J. Peter Bruzzese is a fellow screencaster and the writer of a regular column at the blog of InfoWorld.com. Peter focuses mostly on training videos involving Microsoft Exchange, but he makes some good points in a recent post regarding the value of screencast training in general. This is an excerpt from the post entitled Screencasts a smart training alternative in a tough economy:

“Let’s face it: Even with Main Street and Wall Street going down the tubes, the tech industry is holding its own. This year saw the release of new mobile devices, software releases from all the major vendors, development of virtualization, cloud computing, and so much more. We can celebrate the survival of our industry through this horrible year, especially if you read and believe all the buzz about 2009 being the “Year of Tech Deployment.” There is a good possibility 2009 will stand out as a banner year on all fronts.

“It’s been said, “Desperate times call for creative measures.” Well, creative doesn’t necessarily mean less effective in this case. In fact, screencasts can be one of the most effective means of training your users because they can watch a video whenever they want and, more important, whenever they need. This can help reduce calls to help desk personnel (or worse yet, administrators directly) and can promote more comfort and productivity in your workforce.”

Well put, Peter.