Virtual Conferences

Virtual Conferences

This is a collection of links and information I've put together about virtual conferences.

Why

How

Who

In more detail

Here are some ideas that I came up with some time back with considerable input from Robbert van Renesse

Interaction modes

Conferences support multiple interaction modes, which may need different solutions depending on the conference size

  • 1-many stored video
    • Archival conference record
  • 1-many live video in parallel with many-many text-oriented discussions on the ongoing presentation
    • Plenary presentations
    • Speaker may give the same presentation multiple times to deal with time zones, or at least have multiple interaction sessions
  • 1-1 informal hallway conversations leveraging past history of interaction or creating new connections
    • Ability to have one-on-ones with ‘heros’
  • Multiple synchronous small group interaction – e.g. a demo/poster session
    • Ability to hop around, like a poster session
    • Ability to see demos being done, with VNC-like control
    • Find out which demo is popular
    • Need a whiteboard, leave a message for others
    • Schedule presentations of the poster at a particular time
  • Asynchronous interaction
    • Like a MOOC lecture with multiple flipped classroom, on EdX

Tools/Resources available today

  • 1-many stored video
    • Ed X and ACM DL can store video from conferences for replay
  • 1-many live video in parallel with many-many text-oriented discussions on the ongoing presentation
  • Poster and demos
    • Skype/Zoom for audio/video communication and ‘rooms’
    • Maybe can use VNC for remote demos
  • 1-1 informal hallway conversations
    • Remote participation robots?
    • Herring, Susan C. "Telepresence robots for academics." Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 50.1 (2013): 1-4.
    • Tried at CHI with limited success and great cost
  • Asynchronous interaction

Technical and sociological issues that need to be addressed by research

  • How to achieve high quality of the video/audio?
  • How to re-create informality?
    • Can poke head into someone’s office, but can’t do that on skype
    • The barrier to entry to interrupt someone is high because people are diffident about interruption
    • Conferences reduce options and hence force interaction
  • How to create conditions that support attendance? In a real conference there is no need to worry about food, where to rest
    • Make a commitment, perhaps in writing
    • Need to create a social headroom
  • How to convey body language and non-verbal cues?
  • How to integrate components properly?

An alternative