Taking time to attend webinars can impact your time management. Lately, attending webinars has been the latest challenge to my schedule. It really makes you question how valuable they are and if they are worthwhile because they can be such a time hog.

As you probably know, more marketers are hosting webinars and they have become a current trend. In the past, webinars came along every now and then and attending them wasn’t a problem. It was my custom to attend at least once a week. It was a great way to connect to other marketers and get a chance to hear from someone new. Even though it was seldom a two way discussion, you left feeling that you had gotten to know them as a person rather than just a name in an email.

My purpose for attending webinars was to find some interesting hints or marketing tidbits that I would not have access to otherwise. Many times, an experienced marketer would share some personal experiences with methods that they had tried that either worked or not. When you leave a webinar with a juicy pearl of wisdom, then you always feel as if the time you spend listening is not wasted. One pearl makes the time you take a valuable experience. You know going in that there never is a guarantee that the webinar is going to be one of those.

When I look back and evaluate more experience with webinars in the past, I would say that, more often then not, I would leave feeling positive about my experience. There would be something I had heard that made me feel as if they were worthwhile. Sometimes, there would be a product and sometimes not. Many times the webinar would be related to coaching.

Lately, more internet marketers are using them to make money by selling products. In fact, there are too types of webinars–informational and sales pitch. It is true that many webinars are a bit of both. The more informational they are the better. Gurus like Keith Baxter make a point to say that his guest has agreed to make it primarily informational in order to get the privilege to promote the product they are selling.

Learning about new products can also be very helpful. There is nothing like finding a truly useful piece of software. Personally I do not like to refund and until recently, I never did. I fool myself into thinking that I can discriminate between a good sales pitch and a good product. The problem with that is not with what is said—but what is not said. There have been products that sound great until you try to fit them into your strategy. Sometimes they just do not work for you. I always feel massively guilty, but I refund when that happens.

O.K., I am taking the leap. Webinars are a good thing. I sit with my earphones on to listen—-and I do other work at the same time. That way I do not lose the whole hour or two if the webinar has no pearls. If it turns out to be a particularly juicy webinar, then I pay full attention and get all the benefit from the information.

Although most webinars are recorded and you have an opportunity to listen to them when you can schedule time for them, I find it hard to make time. That is why I usually listen when they are scheduled. If I want to hear something again, then I listen to the recording.

There is the practice of playing recorded webinars. Most of the time, I try to get in on the webinar when it is given for the first time. That way you can ask questions and participate. Of course, on most of the playbacks, the person giving the webinar will answer questions at the end during the Q & A. So you still have an opportunity to interact. There are times when you won’t know that it is the recording you are listening to until you hear a few slips. The speaker addresses “Keith” when you are on “Brian’s” webinar. Dead giveaway.

Recently, my mentor gave me a lesson on how to use recorded webinars. It was interesting. I am not quite ready to give webinars just yet. There will come a time. I do not doubt it. At least, I have heard enough faux pas committed on webinars that I won’t be upset if I make one. Apparently, some of the web conferencing services are not that user friendly. If someone is going to make a mistake, it will be me. At least until I become comfortable with it.

Yes, go to webinars. Most of the time, they are so worth it. Just hide your credit card!

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