Remember back when the ability to create a slide show presentation using PowerPoint was cutting-edge technology? PowerPoint presentations changed the way that companies and seminars did business. It was easy to take along your presentation material; just grab your laptop and go. Sound and visual effects, fancy screen designs, bulleted features ? presentations had it all.

Everybody had a PowerPoint presentation. Those who didn't use this type of presentation material really felt the pressure to conform. Plus it wasn't difficult to see how bored their audiences were becoming with nothing visual to hold their attention.

When the technology bubble burst a few years back, and the after-effects of 911 dealt a serious blow to the economy, business travel budgets became practically non-existent. At the same time, globalization was becoming the new buzzword. To stay in business and be better able to conduct business globally, more and more companies developed websites. Other advances in technology helped reign in and at the same time expand the global marketplace.

Today, slide show presentations still are valuable sales and marketing tools used by all types of large, small and even home-based businesses. They're also a favorite of anyone giving a seminar.

In an effort to keep up with today's fast pace of business and its global nature, many marketing departments are realizing the benefits of emailing their slide show presentations. That's right. Presentations that used to be viewed primarily in a room full of marginally-interested decision makers can now be directly posted on a website or delivered via email instantaneously to the right person. Viewing PowerPoint presentations sent via email is as easy as reading your email. But it's even better because you get sound and animation, too.

Using a powerful conversion program called PowerConverter, you can quickly convert your PowerPoint 2000, XP or 2003 slides to browser-friendly Flash. Simply install this software, push a button and save the presentation as a .SWF or a .EXE file.

Select .SWF file formats for fast streaming viewing on a web site. Save as a .EXE and the conversion will include the Flash viewer as well as the presentation. That way, those receiving the file won't need any additional software to view it. This format is great for distributing smaller, self-running CD-ROMs.

No longer do you have to wait forever to get your marketing materials into the hands of the right person. No longer do you have to worry that your marketing materials will be out of date before those you are sending it to even have a chance to look at it. Files can be instantly updated, saving businesses time and money ? the two most important things that a business needs to stay competitive.

Plus, there's no need to worry that the picture clarity will diminish after the conversion process, even as the slide show presentation is compressed by as much as 97%! You do have an option to improve the picture quality should you need it. Just note that this will increase the size of your file.

PowerConverter is available in three different versions, each optimized for a different version of PowerPoint. There's the lite version optimized for PowerPoint 97. PowerConverter 2000 is optimized for PowerPoint 2000 and the XP version of PowerConverter is optimized for PowerPoint 2002, XP and 2003.

Remember, for your business to survive, you've got to always stay one step ahead of your competition. The folks over at PresentationPro understand this. They had the foresight to develop a product that could take PowerPoint 2000 presentation materials to the next level. If you're not already taking advantage of this impressive slide show conversion technology, don't wait any longer.

Copyright ? 2004 Cavyl Stewart. Get the most out of the software you use everyday. Check out the add-in software directory for more information on PowerConverter and other great time saving PowerPoint add-in tools. Visit: http://www.find-small-business-software.com/powerpoint-addins.html - Also, be sure to check out my Exclusive, 100% free, 100% original content ecourses.