Presentation Tips and more on Light, Bright, & Polite 

It is very important to know how to create slideshow presentations if you are a student or a business professional. The goal of this week's blog is to share how there are other alternatives to the regular Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint that you can use to enhance your digital profile. 

The first alternative to Google Slides and PowerPoint is Haiku deck. Haiku deck allows users to create professional looking slides with minimal words. This slideshow software allows you to create slides where you want to emphasize pictures over words. For example, in the picture below you can see how the picture is the main focus of the presentation,

This is particularly useful if you want to present a slideshow to an audience where it's more proper to explain things or if you don't have much data to share. I think this is useful for me if I want to easily share to a family member or group how something works or what is taking place.

Moreover, there are also more alternatives besides Haiku deck that serve for more purposes. These and other tools are seven slideshow software's you can use to generate great looking slides:

• Apple Keynote
• If you own Apple devices this is a great slideshow software designed by Apple that can be used to make nice slideshows. The only draw back is that there is no native app for Windows users; however, you can still collaborate on projects over the web. 
• Libreoffice
• This is another slideshow alternative that is quite straightforward. While it may not have all the bells and whistles that something like Microsoft PowerPoint may offer, it is a great beginner slideshow creator to use if you are new to making slideshows. 
• Slidedog
• Slidedog is another neat option to try out especially if you are film maker or photo editor. Slidedog's presentation software is designed to look like you are editing a film such as in iMovie. The downside is that it costs $99 a year for the professional version which means your slideshows will have a watermark on them when finished. 
• Wps Office
• WPS Office suite is a good alternative if you are keen to Microsoft PowerPoint. It is very close to the functionality of Microsoft PowerPoint but it does have ads which means you have to pay for them to be removed and receive other features.
• Canva
• Out of all the slideshow software's listed, Canva is probably the one you can be most creative with. Canva allows its users. It has the ability to create attractive templates and has filters which can be used for branding. Check out this one if you are a photo designer. 
• Prezi
• I think Prezi is a good option for slideshows if you want to tell a story. Its distintive zoom in and out features make it feel like you are on an adventure. I do not recommend this slideshow presentation software for professional use. I see Prezi best working for those who prefer creativity over professionalism. 
• SalesHandy
• Finally, SalesHandy is a tool to assist with the slideshows software's listed above. SalesHandy gives you access to see who views your presentation when you send it on your deck. An entrapeanur may find this useful because they will receive notifications when their deck is viewed and see how many times an investor views their slideshow. Also, you are able to see where investors spend the most time in your presentation. 

All the slideshow tools listed above have their time and place for their specific use. I enjoyed using Haiku deck for the first time yesterday and I think I will use it more in the future. 

Additionally, the third chapter of Light, Bright & Polite offers more insight into social media etiquette and tips.

One of the tips that the author Josh Ochs recommends is keeping your LinkedIn up to date. LinkedIn is a professional website where employers can see your virtual resume consisting of who you are and what you are in involved in. When employers see you haven't updated your LinkedIn in a while, it makes them less likely to hire you. This is something that I am currently working on and will continue developing my PLN.

Another tip Ochs gives is checking your digital footprint constantly (see here for more on digital footprint). Rather then check it once and then forget, it is important to see how you rank on the Internet/social media as it can have an impact on you. Ochs recommends checking once a month and sometimes once a week.

Likewise, Ochs also recommends having a friend or trusted colleague to explore your profile with you and give you feedback. This allows them to ask questions and allows you to see if you are professionally ready on social media. Digital first impression is an important term to remember which essentially means that your digital first impression is usually the most important impression an employer has on you. Developing a PLN and sticking with posting professional content is a great way to enhance your digital first impression.

As I progress towards the half way mark of my digital portfolio class, I am aiming to continue to post more and reply to more people. I think that the advice Josh Ochs gave is very useful and can really put me to the next level if I take heed to his instructions. It's a good thing to have a professional profile on the various social media platforms that are used very commonly these days and my goal is to develop my LinkedIn profile and Twitter profile before Fall semester ends.