Comments on: Why online conferences win

By: Adventures in Librarianship » Blog Archive » Of Internet Librarian and Conferences Virtual and Physical

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 02:36:04 +0000

[...] me that Jason Griffey (who’s written 3 times on this subject recently, posts to be found here, here, and here), Meredith Farkas, Michelle Boule, and the other folks2 who have weighed in on the [...]

By: Pattern Recognition » Blog Archive » Some clarification re:conferences

Pattern Recognition » Blog Archive » Some clarification re:conferences — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:51:45 +0000

[...] some quick thoughts about my recent posts, as responses to [...]

By: Tom Hogan, Sr.

Tom Hogan, Sr. — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:13:33 +0000

Jason, thanks for attending Internet Librarian in Monterey, and I hope you found it worthwhile. As I mentioned in my little welcome speech, we had a record turnout this year, which is due primarily to the variety and excellence of the presentations from people dedicated to the information profession.

I’m sure that online conferences have their place, but I have to agree with Todd that people still want to meet in person from time to time. As long as that holds true, Information Today will continue to organize them. Regards.

By: Todd

Todd — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 01:37:39 +0000

Virtual meetings are all very nice, but its never the same as meeting people in person. In addition, real-life conferences give you a chance to see places you might not have gone otherwise…virtual conferences mean you stay right where you are.

Virtual conferences could enhance real-life conferences, but I don’t think they should replace them.

By: An alternative funding stream? | Information Wants To Be Free

An alternative funding stream? | Information Wants To Be Free — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:57:50 +0000

[...] Jason Griffey the other day suggested alternatives to the traditional funding streams ALA has, and it got me thinking about how ALA could make money in the online medium. [...]

By: Tom Peters

Tom Peters — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:47:35 +0000

Hi, Jason. I second the idea that online (and in-world) conferences enable both place and time-shifting. When we record, archive, and podcast an OPAL online event, it is not unusual to see ten times the usage of the archive within a couple of months, compared to the number of people who attended live online.

Steve Stone’s idea via the WELL is interesting, too. This really need not be an either/or situation. Either you have an in-person conference or an online conference. What I call “combo” events (both in-person and online) work quite well. I’ve even been involved in a few “triple plays” (in-person, online, and in-world) that are productive and useful.

How to monetize (gotta love that word!) online and in-world events is no trivial challenge, but we need to begin experimenting with some models.

By: Meredith

Meredith — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:07:53 +0000

You are fabulous! This is a really good post and I applaud you, Jason, for keeping up the good fight from within ALA.

By: Alternative ways to participate (or why I probably won’t be at Midwinter) | Information Wants To Be Free

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:25:38 +0000

[...] I wonder if this is a big part of ALA’s reluctance to allow virtual participation. My friend Jason Griffey wrote a terrific post the other day suggesting some alternatives to the current revenue streams and discussing what a [...]

By: K.G. Schneider

K.G. Schneider — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 02:24:48 +0000

Great post. I forwarded to Jim Rettig’s implementation TF for his ALA presidency, because these are issues that came up for discussion.

By: Steve Stone

Steve Stone — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:47:27 +0000

I think I remember asking at the WELL in about 1993 why we didn’t have a virtual conference BEFORE the conference.

All the presenters would present their stuff online before the conference, and then the face-to-face would actually be a DISCUSSION rather than a lecture.

Just presented at CIT and tried to make my session more interactive – had an audience of about 30, and stopped with about 20 min left, and went around the room person by person and had them talk.