Blogtalk
Posted on | May 9, 2005 |
I’ve just asked the Blogtalk people if they could possibly do one-day registrations, because I can only go for Saturday. It seems odd that they acknowledge many people won’t be able to come along if they have work or family commitments, but that there is no flexibility on the registration fee. It also seems odd that the schedule still isn’t released, which must make it hard for those of you speaking to arrange your flights and your weekend in general. Or have you been told already when you’re on? Do share!
If you haven’t registered yet, another alternative is that five of us register together to get one free admission, then we could split the fee. Let me know if you’re keen to do that. I definitely want to support the conference financially but I think it’s important that there isn’t superficial recognition of the access issues that have been raised. Some of my favourite bloggers are mothers, students and casual workers. I would have liked to have met them at a conference called ‘Blogtalk’. If we can show them that people will miss the conference otherwise, and/or that they will lose money from gatecrashers, then surely something can be done…
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May 9th, 2005 @ 10:27 am
I haven’t been told when I am on yet. Xian doesn’t know either. Apparently they want us to do pod casts of our papers!!?!?!? So they may be online, but, really, who has the time to do that?
May 9th, 2005 @ 12:30 pm
Podcasts can get fucked. I’m turning up with cash for a one day pass and I’m 6 foot 5, so my problems will be short and insignificant. I reckon that a quick comment on the blogtalk blog will get a positive response!
May 9th, 2005 @ 12:56 pm
Hi Guys!
Well clearly I’m causing some rather violent reactions - for which I apologise!
However, if you just step back for 1 moment and try to imagine all the logistics of managing an event like this then you might feel less upset with me!
My main focus is to provide everyone with a fantastic event where we can all share our experiences, knowledge, passions and inspire each other with ideas for further research and dialogue!
Unfortunately, this costs money (which we don’t have) - and we intentionally have kept the costs as low as possible to just cover the venue & catering…this is really tough…and causing endles sleepless nights for me (I’m thinking of leaving the country after the conference so I don’t cop the flack!)
The program is another nightmare - I have still a number of final papers outstanding (I don’t even know if these people want to attend/present…) - so I’m going to bite the bullet this afternoon and set the program and cross my fingers….
The podcasts are optional and we thought would be welcomed as an innovative addition to the conference - clearly not…sorry!
I guess if you have any more problems with my conference management skills you could just drop me an email - I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further!
Melissa - I have attempted to send you an email but it bounces back as unknown - this is the gmail account on the conference blog!
I hope we can overcome some of this negativity and generate some positive vibes to what I’m expecting to do an exciting conference!
Cheers - ABB
May 9th, 2005 @ 1:03 pm
Absolutely, I’ll second that Anne is working her butt off to get this together and it’s a tough road!
Podcasts are totally optional, thought it’d allow people who can’t attend to participate / benefit from the conference themselves… if you’ve got a mic and an audio recording program (Audacity takes less than 5 mins to get running) a podcast takes less than 30 mins.
Oh, and if anyone can find a single 2-day conference in the whole of Australia this year that is cheaper than this one I’ll buy you a beer at the event!
May 9th, 2005 @ 1:10 pm
Oh dear, sorry Anne I accidentally put ‘au’ on my address - and I am usually the one cursed with fake email addresses on my blog! I can only imagine how difficult it is to do the organising, and I understand that you are trying to do everything on a budget. My interest in the registration issue is that I think people are less likely to come along for a few sessions if there is a blanket price, and that more people will come if there is a daily option. That is, I think you are likely to make more money if people have the chance to be flexible. I didn’t contact you directly because I thought that’s what the blog was for. Anyway, thank you for responding so quickly.
May 9th, 2005 @ 1:18 pm
Also on that front everything has to be pre-booked too so (is response to Christian) you can be as big ‘n dangerous as you want but if yer name’s not down…
May 9th, 2005 @ 4:47 pm
Xian, you are wearing your angry-man hat! Appropriate fortune-cookie-ism in Chinenglish: Passion is best, but bestest when it is love. (Carn, dude, share the love!)
Anne and James, I think Mel makes a good point re: money making potential of day passes, but I am sure you would’ve already laboured over impossible decisions like the one between the financial security of known attendees vs the possibility of a greater total number of attendees for the event if door-tix and day-passes were available. The only problem is that would be some who would backlash if they had got a conference reg for two days, but then you introduce a day pass.
May 9th, 2005 @ 5:49 pm
Glen - I understand your point - however the venue (the most interesting and affordable option we could locate) doesn’t operate on walk-ins for catering purposes…final numbers are due tomorrow….bummer
I guess I’m just going to have to cop the backlash rather than the financial liablitiy option…
May 9th, 2005 @ 6:58 pm
Anne et al - sorry if my blog comment caused any constenation - such is the danger of blogging emotion (come see my paper! dont forget to tip your waitress) - I meant that ‘podcasts can get fucked’ in the nicest possible way, in that I have no Mp3 playing device nor a computer with sound, and I meant it in connection to a bunch of anti-Apple rants I’ve been committing to the ether. Podcasts are awesome I’m sure, and if I get access to the technology, even in Sydney, I’ll certainly take part.
You guys seem to be doing an awesome job, and please don’t take our comments about one-day prices as anything more than that, mere footnotes to our enthusiasm for the event. As in, we’d like the world to have all the options, but we’re happy just to take part. Okay, just don’t take *my* comments as anything more than that!
May 9th, 2005 @ 7:10 pm
..and Anne and James - kudos on a great conference lead-up, despite our worry about money, its been vastly more organised than other conferences I’ve been to - including my awesome memories of turning up to a conference in Adelaide (from a film society who shall not be named) who couldn’t cope with the fact that I didn’t have ten dollars to walk in the door and didn’t let me speak. So maybe my menacing swerves and winks come from this.
Its going to rock according to the age-old theory party equation - hands (multiplied by) guitars (divided by) surly old Deans who need to have their campuses rocked (plus) number of times a naked fat guy runs through screaming “Badiou! BAD YOU!”.
May 9th, 2005 @ 7:21 pm
Final note: on the thing of day passes, or session passes - its understandable in regards to People A wanting numbers by Date Zot - I’ve run a conference here in Melbourne and had all kinds of trouble with getting day passes or session passes up. If its not on, its not on - and its probably not worth trying it at this point.
Its just that, for example, I know 4 people who wanted to come see my paper, who were willing to pay 20-30 bucks. In the end, thats more forms to fill out for what is essentially one attendee’s worth of money - I know I’d baulk.
Would there be any equipment *at* the conference to record a podcast? Should I ask this elsewhere?
May 9th, 2005 @ 8:06 pm
Christian, are you gonna be the naked fat guy? I’m not sure how else I will recognise you. Oh yeah, that’s right, the 6 foot 5 guy, causing trouble at the rego desk…
May 9th, 2005 @ 11:58 pm
…and I shall be wearing clothes…
Xian may be staying at my joint!
Many things can be said to follow this comment, but I shall write two words followed by a series of product point-of-sale incentives/discursive qualifiers (that would appear on the clear plastic packaging as a star shaped sticker or in an email containing a flashing html spam banner and a list of fraudulent credit-card-number-stealing cheap software prices):
“Animal House”
[Director's Cut: ACADEMIC VERSION]
**46% cheaper than the Professional version**
P.S. (patronising supplemental) works to explain the constenation over the conference reg costings, but in an ironic post-Microsoft-software-product way. yeah, cause it is a BLOGGING CONFERENCE!!!!! …yeah. Alrighty…
P.P.S. (pervasively personal supererogative) if this gets it through the spam filter I will be impressed.
A spam filter with an anarchic sense of humour. Sweet. To the geek-sadness in me, it sounds like the perfect girl. lol!