Other activities that have become standard for us are the Webtours of Hawaii and the virtual cafe. Besides attending the conference, participants could experience a virtual tour of Hawaii by going sightseeing, visiting museums, listening to Hawaiian music, shopping or wandering on the campuses of the universities and colleges in Hawaii. If their spirit moved them, participants could send electronic postcards to their loved ones. The tours give the conference a sense of location. The virtual cafe, a WebChat room that stays open throughout the three conference days, provides a sense of community.
Participants can visit at any time to meet others who have dropped in to relax and talk.
I'm always quick to say that, like apples and oranges, online and F2F conferences really should not be compared. But then I find myself immediately launching into a discussion of the advantages of an online conference. The feature that matters most to me is the greater potential for interaction. At a F2F conference, I could never hope to attend all the presentations and personally int eract with all the presenters. Theoretically, I could also actively participate in all the open forums, roundtables, special panel-forums, workshops, keynote discussions, and tours.