Proclaim

[Mattofact]

The price for Proclaim has been lowered to just $10 per month or $100 per year for churches that have 100 or less in weekly attendance.

[dmot]

Okay, I have a question about Proclaim that has never been made clear to me. I also don't know any of the technical terms so please excuse my ignorance.

1. When they say an application is cloud based I always am a little confused as to what they mean. In some cases the entire app is cloud based an if you don't have internet access there is nothing you can do. In other cases it means that information in the cloud syncs to every computer that has the app downloaded as well as syncing to a cloud based app. Sort of like DropBox. In this case you can use the app even without internet access but it won't sync until a connection is re-established. So how does Proclaim work? If we collaborate on the service all week, and then for some reason I lose internet access just before the worship service, can I still run the service with the content from the last sync?

2. Forgetting all the cloud based stuff, how does Proclaim functionality actually compare with other leading worship software programs?

[Esoteric]

Yeah, I haven't had time to do anything other than skim it, but there are some things that seem to be missing to me. How it uses the cloud is not clear to be either.

[rockriverpastor]

We've used it that last couple of weeks. It's option 2, dmot. The presentation syncs to the cloud occasionally as you work. When you open the software on a different computer, it downloads the most recent version of the software, then syncs the presentation you open. If for some reason you cannot sync, you still maintain the most recent previous version on that computer.

It's a brand new product and seems as though they have rushed to get it to market. There are some seemingly obvious things missing like the ability to work with Powerpoint and DVD's - Logos says those features are in the pipeline, but I've seen no hints as to how long the wait will be. We're going to play it month to month for a while as I gauge the ease of use for our team and watch for the promised upgrades to materialize.

[wogster]

Originally Posted by Rick Everingham

I have all of my content on a server (nightly backup) and we run SSP from a server twice a week. I also resell mission critical "cloud" software to businesses (time and attendance), you won't get paid if you can't access it. The software I resell has been out there for about 4 years and it works very, very well. The "cloud" is the direction the world is going whether we like it or not.

The cloud is great for applications that are not time critical, the cloud is based on the Internet, and the Internet is not perfect. Nothing would stress out the A/V guy or the Music Minister then the service starts at 10:30 and the DSL light goes off at 10:29:53 and your using an Internet file for the service. If the Internet file IS the service, that would be even worse.

[Mattofact]

Originally Posted by Ebroach

They are really pushing this over on Facebook. But they have annouced there pricing plan and its liek $199 per YEAR for the smaller churches.

It may be a great product of those larger churches who collaborate on each weeks service in advance but for the average church Sunday AM Services usually do not come together till Sunday AM.

And I know a lot of churches that still do not have internet at the church.

The pricing for churches under 100 weekly attendees, is just $10 per month or $100 per year.
Also, you can present from any computer, even if it loses internet connectivity during a service.
So, if you church uses a lap top, Proclaim can still be used in a church with no internet. You only need to open the presentation on that lap top where you do have internet, before service starts.

[Mattofact]

Originally Posted by skstarkiller

This looks pretty interesting....Proclaim Site

Phil,
Can you add Proclaim to the list of Presentation Software companies to the presentation software page on church media .net ?

[Mattofact]

Originally Posted by dmot

Okay, I have a question about Proclaim that has never been made clear to me. I also don't know any of the technical terms so please excuse my ignorance.

1. When they say an application is cloud based I always am a little confused as to what they mean. In some cases the entire app is cloud based an if you don't have internet access there is nothing you can do. In other cases it means that information in the cloud syncs to every computer that has the app downloaded as well as syncing to a cloud based app. Sort of like DropBox. In this case you can use the app even without internet access but it won't sync until a connection is re-established. So how does Proclaim work? If we collaborate on the service all week, and then for some reason I lose internet access just before the worship service, can I still run the service with the content from the last sync?

2. Forgetting all the cloud based stuff, how does Proclaim functionality actually compare with other leading worship software programs?

Dmot,
Great questions. While we talk about Proclaim being cloud-based, we localize all presentations once they are opened on your computer. We do this through the Proclaim app that is free to download from the site. If you lose internet connectivity, your presentation will work fine. The only thing you lose if this happens during a service is your ability to send out "Signals" (which send messages to mobile devices in your congregation).

Proclaim functionality goes beyond the other presentation software systems since it allows editing from any computer an presenting from any computer - mac or pc. The other areas which make Proclaim unique are the "Signals" so you can now engage your congregation in the bibles they are using on their phones and ipads. You can also tie your church PayPal account into the app to allow for giving over mobile devices during your time of Tithes and Offerings. Since Proclaim is free to download, you should download the app and try it out.

[Mattofact]

Originally Posted by Esoteric

Yeah, I haven't had time to do anything other than skim it, but there are some things that seem to be missing to me. How it uses the cloud is not clear to be either.

Presentations are stored in the cloud, but synced locally. You can edit from any computer and present from any computer. So, once a presentation is open on a computer and changes have been synced that may have been made from other pastors - that presentation is stored locally. There is a desktop app, that is free to download from the website.

[Mattofact]

Originally Posted by wogster

The cloud is great for applications that are not time critical, the cloud is based on the Internet, and the Internet is not perfect. Nothing would stress out the A/V guy or the Music Minister then the service starts at 10:30 and the DSL light goes off at 10:29:53 and your using an Internet file for the service. If the Internet file IS the service, that would be even worse.

Great point. Proclaim syncs everything locally so if the internet goes down, the presentation will work seamlessly. A/V guys will have less stress with Proclaim. I know, I'm a back of house guy and have run church presentations for years. With the integration of CCLI SongSelect and Graceway Media, along with the library of bibles, the worship team is now more equipped to put a presentation together with ease and creativity.

If you lose internet connectivity, you do lose one feature. You lose the ability to broadcast the signals that you have set up to go out to the mobile devices of those in the congregation. Other than that, there are no worries with the cloud.

[Mattofact]

Originally Posted by rockriverpastor

There are some seemingly obvious things missing like the ability to work with Powerpoint and DVD's - Logos says those features are in the pipeline, but I've seen no hints as to how long the wait will be. We're going to play it month to month for a while as I gauge the ease of use for our team and watch for the promised upgrades to materialize.

Matt here with the Proclaim team. We do not have a firm date on Power Point integration, but as soon as we do, I'll post it here for you. One easy work around for now is to save your power point slides as images, and import that folder as an "image slide show" from the service order items. I hope this helps!

[wogster]

Originally Posted by Mattofact

The pricing for churches under 100 weekly attendees, is just $10 per month or $100 per year.
Also, you can present from any computer, even if it loses internet connectivity during a service.
So, if you church uses a lap top, Proclaim can still be used in a church with no internet. You only need to open the presentation on that lap top where you do have internet, before service starts.

That makes a lot of sense, however one of three things will happen, they always do....

1) The company behind it goes under and the service disappears.
2) The company behind it get sold to someone who wants to take a massive profit and they jack the rates way up.
3) Option 2 followed by option 1.