Students and alumni in search of networking skills can take their questions out of the classroom and onto the Web with the Northwestern Alumni Association’s webinars.

David J.P. Fisher, Weinberg ’98, hosted a series of four webinars this week sponsored by the Alumni Association, covering how to develop a profile and make connections on LinkedIn, a business-networking site.

A webinar is a variation on a typical lecture or conference call that has gained popularity in an increasingly digital world. Participants call in to hear the seminar’s audio, and can follow along on a specially-created Web site as the presenter clicks on links, plays videos and views documents and pictures.

“It takes the old idea of a conference call a step further,” said Fisher, a trainer, business coach and president of RockStar Consulting. “It creates a dynamic Web site that a group of participants can come and check out.”

The Alumni Association was attracted to the webinar format because of its ability to reach alumni all over the world, said Lauren Herpe, Career Services alumni relations coordinator.

“It really helps us build a sense of community among alumni as well as students because you don’t have to be face to face,” said Cathy Stembridge, the Alumni Association’s executive director. “And that allows us to touch so many more people at the same time.”

Each participant also receives a recording of the webinar after the presentation, so participants can look back on the presentation, unlike in a typical lecture.

“(Webinars) transcend time, and they also transcend locations,” Stembridge said.

The Alumni Association has also used webinars for other topics, including searching for jobs and changing careers.

Webinars have advantages over traditional lectures because there are no travel costs, and participants can conveniently watch the webinar from their own homes or offices.

“It’s very, very efficient, and it’s very effective, particularly if the speaker or presenter is well-versed in the topic,” said Joan Behrens, ’66 alumna of the undergraduate School of Business, which no longer exists.

Webinars also have minimal costs. Fisher’s webinars this week were $5 for students and $15 for alums. “If you are out of a job, you don’t have the money to travel,” Herpe said.

The format also provides privacy for participants. Topics surrounding career searches and career change can be sensitive, so many alums may not be willing to come back to campus for a lecture or conference and publicize their career uncertainties.

“If they are embarrassed, they don’t have to be,” Fisher said.

Fisher has hosted 10 webinars with the Alumni Association before this week’s LinkedIn series. This series consisted of four webinars totaling 400 seats, about 300 of which were filled. In the past his webinars have sold out, Herpe said. To make the most use of LinkedIn, Fisher explained how to set up a dummy profile and add “first degree connections,” or people you know personally, and “second degree connections,” friends of friends.

Participants have mostly been alums, Herpe said, though the Alumni Association encourages more students to participate. Fisher will be hosting another series of webinars for the NU community next week on the topic of career change. [email protected]