eduPirate

Hi!

Welcome to eduFire.com! I wanted to thank you for becoming part of our growing community.

As part of welcoming new tutors we conduct weekly orientation sessions online using your webcam and microphone. These typically last around 45 minutes to an hour with time for questions and answers; they are, of course, totally free. There are two sessions each and every **** conducted by myself and Marco C/Valerie N. Content in the sessions are completely identical. We have two so you can best choose one that best fits your schedule.

In order to attend one of these classes simply click on the ‘Classes’ link at the top of any eduFire page and scroll through looking for, ‘Tutor Orientation Session’. Of course, you are not limited to attending just one class, you can come as often as you like! :) In addition we also run monthly classes on advanced use of our teaching platform.

If you are unable to attend either of these two weekly classes, please do let me know and I’ll conduct a one-to-one class with you.

I recommend you have a headset with a built-in microphone although if you don’t have this I suggest you use a pair of headphones or earbuds. Just something so your student’s voice does not come out of your speakers otherwise it goes back into your microphone and will cause an echo/feedback. Even if your webcam or laptop has a built-in microphone, it’s OK to use this but using earbuds or headphones would be important. Ultimately, however, some sort of headset is the ideal solution.

You can test your settings with your camera and microphone here:
http://edufire.com/video_test

At the scheduled time just go to your “My eduFire” page and you will see a link to join the room with me. If there are any problems just send me a message using your Inbox, like these messages. The password you will need to access the teaching platform is “edufire”.

With best wishes,
Marco

WizIQ

WizIQ’s welcome message doesn’t really provide much info on how to get started teaching, though it does contain plenty of useful information on WizIQ and how to get help when you run into trouble. Makes me wonder if running into trouble a lot is a regular occurrence, or if they are just very proactive about their customer service. At least I know where to go if I run into any technical difficulties. Anyways, all-in-all, this is a pretty good welcome letter, I thought.

Dear ********,

I am Vikrama Dhiman, Product Manager, WiZiQ and I thank you for signing up as a teacher with WiZiQ, the premier eTeaching and eLearning Network.

WiZiQ has recorded tremendous growth over the last year and teachers like you have contributed to this growth. At WiZiQ, you can teach online or record your online class using our Virtual Classroom, upload content and will be soon able to create your own tests as well. You can learn more about WiZiQ, by attending a Live Online Class on WiZiQ.

We strive hard to improve our technology and service continuously. WiZiQ team personally reads each of the feedback and support emails. We guarantee one working day response time for Premium Members [for all support requests]. We also attempt to get back on all emails from all teachers within one working day as well. As a teacher, you can get in touch with us by writing to us at support@wiziq.com [please send an email from the email account you used while registering with WiZiQ for faster response] or post a query on our forum. We also encourage you to provide us feedback on each and every class/ session you conduct using our Virtual Classroom. The feedback form is displayed once the class/ session ends. Upon receiving your request, one of our representatives would be in touch with you within one working day [we work from Monday to Friday]. You can also make use of Live Chat feature to chat with us directly. You can find more information about the same at http://wiziq.typepad.com/wiziqcom/2008/11/live-chat-for-teachers-on-wiziq.html We are also starting a voice based support soon, and many features based on feedback from teachers like you are going to be rolled out soon.

You can also write directly to me if you have an unresolved question or an issue.

I look forward to seeing active participation on WiZiQ from you.

Thanks

Vikrama Dhiman
Product Manager
WiZiQ

Myngle

Here’s the one you came out to see. Now, remember, although Myngle is in a few different languages right now, they started off as an English website. This welcome message is so bad, I actually feel sorry for them. I’ve included a screen shot of it, because copy and pasting it will do absolutely no justice. You might need to click on it to zoom in and see it more clearly. Shield your eyes, it’s painful!

Alright, seriously now. I understand that English isn’t everyone’s first language. I know for a fact, though, that there are plenty of native English speakers in the Myngle offices who could write a better form letter up. Myngle, you gotta get your first impression down. The only reason I’m going to continue signing up is because I want to test out your platform. If I was anyone else, I would have moved right along to WizIQ or eduFire and never looked back.

So, based solely on the welcome messages, where would you have gone? I think all three welcome messages probably have some room for improvement, but what would you as a member of these services suggest to make them better?