Author Avoids Travel Cost and Hassle Using Mediasite to Webcast Virtual Book Tour

Author Avoids Travel Cost and Hassle Using Mediasite to Webcast Virtual Book
Tour
Colleen Gleason to unveil her latest release via webcast to a global audience

MADISON, Wis., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In the first-ever virtual
book release using Mediasite by Sonic Foundry, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOFO), the
recognized market leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge management,
author Colleen Gleason will connect simultaneously with fans across the globe
today as she unveils When Twilight Burns, the highly-anticipated fourth book
in The Gardella Vampire Chronicles.
The live webcast is scheduled for Tuesday, August 5 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern
at http://learning.mihealth.org/mediasite/colleengleason/. It will also be
available on demand for one month following the webcast.
"Using Mediasite I can be available to fans worldwide without all the
travel and costs associated with a traditional book tour. This time they won't
even have to leave their homes, and it's free for them and little cost to me,"
said Gleason, who expects fans to tune in from several locations in the U.S.
as well as Hong Kong, Scotland, Ireland and Italy. "Mediasite offers total
flexibility, is within my budget and has the features and capability I
wanted."
One of those features is the ability for the web audience to ask real-time
questions. "Mediasite is a platform for me to interact with my fans in a
unique way. It is an opportunity for them to talk to me directly -- something
they might not have the opportunity to do at a general book signing," said
Gleason. "They'll have a chance to ask me questions, see my visible reaction
to certain questions and read my thoughts when they try to nail me down on
details I won't divulge. They'll see what I'm like as a person, rather than
just a picture on a website."
Viewers will be able to interact with Gleason as she reads an excerpt from
her latest installment and talks about how she researches her books, which are
set in 18th century England. The storyline -- part Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
part Pride and Prejudice -- follows a woman balancing life as a Regency-era
debutante with one as the descendent of a line of vampire hunters. Since the
third book, The Bleeding Dusk, ended on a cliffhanger, fans are anxiously
awaiting this release.
Gleason sees the virtual book release as an emerging trend as authors
boost their web presence with blogs and live chats. She plans to use the
webcast to strengthen her already robust fan base.
"The thing I like best about Colleen is that she's always on the cutting
edge of romance promotion and the virtual book release with Mediasite is yet
another stroke of genius," said Kati Dancy, who will be tuning in to the
webcast from her home in Washington DC. "It allows us, the fans, to hear
Colleen talk more about this exciting series and gives us a chance to interact
with her and ask any burning questions we might have. It's an opportunity I
wouldn't otherwise have."
For more information please visit the author's website at
http://www.colleengleason.com.
About Sonic Foundry(R), Inc.
Founded in 1991, Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, http://www.sonicfoundry.com)
is the recognized market leader for rich media webcasting and knowledge
management, providing education and training solutions and services that link
an information-driven world. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, the company has
received numerous awards including the 2007 Frost & Sullivan Global Market
Leadership Award, Ziff Davis Media's Baseline Magazine's sixth fastest-growing
software company with sales under $150 million and Deloitte's Technology Fast
500. Named a Bersin & Associates 2007 Learning Leader, Sonic Foundry's
webcasting and knowledge management solutions are trusted by education
institutions, Fortune 500 companies and government agencies for a variety of
critical communication needs. Sonic Foundry is changing the way organizations
communicate via the web and how people around the globe receive vital
information needed for education, business, professional advancement and
safety. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic
Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.
Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that
are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such
forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may
differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market
acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing
significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new
competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk
factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Sonic Foundry, Inc.

Tammy Kramer of Sonic Foundry, Inc., +1-608-237-8592, tammyk@sonicfoundry.com