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Online conferences are the best:
* attend in pyjamas, pause, rewind, listen x1.5, never miss a talk
* no travel costs, anyone in the world can join, rich or poor
* talks can reach thousands of people, not just a room-full
* and waaaaaaaaay less CO2
* attend in pyjamas, pause, rewind, listen x1.5, never miss a talk
* no travel costs, anyone in the world can join, rich or poor
* talks can reach thousands of people, not just a room-full
* and waaaaaaaaay less CO2
Even the talks are better:
* speakers are less stressed out
* pre-recorded videos are higher quality: demos work, errors are edited out
* people are less afraid to ask questions by chat
* anyone can answer questions, not just the speaker
* speakers are less stressed out
* pre-recorded videos are higher quality: demos work, errors are edited out
* people are less afraid to ask questions by chat
* anyone can answer questions, not just the speaker
So what exactly are we missing from physical conferences? Not the content, but a few psychological features:
* being in a physical crowd of like-minded people can be exhilarating. We identify with the group and feel part of a shared experience (see social identity theory).
* being in a physical crowd of like-minded people can be exhilarating. We identify with the group and feel part of a shared experience (see social identity theory).
- Spending a lot of effort going to a physical conference motivates you to spend even more effort on the topic afterwards. It& #39;s the Sunk Cost fallacy exploited for self-motivation. 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😅" title="Lächelndes Gesicht mit offenem Mund und Angstschweiß" aria-label="Emoji: Lächelndes Gesicht mit offenem Mund und Angstschweiß">
- Closely related, there& #39;s also a costly signalling feature: "I traveled half the world and abandoned my family to go to this conference. This proves how serious and committed I am". https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😎" title="Lächelndes Gesicht mit Sonnenbrille" aria-label="Emoji: Lächelndes Gesicht mit Sonnenbrille">
Obviously, a huge feature is the fact that you get to meet great people in person. That& #39;s certainly true, but in my experience it& #39;s actually much easier to meet great people at local meet ups, so why travel half the world?
With physical conferences, you also get to brag about the amazing location you& #39;ve been to. But in practice you only have time to visit the airport.
In conclusion, here& #39;s the perfect combo:
online conferences + local meet ups + actual vacations.
You get all the benefits of physical conferences, without any of the drawbacks.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🥳" title="Partying face" aria-label="Emoji: Partying face">
What do you think?
online conferences + local meet ups + actual vacations.
You get all the benefits of physical conferences, without any of the drawbacks.
What do you think?
