Thanks Richard.
Great point...and while I'm not doing research on conferences and their role in organizational change and knowledge production, I do recall references to pretty intense debates about the value of, and changing nature (or not...) of conferences. Alas I can't provide any leads here but others might be able to.
I also find it interesting that the AAG meeting is, in some ways, a defacto international conference now. I am not sure if the US organizers have been able to think through all of the implications of such a function, as many discovered last year in Washington DC when the volcano in Iceland disrupted return flights to many countries. This slowly evolving outcome has its pros and cons too, of course.
In any case thanks...guilty as charged :) I agree with you -- conferences should be drawn into the debate about the existing and ideal nature of the configuration of our communications/engagement mechanisms & strategies. Kris
On 03/04/11, Richard Milne wrote:
> Kris and list,
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> There's an irony to following your description of how different scholarly publishing would look if designed in the digital age with 'lets discuss it at the AAG'! Although they serve a range of purposes, allowing the trying out of new ideas, forming new connections etc. conferences are themselves limiting and limited. Conference conversations have to happen there and then, they are ephemeral and inaccessible to those not attending and their depth and development is often not captured in the publications that emerge. When online discussions like this one emerge, or when debate develops around blog posts, conferences can appear as anachronistic as academic publishing norms.
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