Be Connected Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Be Connected?
- How much does Be Connected cost?
- About the seminars
- Languages
- New seminars
- How do I log in?
- Shared log in?
- How do I register for a seminar?
- I’m trying to register for a seminar, but nothing is happening.
- Group registrations
- What are Learning Units?
- What is a transcript
- I completed a seminar. When will my Learning Unit show up in my transcript?
- Group registrations
- Lunch and Learn
- Test your video and audio settings.
- I clicked the Register button, but nothing happened. Am I registered?
- What applications do I need to watch an online seminar?
- My Windows Media Player screen is green with pink wavy lines. What’s wrong?
- Why am I not able to hear the audio?
- The video is blank but I can hear audio. Why can’t I see anything?
- Parts of my video are playing upside down.
- When I try to play a seminar using Firefox, my browser crashes or I cannot see any player controls. What can I do?
- How do I watch streaming content on a Mac?
- I think I have a firewall issue and cannot view any videos. What can I do?
- How do I contact someone at Be Connected if I have additional questions?
WHAT IS BE CONNECTED?
The Be Connected online video library is a stream of educational and informative content about real-world infrastructure projects and the best practices and software products used to design, build and operate them. The Be Connected online video library offers a searchable catalog of free presentations for infrastructure professionals.
HOW MUCH DO BE CONNECTED SEMINARS COST?
All Be Connected seminars are free
WILL THE SEMINARS BE AVAILABLE IN OTHER LANGUAGES?
Seminars will be presented in English initially. However, we are planning to make some of the more popular ones available in other languages soon. Look for updates during the summer.
WILL NEW SEMINARS BE ADDED ALL THE TIME?
Additional seminars may be added from time to time. For example, some of the content from the
invitation‐only Be Insipred awards program may be provided. Look for future updates as new
content becomes available.
HOW DO I REGISTER FOR A SEMINAR?
Registration is easy! Simply log in to connected.bentley.com, select your seminars from the Browse area or home page, then click the register button. You can also register for a seminar directly from the individual video page.
You can see the seminars for which you are already registered in the My Seminars area of the Be Connected website. The link to My Seminars appears in the left navigation bar when you are logged into the site.
HOW DO I LOG IN TO BE CONNECTED?
On the Be Connected site, click the Login button in the upper left. If you already have a Bentley login, you can simply enter your user name and password.
WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE A BENTLEY LOGIN?
If you do not already have a Bentley login, you will need to create a new profile with Bentley. Click the link that says New User on the . You will be taken to a new user registration form to complete your registration. After you have created a profile, you will receive an automated account verification e‐mail. Verify your information, log back into the registration site <https://loginnet.bentley.com/registration.aspx> and proceed with your Be Connected registration.
I FORGOT MY BENTLEY LOGIN
Click on the Login button, then click the Forgot Password link to reset them. <https://loginnet.bentley.com/forgotpass.aspx>.
I SHARE A BENTLEY LOGIN WITH OTHER COLLEAGUES IN MY ORGANIZATION. SHOULD WE CREATE A NEW LOGIN FOR EACH OF US? Yes. There are many benefits of creating your own Bentley login. You will be able to:
- Receive news, updates and promotional offers
- Manage your own SELECT Service Tickets
- Create your own Bentley Institute Transcript
- Build your own Be Connected Schedule. In doing this, you will be sent updates, reminders (and these will also be synched to your own Outlook)
I’M TRYING TO REGISTER FOR A SEMINAR, BUT NOTHING HAPPENS
Be sure all pop-up blockers are turned off. Close your browser and then go back and try again.
WILL I GET AN OUTLOOK REMINDER WHEN I HAVE REGISTERED FOR A SEMINAR?
Yes. There is an “Add to Outlook” link in the confirmation e-mail sent after registration. This will place your seminar into your Outlook calendar for you. You will also receive a reminder e-mail from us prior to your seminar. That reminder e-mail will contain full directions for you to view the Live Seminar and participate in the live Q&A.
WILL A LEARNING UNIT BE EARNED FOR EVERY SEMINAR?
Yes. You will earn one Learning Unit will be earned for every seminar that someone completes, provided you complete the entire seminar. For OnDemand sessions, you will be able to watch the entire seminar at once, or stop and start viewing at your convenience. The Be Connected system will “bookmark” your progress so you can return to an incomplete seminar at a later time without having to repeat the earlier content. A transcript of the seminars you completed and the Learning Units earning will be accessible from the My Seminars page on Be Connected.
WHAT IS A LEARNING UNIT?
Learning Units allow you to add to your professional development hours (PDHs) whenever you attend a Be Connected Online Seminar.
Every Be Connected online seminar is eligible for half (½) of one PDH, which will be recorded as a Bentley Learning Unit to your Online Transcript within a week after you complete a Live or OnDemand seminar.
You may then use your online transcript to self-report these PDHs to your license board or professional association as proof of your continued professional development.
Please note however that each license board’s requirements vary. So we recommend you check in with your own board to confirm their terms and conditions.
WHAT IS A TRANSCRIPT?
Your Bentley Transcript gives you a complete report of the Learning Units you have earned thus far, whether through Be Connected, or through professional training with the Bentley Institute.
View your transcript.
I COMPLETED A SEMINAR, BUT MY LEARNING UNITS ARE NOT SHOWING UP IN MY TRANSCRIPT. WHY NOT?
Learning Units earned through the Be Connected online video library are updated periodically. Allow up to a week for them to be recorded. You will earn one transcript for each seminar that you complete. Track your completed transcripts in the My Seminars area, under the Completed tab.
WE ARE VIEWING BE CONNECTED ONLINE SEMINARS AS A GROUP. CAN WE ALL EARN LEARNING UNITS?
Yes! If you are coordinating a group viewing of a Live or OnDemand Seminar, please follow the instructions below to optimize each team member’s Be Connected experience and to ensure each team member receives the appropriate Bentley Learning Units.
All attendees who are watching as a group should register for the seminar individually, then log in from one user’s account to view the particular seminar.
Why does each person have to register if we are viewing as a group?
By registering, individuals will be awarded Bentley Learning Units within 48 hours of submitting the Group Attendance Form. Learning Units are tracked on an individual's Bentley Transcript, which can then be used to self-report PDHs (Professional Development Hours) for their licensing board requirements.
The Be Connected site offers additional learning opportunities, with recommendations tailored to each individual based on their professional roles and interests. Use the Be Connected Group Attendance Form to submit attendance and earn Bentley Learning Units.
Download Group Attendance form.
Please submit the Group Attendance Form to events@bentley.com for processing.
HOW CAN MY GROUP PARTICIPATE IN A LUNCH AND LEARN SEMINAR OR OTHER SPECIAL LEARNING EVENT THROUGH BE CONNECTED?
Various opportunities are available for your team to experience Be Connected!
- Arrange for a lunch in a corporate conference room; watch an OnDemand seminar, and request your Bentley Account Manager to host a live Q&A with your team.
- Host a breakfast meeting, brainstorm and discuss key issues, watch a Live Seminar and discuss issues during the live Q&A with industry experts.
- Schedule time for “training an hour a week” for your team to gather together to watch one of the week’s various Live and OnDemand Seminars available as a group.
Test your video and audio settings.
See if your system is ready to view Be Connected seminars.
I clicked the Register button, but nothing happened. Am I registered?
- Be sure all pop-up blockers are turned off. Refresh your page and try the Register button again.
What applications do I need to watch an online seminar?
- For an embedded, “on-page” video you only need a browser with Windows Media Player or Flash installed.
- For video links you need a media player that is able to play Windows Media file formats.
- For best results we recommend using Internet Explorer 7.x or higher along with the latest version of Windows Media Player (V 11.x or higher).
- If you are using Firefox and experiencing problems with the video player, try downloading this plugin:
http://port25.technet.com/pages/windows-media-player-firefox-plugin-download.aspx
My Windows Media Player screen is green with pink wavy lines. What’s wrong?
- Issues such as this are usually caused by conflicts with your current video card drivers. The easiest way to correct the problem is to reduce your hardware acceleration settings to "None."
- To do this, open the Windows Media Player software and follow these steps to turn off hardware acceleration.
Windows Media Player 11 and above
- Choose Control Panel > Display > Settings > Advanced > Troubleshoot.
- Set the Hardware Acceleration slider to “None.”
Why am I not able to hear the audio?
There are several possible causes of this problem. We suggest that you check each of the following to be sure your system is configured correctly:
- Check that your external speakers or headphones are fully connected.
- Check to verify that you are able to hear system alerts or other computer sounds.
(This ensures there isn't a problem with your sound card or speakers.)
- Make sure the audio level on your speakers is not turned down too low or turned off.
- Make sure the Windows Media Player is not muted or that the sound level is not set too low.
The video is blank but I can hear audio. Why can’t I see anything?
- You may need to disable the overlay function in your media player.
- To do this, open the Windows Media Player software and follow these steps to turn off the overlay function:
Windows Media Player 11.x
- Choose the Tools menu > Options > Performance.
- Uncheck Use Overlays.
Parts of my video are playing upside down
- Go to Windows Media Player > Tools > Options > Performance
- Change hardware acceleration to full
- Change hardware acceleration to full for your adapter in Control Panel
When I try to play a seminar using Firefox, my browser crashes or I cannot see any player controls. What can I do?
How do I watch streaming content on a Mac?
I think I have a firewall issue and cannot view any videos. What can I do?
There are several technical reasons you may not be able to view these streaming videos. The following text describes the most common causes and solutions to overcome this problem.
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: You will need your Information Technology (IT) department to implement most of these solutions. Their work involves making changes to your company's firewall settings and settings changes within Microsoft's Windows Media Player.
But first a test: Before you begin making system changes, make sure the problem is with the streaming video feed to your system. The following URL address directly accesses a test video (9.8 MB) that bypasses all Bentley Streaming Server access controls. This is a short cartoon-like animation created with MicroStation:
mms://institute-stream.bentley.com/institute/test/lightdesignshort5.wmv
Copy and paste the link directly into an open Internet Explorer browser. If all goes well, the animation will display in your Windows Media Player (version 9 or better is recommended). If, on the other hand, you get no activity, a login screen or some other failure to play the videos, then the issue is definitely associated with either your company's firewall or your Windows Media Player settings.
The firewall: Bentley's Microsoft Streaming Video server uses the MMS TCP protocol for optimum utilization of network bandwidth. This is not yet a commonly known protocol like HTTP so it is likely your company's firewall is blocking one or more of the TCP ports normally assigned to this service. The port numbers involved are 80, 554, and 1755 with the last one being the most important. These are standard ports Microsoft specifies in its streaming video server technology. Work with your IT department to have this port opened for the server stream.bentley.com and stream1.bentley.com, the sources of all our streaming videos. For additional technical information direct from Microsoft, visit this web page located on Microsoft's web site: Firewall Information for Windows Media Services (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/serve/firewall.aspx).
Once you have this port opened, try the sample video again. If you still cannot play the videos then it is most likely a specific setting in your Windows Media Player. Although Windows Media Player can support video feeds using other protocols such as HTTP, the Bentley Video Server only serves the MMS protocol. In Windows Media Player open with the “classic” window frame active and perform the following steps:
1. Open the Options dialog box (Tools menu > Options...)
2. On the Network tab, turn on the Multicast and TCP options. You can leave the other options on as well but the two mentioned are the important ones.
3. Click OK to accept the changes.
Can't find the Network tab in your Options dialog box? Chances are you do not have administrative privileges to your system or your IT department has put in a policy to disable this feature. In either case, work with them to access this important configuration setup.
If you are successful in setting the options above, try the test video again. In most cases, you should now be able to view the videos without further problems.
If you still have issues with this, work with your IT department to configure the MMS proxy settings (part of the Options dialog box) and further test this process.
If your company blocks streaming media here are the framesets that need to be open to allow Be Connected Streaming Content:
LIVE:
http://bentley-nine-oclock.wm.llnwd.net/bentley_nine_oclock/s/
http://bentley-ten-oclock.wm.llnwd.net/bentley_ten_oclock/s/
http://bentley-eleven-oclock.wm.llnwd.net/bentley_eleven_oclock/s/
http://bentley-live-push.wmpush.llnwd.net/bentley_live_push/s/
ON-DEMAND:
http://bentley.wmod.llnwd.net
HOW DO I CONTACT SOMEONE AT BE CONNECTED IF I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?
Contact us with any problems, questions or suggestions. We want to hear from you.
http://connected.bentley.com/SiteFeedback.aspx