Slideshare

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Written by

Gordon B. Schmidt

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Slideshare is a website that allows users to share presentations, infographics, documents, videos, PDFs, and webinars. The site is primarily focused on professional content shared by individuals and organizations. Presentations are the most common content type. Content can be viewed on Slideshare or embedded on other websites.

Users are able to follow other users and be informed by the site when those users add new content. Users can access analytics about their presentations and documents. Some of these analytics are free, and others are only for paying users.

Development

Slideshare (also styled SlideShare at various times during its existence) was founded in October 2006 by Rashmi Sinha, Amit Ranjan, and Jonathan Boutelle. Its initial focus was on allowing users to share Microsoft Office documents (primarily PowerPoint) and OpenOffice documents of a professional nature. The site has expanded its nature and features since then. In 2007, it began to add various social features such as notifications when other users uploaded new content and the ability to contact other users. In 2010, Slideshare introduced a freemium model where users could continue with the free service or sign up for one of the three tiers of paid services that included features such as post analytics, personalized channels, and the ability to moderate comments on a user’s personal channel. In 2011, Slideshare offered users the ability to host webinars through an Internet browser, without the need for separate software or programs.

Slideshare was acquired by LinkedIn for $119 million in May 2012. In April 2014, Slideshare introduced its first mobile app; it allowed individuals to use their phones to pick categories of interest to them and to view, like, and even save presentations for future viewing. In August 2014, Slideshare began offering previously paid features as well as other, new features to all users for free. In 2020, Slideshare was acquired by Scribd.

Functions

The main function of Slideshare is the sharing of content, primarily of a professional or educational nature. For shared material, Slideshare offers a static link that a site user can share with others online. Initially, this ability to provide a static link to material such as PowerPoint slides was a significant draw of the site, since this service was unavailable elsewhere on the Internet at the time. The site allows users to view slides without having to download the actual file as well as to upload presentations, documents, infographics, PDFs, videos, webinars, and most Office or Open Office files. The site calls shared material Slideshares.

While the site hosts such material, it also offers multiple ways to share it. Slideshares can be viewed directly on the website, with users able to restrict whether the material is private or public. Users can also restrict the ability of other site users or Internet visitors to download the material. Slideshare also facilitates sharing of Slideshares on other sites. Slideshares can also be shared on social media.

Slideshare also is a site where users can gain knowledge and connect with other users who have relevant shared interests, often of a professional nature. Users can create and individualize a profile page for their account that other users can view. Users can like other users’ content and make comments on other Slideshares. The site also allows users to tag material in various categories (e.g., leadership, technology, design) to make it easier for other users to find relevant material when searching the site. Slideshare has specific topic areas that users can follow. These lists help users find content that might be useful or of interest to them. Slideshare also offers users various analytics and information about material the user has shared.

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