Hi Everybody

It's a great idea to have some live online activity as requested by 
Nurul and Karen and we'll discuss it in the DRS Council's 
post-conference review but it is also important to recognise the value 
of meeeting up in "meatspace" and the dangers of mixing up the two kinds 
of engagement. We need also to notice the huge sustained efforts made by 
the conference organisers who exhaust themselves creating the event - 
it's easy to think of a wish-list of extras you would like but sometimes 
we should accept that they have done everything they can do.

For academics (and I include all serious researchers in that 
description) attending conferences is a vital part of their work and the 
main benefit is the social one of allowing us to get to know each other 
and exchange ideas informally. Arguably the more formal part of the 
event - the papers and presentations - could be done efficiently online 
by publishing proceedings and either powerpoint files (they would need 
good commentary notes, not just bullet points) or streaming video or 
audio talks by the contributors. However none of that would allow the 
extended debate and networking and.maybe it would act as a disincentive 
for universities to pay for their staff or students (especially 
students) to attend.

There are exciting developments that mean we will do more collaboration 
and conferencing online in future, I've seen some very ambitious Grid 
computing work that creates large group video meetings of amazing 
realism and quite a few specialist events use streaming video and online 
participation - often they are more focused seminars or workshops rather 
than a general academic conference. At a simpler level, this mail list 
provides a very dynamic everyday forum for many of the people who will 
attend Wonderground and DRS has been active in developing online 
conference formats.

For example Ken Friedman ran an important online conference in November 
2003, using this very list, to debate the nature of design education and 
support the thinking of University of Cailifornia Irvine in developing 
their design school. You can find the complete record of the debate at 
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/PHD-DESIGN.html in the November 2003 
section.

This year Ken and I ran another 4-week online event (we called it a 
workshop) which built on the experience of the Irvine Conference to 
discuss issues relating to "practice-led" research in art, design and 
architecture. Over 250 people joined the event and around 50 of them 
took an active part in debate.You can find that at 
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/AHRC-WORKSHOP-PL.html. We are trying to 
develop the "social" aspect of online discussion so that event included 
weekend sessions to discuss football (it coincided with the world cup) 
and cookery. The archive includes some memorable recipes including 
Ranulph Glanville's "Fool" and Daria Loi's mother's recipe for "Lepre in 
Salmi" (In case you were wondering, women and men seemed to play an 
equal part in both discussions)

So we are moving that way but, for the time being, I'm happy that the 
DRS big conference every two years requires people to travel and spend 
several days in a special place to get to know each other so that the 
online discussions of the intervening years benefit from the 
understanding and respect that we gain. Of course it is not possible for 
everybody to attend but increasing numbers are able to make it.

best wishes from Sheffield
Chris Rust
Chair of DRS Council

********************
Professor Chris Rust
Head of Art and Design Research Centre
Sheffield Hallam University, UK
+44 114 225 2686
[log in to unmask]
www.chrisrust.net




Nurul Rahman wrote:
> Dear Eduardo and all,
>
> I'm pretty new in this list. I saw the conference site and indeed 
> Karen, very interesting. I would like to raise the same issues as 
> Karen, as I will not be able to attend the conference, will it be 
> possible to have the online option?
>
> cheers,
> Nurul
>
> On 18/10/2006, at 1:19 AM, Karen wrote:
>
>> Dear Eduardo and all,
>>
>>
>> I have just read the site and the papers are interesting. I was also 
>> quietly surprised and amused by who were the authors behind the 
>> papers. I get the feeling that the conference is going to be fun. I 
>> am also wondering how many people will be there.
>> Anyone has ideas for a web-conference? I think it would be even 
>> better to have sessions on-line that includes people
>> who may not be able to attend and for outsiders (not designers 
>> themselves but are interested in design) to grow some interest in 
>> this area. i think its good for the design profession. It would also 
>> allow greater interaction of thoughts and ideas coming on 
>> simultaneously. Other than making it a genuinely a world wide event, 
>> it would also stimulate a more exciting conference.
>>
>> Just a thought after reading the site.
>>
>> cheers!
>> Karen Fu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> At 07:34 PM 17/10/2006, Eduardo Corte Real wrote:
>>> Dear Friends,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Wonderground is here.
>>>
>>> In the 31st of October with a Halloween Welcome Party, the 3rd DRS 
>>> international conference will start.
>>>
>>> 250 papers will be presented.
>>>
>>> I, once a fine sturdy young man, now a human wreck, welcome all 
>>> delegates.
>>>
>>> I call your attention for the provisional program and soon to the 
>>> abstracts online.
>>>
>>> I would risk that this is the biggest Design Research Conference ever.
>>>
>>> Lets now work to make it the best.
>>>
>>> More information in www.iade.pt/drs2006
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> My best regards,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Eduardo
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> PS: On top of this my younger daughter lost her first tooth.  My 
>>> Wife explained her the Tooth Fairy operation. She was happy but a 
>>> little concerned. By the night she came to us and said: "I know how 
>>> it works: The Tooth Fairy has this huge screen with lots of 
>>> televisions showing all the kids in the world with 
>>> about-to-fall-teeth. That way she can spot the ones who will get 
>>> presents and arrive in the same night."
>>>
>>> Another Fantastic Being saved by technology!
>>>
>>> That's what wonderground is all about: making a fantastic world.
>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
>>> Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 268.13.4/225 - Release Date: 
>>> 13/10/2006
>>
>
>
>