[Air-l] Why not make Aoir 5.0 "Virtual conference"?

[Lauren Langman]

Dear Wu Mei :

  I hate to sound like a sociologist, but I am one, let me say that
human beings do have needs for networks and connections that can only be
realized face to face  contact, even if we all had webcams and could see
each other, it would not be enough. I know its a bit essentialist, but I
am not a pomo, but I would go so far as to  say that contect, connection
and attachment are in our DNA. While professional and colleagial
relations are not like deep friendships and relationships, it does
happen that meetings can lead to such (I met my wife at a meeting. But
even for our scientific work we gain much from sitting and talking with
each other in a face to face context.   

As Durkhiem, in his analysis of primitive religion, the otherwise
dispersed clans came together once a year to affirm their common roots,
shared identities,  and rekindle the bonds of solidarity.  In this way,
many of our conferences serve very similar functions. And while most of
us are quite comfortable with emails, websites, blogs, virtual
communities and who knows, someday teledildonics, a community of
scholars, not all that different from premodern Australian nomads, do
have a need to come together  and enact rituals and beliefs that join us
together in a scholarly community.  And as we know, those of us who do
internet stuff, from a number of disciplines, are not typically likely
to meet each other in most other venues. 

Hope to see you in Chicago next year, and perhaps have another great
dinner. 

Warmly, Lauren


>>> meiwu at umac.mo 10/05/04 9:02 PM >>>
As we are all researchers on the "virtual world", why should we still
keep 
to
the old, pre-Internet tradition of holding an annual conference in a
"real 
venue,"
but not in a "virtual venue"?
All the technologies to hold a virtual conference are available. What we
need is to be more innovative in practising what we have been
campaigning 
in
our research: being global and connecting to as many people as possible 
with
the help of the internet.
What I suggest is that Aoir 5.0 could select one "real venue," and at
the 
same
time, set up a "virtual venue" for those who have registered, but for 
whatever
reasons (be entry regulations, cost consideration, busy schedules, 
hurricanes, etc..)
could not come to the "real venue" to participate, specially for panel 
discussions. Virtual
participants can also organize local panels.
Just throw my little thought here.
Wu Mei
University of Macau 
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