[Koha] KohaCon '10 virtual component

Wed Oct 7 03:15:10 NZDT 2009

I agree with suggestions in the other thread that we should hold off a US-based conference for another year or two.  While it's a shame that many American users will not get funded to come go to NZ, I imagine administrators will be even less inclined if there was a viable option on the continent within however many months.

Question for our European community members:  how expensive is it for you to get to New Zealand?  Is North America alone in its perceived travel woes, or are other regions affected the same way?

Regardless, I think we should do as much as we can to give KohaCon 2010 as strong an online presence as possible.  Some ideas:

1. Do live webcasts of the sessions.  I have some experience with this kind of thing; it's hard, but with the right support staff and technology, it could be done.  This would let our remote community members watch in real time (and of course go back to watch later).

2. Coupled with the live webcasts, a systematic way for users to ask questions and participate in the discussion.  We could appoint someone in every session to be 'international liaison', and have them monitor IRC, Twitter and perhaps an IM account.  They would then be able to proxy the questions to the presenter.  Multiple liaisons might be necessary to handle the diversity of languages.

3. For folks with something to say, have them make a quick video or slideshow with audio, and allow them time to present to the conference go-ers.  IRC or telephone could be used for realtime two-way discussion.  

4. Ask presenters to have their materials ready electronically for publication to the wiki within an hour of their presentation.  Once posted, either a conference go-er or a remote community member could garden the page and advertise it to the world.

5. Since a lot of the 'good stuff' at a conference happens after the presentation space goes dark, I'd ask the conference go-ers to tweet/blog as frequently as is practical.  Hopefully this can give some of the flavor of being there to those who couldn’t make it.

I am hoping to get funding to attend this conference, and should I get it, I will gladly put in the effort to make the above happen.  Even if I don't, I'll do anything I can to help.  Does anyone else think this is a worthwhile pursuit, or is the effort required too great for the reward?

Cheers,

Ian Walls
Systems Integration Librarian
NYU Health Sciences Libraries
550 First Ave., New York, NY 10016
(212) 263-8687

-----Original Message-----
From: koha-bounces at lists.katipo.co.nz [mailto:koha-bounces at lists.katipo.co.nz] On Behalf Of Nicole Engard
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 7:39 AM
To: Brian Chee
Cc: koha at lists.katipo.co.nz; M. Brooke Helman
Subject: Re: [Koha] US Koha Conference

Not this year, but I'd love to get to come to Hawaii for a KohaCon at
some point!! The NZ crew is already starting the planning and I don't
think we should even be talking about moving that conference at this
point - it's the 10th anniversary of Koha and makes perfect sense that
we go back to where it all started (if we can).

Nicole

2009/10/5 Brian Chee <chee at hawaii.edu>:
> Would Honolulu be a viable alternative? I used to bring folks from Dunedin
> and Christchurch over for a Novell users conference in Honolulu every year.
> I’m fairly sure I could get the East West Center inexpensively and also get
> a block of graduate dorm rooms super cheap...the last time I put folks up in
> our grad dorm it was $65/night.
>
> To save even more, we might be able to convince our open source conference
> to co-locate and share expenses??? Honolulu gets MUCH cheaper in off seasons
> like Fall and Spring....our high seasons are Winter (snow birds) and Summer
> (everyone off school)....and right now there are amazing deals on airfares
> since all the airlines are hurting...my buddies just did a $599 round trip
> from Orlando to Honolulu on united.
>
> We also have a library school that could possibly be convinced to get sucked
> into such a project and my wife is on the board of the Hawaii Library
> Consortium.
>
> /brian chee
>
>
>
> On 10/5/09 10:06 AM, "M. Brooke Helman" <abesottedphoenix at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Salvete!
>
>
> Sorry, but whether there is a US Koha conference or not, there is zero
> chance of our organization, and I suspect any other Kansas Koha users, going
> to KohaCon NZ. Too bad but that's just the way it is.
>
> Jim Minges
>
>
>           Be that as it may, Jim, it's very selfish for US users to not plan
> around the rest of the world from time to time. The first KohaCon was in
> Paris. I really wanted to go, but I was unable. It rolled around to US, I
> was very happy to go. When it rolls around to NZ, I want to go. I have seen
> Chris bleary eyed from flight twice now, and I don't think American users
> are making the same efforts international users are in getting to
> conference. I was delighted at how many French hopped over to see us. What's
> a big ocean between friends? If we rotate the host continent, then it will
> be close to someone's backyard eventually. We've done Europe, we've done
> North America, I'd propose Aus/NZ, then South America, then Asia, then
> Africa. Yes, it might end up taking a long time for it to be in your
> backyard, but the point is that it will get there eventually. :D
>
>            Why not plan so that the US conference is six months away from
> the NZ conference. Budgets and wallets might be replenished by then. Even
> better, since KohaCon has mostly been following a biennial approach, we can
> plan a US conference for 2011.
>
>
> Nicole Engard wrote:
>
> As I said on IRC - My concern is that if there is a US conference as
> well then library admins will not send people to NZ where they might
> have before.
>
>
>             I share this concern, Nicole.
>
>
>
> On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:18 PM, David Schuster <dschust1 at tx.rr.com> wrote:
>>
>> I wanted to see what type of interest there is in another conference in
>> the
>> US and who would be willing to help/host/committee/present...
>>
>> There has been lots of discussion about other issues, but thought we
>> should
>> refocus our energy to helping each other.
>>
>> I know Chris is working on a conference in NZ - KohaCon 2010 anniversary -
>> but many of us I know won't be able to attend. ?I don't want to take any
>> thunder from that though as well...
>>
>> What are peoples thoughts - concerns...
>>
>> Some people indicated if there is no other option than NZ maybe their
>> administration would let them go to NZ - I want to hear what people have
>> to
>> say.
>
>
>             If people are amenable, I am willing to organise a conference in
> 2011 for a US KohaCon that will not conflict with another international
> KohaCon, should another nation step forward to host an international
> conference if the community feels like having an annual international
> conference.
>             Since my new home is in Arlington, I would propose my location
> be somewhere in the DC Metro area.
>             If someone else is foolish enough to want to take this on, we
> can either duke it out in the carpark, or preferably submit electronic bids
> somewhere and throw it up for a vote. I would certainly help organise a
> "rival" conference should I lose out.
>             I would further suggest application of my moveable international
> conference to the domestic one. Since we had it in Plano last time, were DC
> to be worthy of the next US conference, then I would hope someone from the
> West Coast would step up for the US conference after that.
>             I would like to stress that if the "dirty" French, New
> Zealanders, or any other international visitors make the journey to a US
> KohaCon, they will of course be welcome!
>
> Cheers,
> Brooke
>
>
> ________________________________
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>
> --
> Brian Chee
> University of Hawai'i at Manoa
> School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology (SOEST)
> 2525 Correa Road, HIG 500
> Honolulu, HI 96822
> Tel: 808-956-5797
>
>
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> Koha at lists.katipo.co.nz
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>
>
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