John, I think that's a little unfair. Arguably, Web based conferences are _different_ than physical ones. Some events work great virtually - others I've seen have been a flop.
Forgive me if I left the impressions that virtual conferences should replace physical ones. They shouldn't. And they won't. There is far, far too much gain from meeting face to face for that to ever, ever happen. BUT....
..... I submit conferences of a type mentioned should have as much "virtual" as is reasonable and cost effective.
How much is that?
1.Keynoters: I would suggest that all keynoters should pre-record their remarks with the (archived) recordings made available almost exactly at the same time as the real time live deliveries. These recordings can be made over the telephone and uploaded as MP3 files for very, very small dollars without any more technical ability than talking into a telephone. I would think every single keynoter would LOVE to know h/h speech would be available worldwide immediately after delivery.
2 Presenters: I would suggest that all presenters who are "at ease" with uploading their power point slides and audio would also do that in advance of the real time deliveries. (And, for those that are not, themselves "at ease", the organizers should seek volunteers who can help in this regard.) The organizers and the presenters should seek to have as many who come to the physical conference view these so that the time remaining can be used for real time questions and answers. Why go to a lecture if you are just going to sit back and get fed what you can see on a web site in your pajamas?
3.Blogs: I think conference blog site - and links to presenter blogs - are very, very helpful and should be promoted by the organizers. These sites are VERY helpful for those attending physically - an up-to-the-minute electronic bulletin board so people can find each other, make last minute announcements, etc. etc. etc.
4. Listservs: I also think that a conference litserv has some advantages. While at the conference, people check their mail. Again, a conference list serv can give reminders and last minute updates. Isn't it nice when you get up in a hotel room to check you mail and find that an email has gone out reminding all those at the conference to come to YOUR presentation?
5. Real Time?: And, for the really ambitious who would like some components to be webcast in real time, this should also be explored. Cell phones and very, very affordable telephone call centers linked to the Net make this an interesting subject to explore further.
THE MOST IMPORTANT: Changing the culture!
Isn't the most important part of all of this to cause people to re-think how they can improve deliveries? cut costs? increase outreach?
Who on this list needs to be reminded that we live in a Google-ized, globalized, nanosecond, net-connected world?
Isn't it fair to ask conferences organizers presenting themes like improving 'global information flow' and 'reducing the digital divide' to walk-the-walk, not just talk-the-talk?
With all due respect, John Hibbs http://www.bfranklin.edu/johnhibbs
I'm a big advocate of virtual conferences and have hosted several already, but I don't see them as a complete replacement of real-world gatherings. Not everyone is as comfortable with virtual events as you are, and they don't contribute as much as they would if it had been in person. Also, the personal networking that happens at real conferences still beats the networking at virtual conferences much of the time.
My personal preference is to host conferences that have both online and offline components, but that doesn't mean one can always replace the other without losing something in the process.
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Andy Carvin
Program Director
EDC Center for Media & Community
acarvin @ edc . org
http://www.digitaldivide.net
http://www.tsunami-info.org
Blog: http://www.andycarvin.com
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