Posted By: Anthony Story Date : 18 Oct 2008 8:45am
Previously, I’ve raked over the value of video streaming and live blogging at events. But, despite some obvious merits, these technologies have one main flaw – they don’t let people watching online actually join in, together.
They’re great for letting you know what’s going on, but they don’t let you be a part of the action. For me, talking, questioning and meeting are essential parts of any event - you have to interact to get the most out of it.
So what experience do you want to recreate? Chance conversations over coffee? Posing a question to an interesting presenter? Snatching thoughts with someone sitting beside you? These all add depth and complexity to your experience. But can you get anything like it if you’re stuck at the end of a computer terminal? …well, here's my starter for ten!
The most straightforward answer is to use a live message board.
(If you haven’t used one before, the message board provides a space for users to write questions or comments which anyone and everyone can read and answer. It works in real time, like ‘Instant Messaging’. It’s a place where discussion and debate can rage.)
Debate can centre on the topics under discussion in the auditorium and people online can strike up a dialogue with the other people tuning in.
This isn't only for users outside the conference. If you provide a wireless connnection in the auditorium, the audience can join in too (if they've got a laptop/Blackberry etc.). In fact, if you project the message board on to a screen behind the stage (e.g. beside the slides) everyone in the room can read them. Then, if you want to add a comment, you could text it from a mobile phone, so you don't even need a laptop/Blackberry.
Is this a distraction? Possibly, but if you look at it this way - most people admit to listening to about half of any presentation but thinking their own thoughts for the rest. A message board lets you discuss your thoughts immediately and learn other people’s thoughts. You can develop your own ideas more quickly. Does that make it an enhancement?
The jury is probably still out – Sure enough many of the comments will be rubbish and the text could be seen as a distraction to the presenters. That said it’s really interesting to see a discussion change direction when a panellist has been inspired by a well-made observation.
Perhaps there’s a case for projecting them during a Q and A session if not during a keynote presentation. More intriguingly, it raises the question about the position of inclusivity and democracy. Should the audience be seen as a valuable asset to a debate or do we continue to treat them as people to speak when they’re spoken to? How far can you push audience involvement before you end up with anarchy?
Whatever your answer, it's clear the message board lets you join an event online and have the means to communicate with other delegates. Combined with a video stream and access to a slide show, it begins to replicate the real world environment. The online delegate can, as a minimum, get the semblance of a meaningful event experience.
It’s still quite an impersonal approach though, and of course all of these elements still rely on having a bunch of people in the same room. So can an online experience ever rival the traditional model? It’s tough, but there’s one solution which some people think already is – ‘virtual worlds’….more next time.
They’re great for letting you know what’s going on, but they don’t let you be a part of the action. For me, talking, questioning and meeting are essential parts of any event - you have to interact to get the most out of it.
So what experience do you want to recreate? Chance conversations over coffee? Posing a question to an interesting presenter? Snatching thoughts with someone sitting beside you? These all add depth and complexity to your experience. But can you get anything like it if you’re stuck at the end of a computer terminal? …well, here's my starter for ten!
The most straightforward answer is to use a live message board.
(If you haven’t used one before, the message board provides a space for users to write questions or comments which anyone and everyone can read and answer. It works in real time, like ‘Instant Messaging’. It’s a place where discussion and debate can rage.)
Debate can centre on the topics under discussion in the auditorium and people online can strike up a dialogue with the other people tuning in.
This isn't only for users outside the conference. If you provide a wireless connnection in the auditorium, the audience can join in too (if they've got a laptop/Blackberry etc.). In fact, if you project the message board on to a screen behind the stage (e.g. beside the slides) everyone in the room can read them. Then, if you want to add a comment, you could text it from a mobile phone, so you don't even need a laptop/Blackberry.
Is this a distraction? Possibly, but if you look at it this way - most people admit to listening to about half of any presentation but thinking their own thoughts for the rest. A message board lets you discuss your thoughts immediately and learn other people’s thoughts. You can develop your own ideas more quickly. Does that make it an enhancement?
The jury is probably still out – Sure enough many of the comments will be rubbish and the text could be seen as a distraction to the presenters. That said it’s really interesting to see a discussion change direction when a panellist has been inspired by a well-made observation.
Perhaps there’s a case for projecting them during a Q and A session if not during a keynote presentation. More intriguingly, it raises the question about the position of inclusivity and democracy. Should the audience be seen as a valuable asset to a debate or do we continue to treat them as people to speak when they’re spoken to? How far can you push audience involvement before you end up with anarchy?
Whatever your answer, it's clear the message board lets you join an event online and have the means to communicate with other delegates. Combined with a video stream and access to a slide show, it begins to replicate the real world environment. The online delegate can, as a minimum, get the semblance of a meaningful event experience.
It’s still quite an impersonal approach though, and of course all of these elements still rely on having a bunch of people in the same room. So can an online experience ever rival the traditional model? It’s tough, but there’s one solution which some people think already is – ‘virtual worlds’….more next time.
