This weekend, I was a speaker at WANACon, put on by the tireless and inspiring Kristen Lamb. WANACon is unlike any writers conference I’ve been to!
I didn’t exactly know what I was getting into when Kristen first asked me to participate. I just said yes, sure, whatever you want! I thought initially it would be a digital classroom — like a big chat — where I’d post my lecture and then have chat-like discussions. Wow, was I wrong — and in a good way!
The conference was live with speakers. The set up was audio (and video if the presenter wanted it) where the speaker would talk and anyone who had a question with simply ask it. I could hear everyone (they muted their mics unless they had a question) and they could hear me. There was no lag time and the conference was international. There was also a chat window so they could ask questions there or comment on what I was talking about. I spoke about Villains for an hour and a half and the time flew by.
It took me a bit of time to adjust my workshop style. I’m conversational, and usually when I present workshops I take visual and audio cues from the audience — are they bored? Humored? Laughing? Are they vigorously taking notes or tweeting or sleeping? I can adjust my tone and even the topic a bit if I think I’m losing my audience.
Creative Common Use Attribution: Chueyaine
They packed a lot into two days — much cheaper for attendees than flying all over the country, paying for hotels, food, and huge conference fees. I can definitely see the allure! And while a digital conference could never replace physical conference in terms of networking, one-on-one meetings, and the camaraderie you build (not to mention seeing friends you only see once a year!), there is definitely a place for digital conferences in a writer’s conference schedule. I would absolutely pay for one if there was a speaker I really wanted to hear from. And … if an attendee couldn’t be at their computer? All register conference members got digital downloads of all the speakers. Pretty darn cool.
But I immediately saw other benefits to this digital speaking format. I’m sure other authors have done this kind of thing, but it’s all new to me. I mean, I’m familiar with Skype (though it intimidates me a bit!) but this forum was cleaner and neater and very, very easy. There’s probably some big cost to the software that I don’t know about, but I would sure love to have it! LOL. I could see hosting informal chats with readers–like a virtual book club. How cool would that be to get together with a bunch of friends on-line and have the author there chatting with you? Sure, it’s more fun in person with a bottle or three of wine, but when time is so limited, and people live so far apart, it’s certainly an option.
What do you think? If you’re a writer, would you want to attend a digital conference? If you’re a reader, would you attend a virtual book club or listen to an author speak live, followed by Q&A where you could participate as if you were in the same room? Kristen said that the forum software was originally developed as a tool for homeschooled children, where they could take live classes on-line. (There was even an icon to click to “raise your hand” if you had a question!) Could you see other applications to a visual, audio computer conference room?
Allison Brennan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly three dozen romantic thrillers and mysteries, including the Lucy Kincaid series and the Max Revere series. She lives in Northern California with her husband, five children, and assorted pets.
THANK YOU Allison for being brave and attending. We knew it was tough for people to envision what they were in for until they’d been into our digital classroom, so we SO appreciate the leap of faith. And you are correct. NOTHING can replace the in-person conference, but WANACon’s goal is to supplement those conferences.
Everything is changing so quickly and writers don’t have the luxury of getting information only once or twice a year. With WANACon, we can still attend the biggies like RWA Nationals, Thrillerfest or RT, but then WANACon can keep us sharp and ready the rest of the year.
Everyone (me included) LOVED your presentation. One of the things I liked as that, as you mentioned books or references, I was already on my computer so I could go look them up and bookmark them to buy…and I was in yoga pants and a Muppets t-shirt, LOL.
Again, thank you for being so willing to do something new. Brave people like you helped WANACon be able to boldly go where no writing conference had gone before, :D.
And this is the classroom we use for teaching at WANA International. Students can learn from home and actually hear and see the instruct and interact. If you are learning Twitter, then Marcy can share her computer to show a student what she’s referring to. This makes learning easy, fun and affordable.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! And we certainly would love you to present at the next WANACon. Your classes are golden!
Thanks for the deeper explanation! I’m glad people enjoyed my presentation (as I said, I love talking about the bad guys!) I also like how you call it a “supplement” to national conference. It’s perfect for that. And of course I’ll come back! Where else can I attend a conference and speak in my pajamas??? 😉
That sounds like it’d be a lot of fun, both for writers and for con-goers. I’ll have to look into that for next year, thanks for bringing it up!
The other benefit is cost — you get top speakers for far less money than you would spend at a regional or national conference. I still think there is a huge benefit for physical conferences (especially the face-to-face with friends, agents, editors, etc.) but this is a viable program that works for people who can’t get to a conference (cost or location) or want to listen to more speakers/unique information (a lot of the presentations related to digital media, etc.)
I don’t think anything will ever replace face-to-face. There is something to be said for everyone in the same room. That being said, in the current fiscal environment digital solutions are becoming the norm. It is nice to see that there are a few that are working well and have broad applications.
I agree about face-to-face. The most disconcerting thing for me was not seeing my audience. I usually take cues from facial expressions and posture to figure out how I’m doing. I also expect to hear laughter at times, and will laugh myself at something, but it feels weird not to hear other people laugh! It makes me think that I flopped, LOL.
Thank you for your take on villans at wanacon! I am definately planning on attending this digital conference again.
As a reader, a Q and A with the author of a book on a format like that would be pretty darn cool! Everything digital is advancing so fast, not just in publishing.
You were probably my favorite speaker, if only for the Hannibal references. LOL. I love Hannibal!
LOL Melinda! I think Hannibal is a great villain, but I’m glad I didn’t read the “prequel” to the series because I think it would have ruined it for me (someone I know and trust told me not to read it or I’d be disappointed.) Because THE RED DRAGON was so influential to me as a new author, I didn’t want to ruin that. Other books I mentioned were by Keith Ablow. PSYCHOPATH is my favorite (and in the handouts, I have an excerpt from the book) — but all his books are amazing. I like his fiction more than his non-fiction, but I’ve read them all.
Interesting! I think I’d like to listen. I’d really like the chat feature where I could send my questions with out interrupting anything. But, yes, it must be hard to talk without picking up those visual clues from the audience. Is this free software?
I doubt it’s free — but I’m sure your other half could find out! He seems to be smart that way 🙂 … I would love for someone to create a business around this, where they would manage the chats for you (there were TWO moderators making sure that each presentation ran smoothly, plus there was a tech guy in charge of the whole conference tech stuff.) But if someone with brains did it, I would absolutely pay a fee to use it for an evening and have a reader/fan chat, or where it could be made available for book clubs to “host” a favorite author. Skype and other programs work well for some things, but whenever you have more than two people, I think it becomes difficult.
Definitely sounds not free!
I was excited to see you listed as a speaker for WANACon and to have the opportunity to hear you speak on Villains!
I agree with Kristen in her vision of WANACon as a supplement to in-person conferences. And I like that they will be more frequent as, in many respects with the digital age, the industry is changing, and changing fast. It’s also an opportunity for those who cannot get away as frequently to major in-person conferences to keep up.
I had no idea of what I was in for going into this online writing conference. The technology impressed me. We had a social gathering the evening before it started. Met in the virtual bar, so to speak. We could all pop on the video cams and see each other face-to-face, if we so desired, and hear each others voices. We had a chat room to congregate in between sessions. We were able to pitch live to agents one-on-one in private classrooms.
And who could resist PajamaCon at the end of the conference?
I think what WANACon has accomplished is ground-breaking and is only going to improve from one digital conference to the next.
And the short answer is — Yes, I would attend a digital conference. And I did!
Please come back for another workshop, Allison. We so enjoyed your presentation.
Thanks Elen — I love presenting workshops, it’s fun and much easier than traveling. (Especially since I have five kids!) It was the quality of interaction that mostly impressed me with this.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the Villain’s workshop. I love talking about villains, and hope to update my presentation to include more examples from film (I have a lot from books, but film villains are better known.)
Hi Allison,
I so glad you had a positive experience at WANACon. It was an honor to be your moderator for the session.
I hope you come back again, and I’ll definitely help moderate your session next time too. 🙂
I’d love you to take care of me again! You kept it running smoothly and efficiently, much better than I would have done on my own. :/
I think it’s a great idea and something that we’ll be seeing more of/participating in in the future. I’ve been to your in-person workshops, Allison, and enjoyed them (and learned a lot!) The idea that I could have “access” to other authors I wouldn’t normally get to learn from is a big plus!
And some authors don’t like to travel, or have young kids or older parents they don’t like to leave for a week at a time. Digital conferences allow them to participate in conferences too!
Hi Allison,
It was wonderful having you at the conference. Even though I was busy keeping the hamsters powering the servers running, I really enjoyed your presentation and am thrilled you enjoyed your experience.
You sound great in the recording. 🙂
(We’ll mail out links to the recordings on Wednesday.)
And as to your worries about “some big cost to the software,” nope. The cost for attending a virtual book club meeting is less than the fuel costs for driving across town to an in-person one. Message me if you’d like to discuss.
Thanks!
-Jay
@jaytechdad
I’m keeping you in mind, Jay … I might want to do a reader chat in June, and again when my hardcover comes out in March. 🙂
Okay Allison, Great post.
& I really want to get your information on Villains. I have been so looking forward to this information!
Jan
I would participate in digital/online conferences. It sounds like efficient option.
Sounds like a good idea
How cool! I have never attended a digital conference, but I can see the appeal. So much less expensive and no time wasted in airports, taxis, etc… Plus I know a lot of moms miss out on conferences because of child care issues, so that’s a big plus.
The keyboard pictured looks like it’s from the space age. Too futuristic for me! It looks like it’d be hard to type on. I like the deep keys, not shallow ones. I’ve never even typed on a laptop.
LOL — though I didn’t take the picture, I have the same computer and keyboard! I love it. it took me awhile to get used to typing on the flatter keyboard, but I no longer have arm and wrist pain since I switched. When I worked in the legislature, we had great keyboards, but they were not ergonomically sound and I was in pain by the end of the day.
I would love to get roped in next time…or whenever. How fun! It just sounds like a great way to connect, to tach, and to learn–interactive and accessible, yet no airplane and hotel expenses:)
Next time you do that, Allison, let me know–I would’ve loved to hear what you had to say about villains…they are my least favorite characters (being the Pollyanna that I am).
Anytime! Or you can just ply me with alcohol at the next conference and I’ll tell you anything … 😉
Sounds interesting. Like the idea of participating without them seeing you. I am not a speaker. I get tongue-tied saying my name let alone speak.
Hiya Alison … Great workshop, t’was a hoot, and informative. Your quote about protagonists and villains? Priceless.
I’ve been to a few online Cons over the last few years, and while some had live chats, some had forum presentations, some had audio/visual/powerpoint presentations – all very valuable teaching tools – none had all of it on one screen, at the same time. That and the depth of speakers is what made it stand out.
I think the lack of face-to-face engagement was somewhat eased by the ability to read the real-time comments/questions in the chat window.
T
Yes sound s good
I don’t think it would replace the face to face experience you could get but at the same time, it would be neat to attend things that are out of state and can’t attend in person