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An Experiment in Social Computing
1/30/2004
In retrospect, the secrets to success came in anticipating what it would take to keep participants engaged and interested. Among the most important lessons learned were that in spite of being a technology-mediated event, the true richness of the experience reflected the care that organizers took to maximize the interaction experiences among participants. The goal was to make it fun to participate, and to make that happen, the organizers paid a lot of attention to the little things.
A team of hosts personally welcomed attendees as they logged on. IM postings helped people see how to use the tools. Presenters were recruited at various times during the conference to add a spark to the online discussions and chats. Another team invited stragglers into live chat sessions as they started up. Online discussions underscored the focus on person-to-person communication that made attendees describe this conference as such a rich experience. Indeed, the most common comment was that people wished they had budgeted more time to attend the event, as it turned out to be far richer than they had anticipated.
Laurence F. Johnson, Ph.D. (johnson@nmc.org) is CEO of the New Media Consortium.
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