Technical lessons from the Web/EConference
In addition to the content of the discussion (summarized in Chapter 2) the Web/EConference offered lessons to those planning web/e-conferences. The participants of this
conference were generous with both their praise and criticism. Their main points, and
relevant reflections from the Web/E-Conference managers, are given below.
BACKGROUND PAPERS OF THE CONFERENCE
Participants appreciated the good and comprehensive background documentation
provided. However, some participants felt that the four theme papers presented were too
long to be read and discussed during the limited time period, and thus they did not feel
comfortable actively contributing their comments. Some participants felt that the themes
and direction of the discussions were too much predetermined by the subject matter and
content of the four papers. For future and comparably structured web/e-conferences, they
recommended limiting the length of background papers to six to seven pages, with brief,
debate-oriented summaries. All background documents should then be made available at
least two weeks before the start of the conference, in all three formats: Word, PDF and
HTML.
HOW TO INITIATE THE DISCUSSION AND
ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION
A limited number of start-off questions for the conference should be available from the
beginning of the conference. These questions should be short, catchy and even a bit
provocative in order to stimulate debate. Participants definitely liked the opportunity to
start new threads (discussion groups), as everybody's interest was not necessarily
reflected in the threads offered by the moderators.
Participants considered responsive moderation and reliable technical support as
extremely important. They suggested briefly "introducing" the moderation team to inspire
trust and help participants relax into the process. The conference moderators themselves
also concluded that one full-time person for the technical support and another full-time
person for moderating or coordinating the moderation team were absolute minimum
requirements for running a reasonably responsive conference. Ideally such a two-person
core team would be supported by co-moderators.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY
The degree of (reliable) access to and knowledge about computer systems and web-based
technology varied considerably among participants. After some start-up difficulties, it
was found that a combination of the web-based conference facility running in parallel
with a simultaneous e-mail-based conference service (eventually offering a daily e-mail
update to all participants) proved adequate. With this system, all participants:
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are frequently reminded about the conference;
are encouraged each day to contribute, since they automatically receive the latest
comments;
can participate fully, even if they have only e-mail access (but not reliable access
to the World Wide Web);
can choose their preferred system.
When they do have web access, participants can make use of the associated advantages:
direct accessibility of all background documents and a well-structured overview of all
previous and current postings in past and presently active discussion threads. Many
participants who found it technically difficult to submit comments on the web-based
facility had no difficulties with e-mail.
Adjustments needed to improve the web-based conference software used
The web-based conference facility used during the conference was a pilot system
developed by FAO (WAICENT). Although prior to the conference a number of
modifications were made in order to improve the system's functionality, many conference
participants still found it extremely user-unfriendly. As a consequence, few participants
submitted their comments directly through the website, most preferring to use the e-mail
mode. Comments made by e-mail were then posted on the website under the users'
names.
The FAO web software used for the Web/E-Conference proved to have a number of
characteristics that limited its usefulness. Chief among these were:
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Because of FAO server security policy, outside users could log on for only 15
minutes, after which they were automatically logged off.
The system would not accept postings longer than 1 600 characters through
Internet Explorer.
FAO's language policy requires that all FAO websites be in all five official FAO
languages. Only by setting up a closed site, with entry restricted to those having
individually assigned user passwords, was it possible to get an exemption from
this requirement.
Password use required the activation of "cookie acceptance" on the users' own
computers, an unfamiliar process for many users.
The three levels of question/thread/posting were found to be visually difficult to
follow, especially since the thread had to be "opened" in order for the user to see
the associated postings.
It is essential to thoroughly user-test all functions of a web-based system well in advance
of a conference. It is certain that adjustments will be needed before the conference goes
online. This testing should be done on different computer systems, with different
browsers, different e-mail systems, and in and outside of one's own organization.