I presume the marketing folks over at Prezi figured out how to get their fans to retweet a promotion to get folks to sign up for a free account (I would suppose there is something in it for the referring individual as well). Using the hashtag #presentations, multiple posts have been recently made inviting you to sign up for a free account. Other than the referral link, they are exactly the same:
Bored of slides? Sign up for a free @prezi account to stop boring #presentations! [Referral Link]
The inference is that Prezi is the cure for boring slides and boring presentations. But…
If you are boring in PowerPoint, you’ll be boring in Prezi. The tool doesn’t solve the problem. If you’re a bad graphics designer with a pencil, you’ll be a bad designer with a Retina MacBook Pro and the finest apps available. If you’re a bad free throw shooter on your driveway hoop, you’ll be a bad shooter in Madison Square Garden. If you’re a bad driver in a Kia Soul, you’ll be a bad driver in a Lexus RX350.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not against Prezi. Or PowerPoint. Or Keynote. Or a flip chart. But a tool is a tool. And any tool in the hands of someone who does not know how to use it becomes a weapon. People inflict damage with these “tools” all the time. Prezi, for all it does, is NOT the cure. Signing up for a free account there does NOT make you a better presenter. And the people retweeting the SAME EXACT message are falling prey to that myth. If you can’t take the time to change a stock tweet, you won’t take the time to change a stock presentation, and Prezi nor any other tool can save you.
Instead, THINK! Before you create the first slide, visual, or geewhizism, CREATE YOUR MESSAGE. Then ask, “How can I communicate the ideas my audience needs to hear?”
A tool is never the (only) solution to your communication problem(s).
P.S. Prezi can do some neat stuff and is worth checking out. But you can also do neat stuff with NO tool, and that’s worth checking out even more!
