Designing Web-Based Training: How to Teach Anyone Anything Anywhere Anytime

13.6. CONFERENCES

Practicing professionals attend conferences to update their knowledge, view the latest products, meet their peers, and have fun. Now they can attend conferences without leaving their computers.

An online conference has speakers, attendees, papers, presentations, panels, vendor exhibits, and even sightseeing tours just like a physical conference [141]. Only nobody has to travel, because the conference is on the Web.

Here is the home page for an online conference. After paying your fee at the registration booth, you can proceed through any of the doors to partake of the activities of the conference.

To find more examples of conferences, search the Web for online conference or virtual conference.

13.6.1. Why hold a conference?

The online conference offers several advantages over physical conferences:

• Costs are less. Participants save the costs of travel, lodging, restaurant meals, and bar tabs.

• More people can participate. Since participants do not all have to be in the same place at the same time, more can take part. Participants can attend while still working part time. Or even full time.

• Participants can attend every session. Because most events are asynchronous, taking place over a period of days, participants do not have to choose between simultaneous presentations.

• Nobody has to take notes. Complete handouts are available before the conference. Participants ...