacts by clicking on the ‘Add Contacts’ link.
  - Just type the contacts' email addresses.
  - Separate the email addresses by a comma or a semi colon
  - Click on ‘Ok’.
  - The contacts that you have entered will be available to you while sharing the subsequent presentations also.
- Once you have selected the contacts from the contacts’ list, click on the button marked ‘Ok’. An invitation to view the presentation is sent to all the selected contacts
Just hit the link marked ‘Share’ made available in the right-side section in Presentation View window.
- The ‘Share’ window opens up displaying a list of your contacts (if you have shared presentations in past).
- Select/ enter the email addresses of the people whom you want to share your presentation with.
In order to view your private presentation, the invitee needs to logged into authorSTREAM

How do I make my private presentation public?

To make private presentation public, do as follows:

Go to ‘Your Presentations’ page.
The ‘Your Presentations’ page opens up displaying the presentation uploaded by you. The presentation's basic info (displayed beside the presentation's thumbnail) shows whether a presentation is private or public.
Below each private display presentation, you can see a field marked ‘Make Public’
Click on the link here, and your presentation will become public.
Remember you can convert a Private presentation into public and vice versa.

How do I view a private presentation that my friend shared with me?

To view a private presentation you need to be a member of authorSTREAM and be signed in. You will then need to launch the presentation by clicking on the link you received from your friend.

Can I share a private presentation that I have been invited to view?

No. You cannot share a private presentation that has been shared with you. Only the owner can share a private presentation.

Who can see my private presentation?

When you make a presentation private, it is viewable only by you and the people you choose.

Can I embed or share a private presentation?

Yes. You can embed a private presentation on your website by copying the embed code for that presentation from the ‘Presentation Detail’ page and pasting it into your website

After Uploading

How do I tell my friends that I have a new presentation?

authorSTREAM lets you send a word to your friends about your uploaded presentations. You can share your presentation to let them know about the presentation.

How do I share my uploaded presentation with my friends?

Sharing a presentation is simple, just hit the link marked ‘Share’ made available in the right-side section; enter your name and the email addresses of the people to whom you want to share it with. Click the ‘Send’ button, and you're all done!

How do I embed a slideshow into my blog or website?

Embedding a slideshow in your blog is quite easy. View the slideshow on authorSTREAM. On the right of the slideshow, there is a text box marked ‘Embed’ with embed source code looking like the sample code given below
<object data = 'http ://authorstream.com/Content/player.swf?p=Brian-Clauses.xml'type='application/x-shockwave-flash'width='460' height='390'><param name='movie' value='http://authorstream.com/Content/player.swf?p=Brian-Clauses.xml' /></object>.
If you take that code (Remember code will be different for each presentation you upload on authorSTREAM) and paste it into a blog posting or web site, then you would get a little embedded slideshow there.

The uploaded presentation looks different from my original presentation Why?

This might be due to following reasons:

You have used rare and exotic fonts in your presentation
Text with special characters have been used
Bullets might not have been properly converted.
We suggest you don’t use picture bullets or the bullets having an ascii value above 255.
Underline is not supported; underlined text appears without underline.
Multiple masters in presentation sometimes give the problems with background color.

The fonts in the uploaded slideshow seem different from the original fonts in the presentation. And they seem to overflow their original position. What's with this?

It's possible that you have used rare and exotic fonts in your presentation, and they are not being converted perfectly. We are working to support as many fonts as possible. In case you face this problem, try using system (common) fonts.

My presentation had slide transitions and/or animations but I don't find them in the uploaded version.

Not all animations and transitions are currently supported. For further details, click here.

My presentation contains photographic images (or screenshots) but the images in the converted slideshow on authorSTREAM seem hazy or distorted. Can you do something about this?

This might be due to low input quality of the images and photographs. You should use higher resolution (or better quality images) in your presentation and upload again. Remember all graphics inserted into a presentation must have smaller dimensions and sizes than the slide size. Do not resize (especially stretch) as that may spoil the image quality.

I had embedded video in my presentation but I don't find it in the uploaded version.

Currently, authorSTREAM's output format does not support embedded video, so if you had it in your presentation; it is likely to be lost

I uploaded a presentation but now I want to edit some of its content. Can I do this directly?

No. Once uploaded you cannot edit a presentation.

I was viewing a presentation in full mode and it closed down suddenly. Why?

This might be due to two reasons:

You might have accidentally pressed ALT + TAB or ESC key on your keyboard; OR
You might have received such message that forces your operating system to bring it's message/pop up upon any opened window at that time
This can be due to some problem with browser or Flash player running in Full mode in particular browser. Try re-installing flash player or try another browser to view the presentation in Full mode. At the same time you can view the presentation in normal mode without any problem in same browser.

In either of above cases, the presentation player in full mode closes.

How can I convert my presentation to video or IPod?

Presentations set to play automatically (either rehearsed or narrated) are converted in video. If your presentation is set to play on click then it will not get converted in video. As video plays on some time line so you need to create a presentation which advances at its own as per timings set which can be achieved either using add rehearse timing or narration feature of PowerPoint. Your presentation will be converted in MP4 only if it has transition sound or audio added through record narration feature of PowerPoint. If your presentation doesn't have audio then it will be converted in M4V format.

There is no sound in output. Am I doing something wrong?

May be your PowerPoint files contains linked audio file path. Linked audio doesn't work in Power Point when file is moved from original system which has linked audio file on path specified. authorSTREAM currently supports embedded audio, audio added in PowerPoint through record narration feature of PowerPoint, transition sound played across the slides. For linked audio (Only MP3 and WAV formats supported) and embedded (linked) video (only AVI format video with Office 2007) you have to use authorPOINT Lite.

authorPOINT Lite is a free software available at http://www.authorgen.com/authorpoint-lite-free/powerpoint-to-flash-converter.aspx to upload presentations on authorSTREAM. authorPOINT Lite has been designed for authorSTREAM users to provide hassle free conversion and upload to authorSTREAM. Using authorPOINT Lite not only you can convert your PowerPoint presentations to flash on your desktop but can also preview them before uploading. authorPOINT Lite also supports windows Vista and office 2007.
Click here to see the difference between embedded and linked audio

Unable to download video on MAC system. Video download as txt file.

The problem is with M4V format files when downloaded using safari on MAC. Workaround for now is to save video file using save option on right click and remove .txt extension. If you download MP4(Audio based presentations are converted in MP4 format) then those will play fine. You can also download using Firefox or other browser.

Edit the Presentation's Details

How do I update my PowerPoint presentation?

You need to remove the earlier one, and then upload the changed presentation. Hit the link marked ‘Your Uploaded Presentations’ available in the footer section. Go to the presentation you want to replace. Click on the link marked ‘Delete’ available below the presentation. Your presentation will be deleted from the account. You can upload the updated presentation now.

How do I change the title of my uploaded presentation?

Hit the link marked ‘Your Uploaded Presentations’ available in the footer section.
Go to the presentation whose title you intend to edit.
Click on the ‘Edit Presentation Info’ link made available beside the presentation. A window headed ‘Edit Your Presentation Info’ opens up.
Here you can edit the title of the uploaded presentation.
Click on ‘Update’ button.

How do I change the description of my uploaded presentation?

Hit the link marked ‘Your Uploaded Presentations’ available in the footer section.
Go to the presentation whose description you intend to edit.
Click on the ‘Edit Presentation Info’ link made available beside the presentation. A window headed ‘Edit Your Presentation Info’ opens up.
Here you can edit the description of the uploaded presentation.
Click on ‘Update’ button.

How do I change the category of my uploaded presentation?

Hit the link marked ‘Your Uploaded Presentations’ available in the footer section.
Go to the presentation whose category you intend to edit.
Click on the ‘Edit Presentation Info’ link made available beside the presentation. A window headed ‘Edit Your Presentation Info’ opens up.
Here you can select different category for your uploaded presentation.
Click on ‘Update’ button.

Browsing:

Do I need permission to embed the slides on any blog?

If you are a Blog Admin, you can go ahead and embed slides anywhere you like.

I saw a nice slideshow on authorSTREAM and I want to download the presentation. Can I do that?

Yes, you can do so if the user who uploaded the presentation has given permission for file download. You can find this out by checking the download icon right next to the presentation.

I have created a different (customized) image that I want to be used as the thumbnail for my presentation instead of its first slide. Is this possible?

This feature will be made available to you in our next versions.

Would the content on authorSTREAM show up in search engines queries?

The content will show up in search engines based on the title and tags mentioned during upload. However the content or presentation that you have marked as private will not be shown in the search queries.

Can I comment on a particular slide of a slideshow?

You can comment on almost anything of the content.

Can I get the url for a particular slide of a slideshow?

Not in the current version, but we may decide to put this feature in our future releases

What are Presentation transcripts?

Transcripts are the text from your presentation. These are the slide notes that you add for each slide while creating the PowerPoint and they are shown slide wise at the bottom of the slide view page.

I see a Bookmark field besides the presentation player? What’s that?

It’s a social bookmarking link that helps you store, classify, and share the links of presentation on authorSTREAM that you find useful. The link that you see below the presentation player takes you to AddThis.com – a social bookmarking site that displays a list of social bookmark options. You can select the social bookmark that you would prefer using.

How do I find presentations uploaded under a particular category?

To find presentation uploaded under a particular category you can

Select the respective category from the Categories column displayed at right of the index page OR
Click on the ‘Category’ displayed adjacent to thumbnail of the presentation uploaded under that category. You will be directed to the page displaying presentations on respective categories

How do I go to the Categories Page?

You can either

Select ‘Category’ menu option from the Browse menu. OR
Click the footer link marked ‘Category’ under Browse column.

The Categories page opens up with category marked ‘Entertainment’ selected by default. You can select a particular category by clicking on the categories’ link on the left side pane of the Categories window.

How can I view presentations on Adult/Mature Content?

There is no direct access to the presentations on Adult/Mature Content. To view presentations categorized as Mature Content presentations, click on the following URL:

http://www.authorstream.com/category-presentations/Mature+Content

I came across inappropriate content.

We value your opinion. If you find a presentation containing mature content, or content that violates the terms of use you can flag it as inappropriate. You can express your opinion about the presentation in the Comments field. Each and every submission in this category will be reviewed within 24-48 business hours.
To do so,

Click on the link named ‘Mark as Inappropriate’ in the box besides the presentation player.
Select your reason for marking the presentation as inappropriate, from the drop down made available in the ‘Mark as’ field.
Enter your comments about the same.
Click on ‘Submit’.
We promise to review each and every submission within 24-48 business hours.

Rating and Commenting:

What is Like it and Dislike it?

It is a rating criterion, if user likes the presentation he can click on ‘Like it’ and if he dislikes he can click on ‘Dislike it’. You can like or dislike a presentation only once.

Can I like or dislike a presentation more than once?

No, you can like or dislike a presentation only once. Once you have marked a presentation, you can then only view your choice.

How do I post a comment on a presentation?

Posting a comment on a presentation is very easy. Log on to authorSTREAM. View the slideshow on authorSTREAM slideshow player. You can see the ‘Comments’ field just below the player. Click on the link marked ‘Post Comment’.The Comments text box opens up. Enter your comments in the text box and click on the button marked ‘Post Comment’.

Is there a limit as to the comments that can be posted?

No. Go ahead and express whatever you feel about a presentation. There is no limit on how much comments you post for a presentation.

RSS Feeds:

What are RSS Feeds and how do I use them?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". It is an XML based format used for content distribution and syndication. Subscribing to RSS Feeds allows you to receive custom and up-to-date information from your favorite online content sources, without having to regularly check the site for updates. For example, you can subscribe to "Most Viewed presentations" on authorSTREAM. You can then view them all in your RSS Reader (that displays RSS feeds from the websites you specify). You can either download a dedicated reader, or you can also use web based reader.

How do I subscribe to RSS feeds on authorSTREAM?

authorSTREAM offers various kinds of RSS feeds, subscribing to which you can receive custom up-to-date information from your favorite slideshow sources without having to regularly check the site for updates.
You can subscribe to

The ‘Featured’, ‘Featured Audio’, ‘Featured Animated’, ‘Latest Uploads’, ‘Most Liked’, ‘Most Viewed’ slideshows using the RSS icon in the bottom footer of each page.
The RSS feed for a particular user's slideshows using the RSS icon marked ‘Subscribe to Author’ on the slide view page
The RSS feed for the slideshows uploaded under a particular category using the RSS icon marked ‘Subscribe to Category’ on the slide view page
The RSS feed for your favorite tags or users by simply entering the tag as specified in below URL:
- To subscribe to a tag, say WiZiQ you can add the tag WiZiQ to the URL http://www.authorstream.com/RSS/tag/WiZiQ
- To subscribe to a combination of tags you can add ‘WiZiQ + education’ to the URL http://www.authorstream.com/RSS/tag/WiZiQ+education

Troubleshooting

Why can't I hear audio that I had added to my PowerPoint before upload to authorSTREAM?

authorSTREAM supports audio in the presentations if it is an embedded audio (.wav) file in slides, are transition sounds (.wav) or is audio added using PowerPoint's ‘Add Narrations’ feature. Sounds that accompany animations are also supported (.wav). authorSTREAM indirectly supports ‘Linked Audio’ in PowerPoint with the help of a free desktop tool called authorPOINT Lite. You can find more information on how to install and use authorPOINT like here.

If you are looking to add a pre-recorded audio file to your presentation, you need to use authorPOINT.

My PowerPoint presentation did not upload?

Please make sure that the PowerPoint you upload

Is not ‘Password protected’
Does not have ‘Submit for Review’ or ‘Reply with changes’ option enabled.

How to replace the PowerPoint I uploaded?

You can replace your current PowerPoint file with a new one. Click the ‘Replace PowerPoint’ option provided under Actions on Dashboard or go to ‘Your Presentations’ and click on the link marked ‘Replace PowerPoint’ available beside the presentation thumbnail and upload the updated presentation. During the conversion process your presentation will work fine on authorSTREAM or in embeds. Also comments, views, tags, favorites, likes, presentation URL etc will remain same. You need to recreate video of your presentation or send it to YouTube after successful replacement. If somehow PowerPoint upload or conversion fails, your existing presentation will continue to work fine on authorSTREAM or embeds.

How do I edit the authorSTREAM specific details of the uploaded presentation, like category, title, description etc?

Click on the link ‘Your Presentations’. Select the presentation details of which you want to edit and click on the ‘Edit Presentation info’ link available beside the presentation. Here you can edit the title, description and the category of the uploaded presentation.

How do I upload bulky presentations?

Try authorPOINT Lite. authorPOINT Lite is a free PowerPoint to Flash converter tool that uploads your oversized PowerPoint presentations with animations and narrations on to authorSTREAM quickly and easily. You can even batch upload your multiple presentations simultaneously to authorSTREAM. Moreover it gives you a preview of presentation on your desktop before upload it to authorSTREAM. All for FREE!!!

Uploading bulky presentations through authorPOINT Lite requires just a few steps:

All you need to do is install authorPOINT Lite.
Import your presentation to be uploaded into authorPOINT Lite. authorPOINT Lite converts your PowerPoint presentation into flash, and gives you a preview of the flash output
Click on the button marked ‘Upload to authorSTREAM’.
Enter your authorSTREAM username and password; and upload the presentation to authorSTREAM within few minutes.

The hyperlink that I inserted in my presentation does not work.

Only those hyperlinks that are inserted on the images work in the final output

I got an invalid file format error. Why is that so?

This status message means that the file type that you are trying to upload isn't supported by authorSTREAM.

Why has my presentation being rejected?

Your presentation might have been rejected on grounds of Terms of Use or copyright violation. Please review our Terms and Conditions.

Why can't I see my uploaded presentation?

Please make sure that the PowerPoint you upload

Is not ‘Password protected’.
Does not have ‘Submit for Review’ or ‘Reply with changes’ option enabled.

YouTube Information

Why am I not able to see my video on YouTube after clicking the ‘View on YouTube’ link?

This is because your video is under processing on YouTube. When you use ‘Send to YouTube’ feature on authorSTREAM, we transfer your presentation video to YouTube servers. Processing time on YouTube varies depending on the format of your original video, file size, and upload traffic. This could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. You can see status of your video file at: http://www.youtube.com/my_videos.

How much time does take for complete video transfer to YouTube?

It should not take more than a few minutes. If you are not able to see the ‘View on YouTube’ link on ‘Your Uploaded Presentations’ page even after an 1 hour. then contact us via at support@authorstream.com You can also check out the Forum for answer to your question at http://www.authorstream.com/Forum

What broadcast option (Public/Private) is set by default for my video on YouTube?

Videos are uploaded in your YouTube account as ‘public’. You can change broadcast option from http://www.youtube.com/my_videos after logging into Your YouTube account.

What category is assigned to my videos sent to YouTube?

As few categories used by authorSTREAM are unavailable on YouTube so we map categories as below:

authorSTREAM Category	YouTube Category
Education	Education
Entertainment	Entertainment
Product Training/ Manuals	Howto
News & Reports	News
Celebrities	People
Science & Technology	Science & Technology
Sports	Sports
Travel/ Places/ Nature	Travel
Spiritual/ Inspirational	Education
Others/ Misc	Entertainment
Business & Finance	Entertainment
Occasions/ Family	Travel

You can change the category and other information for your videos on http://www.youtube.com/my_videos page.

I'm seeing ‘Send to YouTube’ failed message. Are there any do's & don'ts for video upload?

Videos uploaded YouTube have to be under the 100MB file size limit. The longer the video is, the more compression will be required to fit it into that size. For that reason, most videos on YouTube are under five minutes long and there is a 10-minute length limit for all videos. Visit http://help.youtube.com/support/youtube/ for details . You can also download video from authorSTREAM and try uploading to YouTube from YouTube's upload page.

I'm seeing transfer to video progress bar since long time.How much time will it take to ‘View on YouTube’ link To appear?

Video transfer takes just few minutes. You need to refresh the page to see ‘ View on YouTube’ link. If you are not able to see the ‘View on YouTube’ link on ‘Your Uploaded Presentations’ page even after an hour contact us via at support@authorstream.com

WordPress Embed Code

Why WordPress embed doesn't work on www.WordPress.com?

Our embeds don't work with wordpress.com blogs(example.wordpress.com) yet but they work fine with WordPress hosted blogs(Powered by www.WordPress.org).You need to install authorSTREAM WordPress plugin(http://www.authorstream.com/plugins/wordpress/authorstream.zip) in your plugin directory in order to use WordPress embed in your hosted blogs.You can also use normal embed code in WordPress hosted blogs.

Present Live

What is Present Live?

Present Live allows a presenter to deliver any PowerPoint presentation, live over the Internet. Any registered user can use this feature to discuss their PowerPoint presentations with their audience synchronously over the Internet.

Users just need to upload their PowerPoint presentation and share the ‘Present Live' URL with their contacts. All their contacts can then watch and discuss the same presentation. They can click through the slides and everyone attending is on the same slide. Animations work the same way as in PowerPoint file. Participants can also chat among themselves in a common text chat area. If required, the presenter can display a audio conference number to all participants for real time voice communication (not a feature of authorSTREAM).

How can I invite people to join discussion on my presentation?

PowerPoint you want to discuss, copy the ‘Present Live’ URL from the http://www.authorstream.com/MyUploaded-Presentations/All page and send it to your friends and contacts.

With how many people can I discuss my presentation using Present Live?

There is no specific limit on the number of people logged into one discussion room. This is only dependent on the hardware we deploy for our servers. A few hundred participants, say up to a thousand in one discussion should not be an issue. We proactively work on gauging the need for more hardware and keep on increasing it as the usage increases.

I cannot see who else is logged in Present Live or left.

Currently this feature is not available in Present Live. We're working on it and will be out there in our future releases.

Can I see chat history or recording of my Present Live session?

No, this feature is currently not available on authorSTREAM.

Can I present the same presentation multiple times using the same URL?

Yes, you can use Present Live multiple times for same presentation, with the same URL.

I lost Chat history on refresh, did I do something wrong?

Chat history is not saved so if you refresh or have just joined Present Live session then you might miss some chat.

Can I have audio conversation in Present Live?

Present Live does not directly support audio conversation however; you can call the participants on a conference bridge, phone, Skype, Google talk or some other voice software.

What is conference number? How I can share it people attending Present Live?

Conference number is the number where you might want your participants to connect for audio conversation like a phone conference bridge or Skype. You can show the conference number using conference no. field provided in the chat section. Only the presenter can edit this field.

What are the best Practices to use Present Live feature?

Here are a few practices you can follow to get the best possible experience for yourself and the participants:

1. PowerPoint set to advance on Click will work best for Present Live. Rehearsed/narrated presentations will not play automatically
in Present Live interface and may sometime result in repetition of animations set to play with/after previous.
2. Test your presentation to see all your animations are working fine before you send the invites.
3. Send the URL at least 15 minutes in advance in an e-mail to all your contacts so that they are able to enter your discussion on time
4. For better visual experience ask the participants to view the presentation in Browser's full screen mode (F11).

I'm not able to connect to Present Live.

Make sure that your internet connection is working fine and Port 1935 is open. Click here to test for Port 1935.

Guest Uploads

What is guest account?

Guest account is an account where you do not need to sign up with authorSTREAM with your e-mail. You can upload PowerPoint presentations as guest and can access only a limited set of features. The advantage of guest uploads is that you can instantly upload a presentation without signing up and get the URL and embed code to share or use in your blog. All guest uploaded presentations show up publicly by default.

Can I claim my presentations that I uploaded as a guest?

In order to get your guest presentations transferred into your account, you need to register yourself on authorSTREAM from the same computer and the browser that you uploaded the presentations from (as a guest). If you have cleared cookies or you register from some other browser/computer then your presentations will not be automatically credited into your account. In such a scenario you can use the guest pass code that was provided to you after each presentation you uploaded. You can enter the guest pass code on ‘Your Uploaded Presentations’ page by using the ‘Claim you guest Presentations' link.

What does "Claim your guest Presentations" mean?

This is for you if you uploaded your presentations as a guest and now want them transferred into your permanent account on authorSTREAM. authorSTREAM provides a unique guest pass code after each upload that you can save and later use to transfer the presentations into your account.

What is guest pass code?

Guest pass code is a unique key that is provided to you as a guest uploader after successful upload of the presentation. You can use later on to claim your presentations.

Are there any limitations for Guest account?

Yes, although guest uploaders can quickly upload and get the URL as well as the embed code of their presentations (and even download it as a video file), guest users can't use the following services which are otherwise offered to all account holders on authorSTREAM:

Download other user's presentations
Present Live
Send to YouTube
Your presentations Widget
See/upload private presentations
Import Contacts
E-mail notifications
All guest uploads will be available for download by default. Upload presentation as a registered user to prevent download of your PowerPoint file.

Follow/Following

What is Follow/Following?

Following someone means receiving their authorSTREAM updates. Do you find someone's presentations on authorSTREAM awesome and want to get updated as and when s/he uploads a presentation or his/her presentation gets featured on authorSTREAM or want to let other authorSTREAM users know that you are a fan? Now you can do that with the authorSTREAM Follow/Following feature.

How can I start following someone?

There are many ways, using which you can start following someone. You can search for people and start following or you can click on ‘Start Following’ on the user's profile page whom you want to follow.

What updates from people I'm following will be visible to me?

You will be able to see updates related to uploads, commenting, presentations getting featured etc.

How can I block someone from following me?

You can block someone from following you by clicking ‘Block’ on your followers page. You can find the ‘Your Followers’ link on ‘Your Stuff’ page.

How can I remove myself from following a user?

The easiest way to remove yourself from following a user is to visit ‘Manage link/ See all’ or the ‘People You are Following’ link on ‘Your Stuff’ page and click ‘Stop Following’ beside the name of the user.

What's the difference between following a user publicly vs. privately?

Following Publicly: When you follow a user publicly, your profile image and a link to your user profile will appear on the profile page of the user, whom you are following. It lets other users of authorSTREAM know about the users that you are following.

Following Privately: When you follow a user privately, your profile image and link to your profile page on authorSTREAM will not be displayed on the user's profile page. However, you will be subscribed to updates for this user, which will appear on 'Your Stuff'(Dashboard) page.

Channels

What is Channel?

authorSTREAM Channel is your personalized web page to showcase your presentations on the theme of your choice. Because we appreciate the uniqueness of each individual and his or her interests, we have made it possible for you to further categorize your presentations. You can create presentations ranging from traveling to cooking. Channel comes in handy in such a scenario. For example when you create two such channels as cooking and traveling, users who are interested in cooking can visit the cooking channel and those who love travelling can view all of your travelling presentations at one place.

How many Channels can I create?

You can create a maximum of two channels.

How to create a Channel?

Click on Your Stuff, Your Channels, and ‘create channel’. Enter your channel information, image and theme and you are ready to go.

Can others contribute to my channel?

Yes, other users can contribute to your channel if you so wish. You can allow any subscriber to upload permission from your subscriber’s page.

How can I seek the permission of the Channel owner if I want to contribute to his or her Channel?

You can request upload permission (presentation contribution) by clicking the send upload request link provided on the Channel page.

What is a subscription?

When you subscribe to a user's channel, you will receive notifications on your dashboard whenever there is a new presentation on their channel. This allows you to keep up-to-date information on that channel without having to check it regularly. To manage your Channel subscriptions go to Your Subscribed channels.

Can a Channel owner block my subscription?

Yes. Channel owners can block your subscription from the channel subscriber page which means your contributions to his/her channel will cease to appear in Channel and notifications related to Channel will also stop appearing on your dashboard.

What happens to my contributions to channel if I unsubscribe or my subscription is blocked?

Your presentations will cease to appear in the Channel from which you unsubscribe.

How to add presentation to a channel?

You can add presentations to a Channel that you own or one you are allowed to contribute. Select Channel name from the ‘Add to Channel’ drop down while uploading or from Your Presentations page.

How to get my presentations removed from a channel which I don't own?

You can remove your presentations from any channel by clicking Remove from Channel Settings provided on Your Presentation page.

How can I promote my channel on other blogs or websites?

You can promote your Channel with Channel embed. authorSTREAM channels can be embedded on other sites. This allows you to share your favorite authorSTREAM channels with web pages or blogs you own. Visitors to your webpage or blog are able to view the channel you embedded and play that channel's presentations without leaving your website.

The embedded channel also allows your site's viewers to navigate to the actual authorSTREAM channel, or to subscribe to the channel directly from your site.

Each authorSTREAM channel has an embed code listed on the channel page. In order to embed the channel in question onto your website or blog, just copy the embed code from the channel and then paste it on to your site or blog. The embedded channel will then appear for your site visitors to view.

Premium Membership

What are different types of Premium memberships available?

authorSTREAM offers two types of Premium memberships: Premium Plus and Premium Pro. Please see detailed comparison on premium memberships for more details on different membership types.

What are the benefits of the Premium membership?

Premium Plus and Premium Pro offers a number of features like more Private uploads, Channels, Video credits. You can see the detailed comparison on premium memberships to compare feature set offered by Plus and Pro memberships.

How can I upgrade my free account to Premium membership?

Upgrading is very simple. You just need to select the Premium membership type you will like to upgrade to. Click buy, login to your PayPal account and make payment. Your account will be upgraded immediately.

What types of payment modes are available to buy premium membership?

Currently we accept payments through PayPal only. Pretty soon we start accepting credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover).

What is your refund policy?

authorSTREAM is a month-to-month, pay-as-you-go service so we don't provide refunds. You can cancel the service at any time. If you are not satisfied with the service then you can always write to us or cancel your subscription which will be effective from next billing cycle and you won't be charged again, but you are responsible for any charges already incurred.

How do I cancel my Premium membership?

You can cancel your Premium membership by clicking Cancel membership button provided on premium account setting page. Your membership will be cancelled from next billing cycle and you won’t be charged again, but you are responsible for any charges already incurred.

Will downgrading from Premium to free membership or from Pro to Plus membership have any effect on my content?

Downgrading your account may inhibit your ability to use some feature set if specific features are no longer available in particular membership.

For example, if a Plus or Pro user downgrades to a free membership, all the private presentations except first 50 will not be accessible, and Channels except first 2 will be disabled. Same way if a Pro user downgrades to Plus membership, all the private presentations except first 200 will not be accessible, and Channels except first 5 will be disabled. Downgrade will be effective from next billing cycle.

What are membership conditions?

You can use features provided by premium membership for the duration of your membership. You agree to have the Premium subscription price automatically charged to your card and/or bank account immediately prior to the start of the next billing period. Unlimited membership may be terminated by you at any time.

Video Credits

What are video credits and why they are required?

Video credits are required to convert rehearsed or narrated presentations into video. Presentations of duration greater than 5 minutes can only be converted into video if you have video credits in your account. For single PowerPoint to video conversion, one video credit will be charged. Video credits are valid for one year from the date of purchase. Presentations converted using video credits will be free of watermarks and advertisements.

What is the benefit of converting PowerPoint to video using video credits?

Videos converted using video credits are free of authorSTREAM watermarks and advertisements.

How much does one video credit cost and how long is valid?

One video credit costs $2 and is valid for 1 year from the date of purchase.

How many videos can be converted with one video credit and of how long can the videos be?

You can convert one video, up to 45 minutes long, with one video credit.

Can I reconvert my video with a watermark to have a watermark and ad free video?

Yes, you can. Simply purchase video credits and click on the reprocess video link provided on your presentation page.

How much video credits can I get if I upgrade to Premium membership?

You will get 5 video credits every month until you are a Premium Plus member. As the video credits are valid for one year, the video credits will roll over at the end of month into the next month.

Premium Pro members do not require any video credit to convert PowerPoint to video. In addition, Pro users can convert any number of presentations to video.

Google Adsense

Do I need to have my own Google AdSense account?

Yes. You need to have your own Ad Sense account to show advertisement on your presentation pages. Currently, this feature is available for authorSTREAM Premium Pro users only.

What is Publisher ID and how do I get it?

Publisher ID is your unique AdSense publisher ID number. You can see details at https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en-au&answer=45465

Why can’t I see Google AdSense advertisements on my presentation pages?

The advertisements are not visible to the owner of the presentation. To see the advertisement on your presentations, you can open your presentation pages as a viewer. In other words, view your advertisements without logging in.

Where can I see the revenues generated from my AdSense code?

You can view revenue generated by logging into your Google AdSense account.