The Virtual Convention

Using an interface similar to an electronic message board, Rheingold Associates has developed the online equivalent of a three-day convention.

Combining web conferencing with skilled facilitation, the Virtual Convention is a profoundly interactive event. Participants can engage in dialog with the speakers and session leaders as well as with each other. They can keep a community memory of their presentations and discussions that anyone can read and add to twenty-four hours a day, from any location. The content of the ongoing discourse includes text, graphics, animations, and streaming audio/video.

An online event, like a face-to-face event, has a specific tempo. The key to maintaining that tempo are trained facilitators-"Cybrarians"- who are there to help mediate all the conversations. Cybrarians help participants gain the most value by helping to index and structure the information generated during the conference.

When a session is over, the dialog remains accessible for the duration of the Virtual Convention. When the convention is over, hyperlinked CD-Rom proceedings are available to all participants.

Accessible through any web browser, the Virtual Convention offers special events and ongoing opportunities for dialog for a period of three weeks. An event in March: Online Social Networks 2001