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

[Graham Longford]

Two quick points re. the suggestion to take AOIR 5.0 "virtual".

Firstly, as we know, much of the most important action at conferences takes
place f2f and outside the formal proceedings - networking in hallways, ad
hoc dinners, late-night drinking, etc. Obviously this puts colleagues with
limited travel funding and/or from distant locations at a disadvantage, but
I doubt these dynamics and interactions can be easily replicated in
cyberspace (oh oh, I may have just started something ;-)).

Secondly, on the technical side (and in response to Bernie's helpful
intervention), the degree of technical and logistical complexity should not
be underestimated here. Just setting up cybercafes, ensuring internet and/or
wireless access onsite etc. can be a challenge (often involving negotiating
with hotel management and tech staff etc.) Past AOIR local organizing
committees can speak to this I'm sure. Webcasting would seem to be a
feasible option, provided good tech resources and support are in place, and
it still offers a certain degree of interactivity.

In principle, AOIR should do what it can to take advantage of technology to
increase remote access to conference proceedings, but this effort should be
complementary, as opposed to one which seeks to substitute for f2f
conferences altogether. In addition, technological initiatives should not be
allowed to drain undue energy and resources from the effort of mounting the
f2f event, which is a danger. Perhaps others could propose and coordinate
pilot initiatives (along the lines of the AOIR Toronto conference blog), and
report back to the membership and executive re. their effectiveness. These
could feed into a more formal plan to virtualize aspects of the AOIR
conference in coming years.

My two cents worth.

Graham


-- 
Graham Longford, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Community Informatics
Faculty of Information Studies
140 St. George St., Rm 652
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON
M5S 3G6
Tel: 416-978-4715
Fax: 416-971-1399