It also includes activities such as livechat that begin and end at a certain time. A description of our conference may better clarify the differences. We have followed a pattern over the years. We begin with preconference sessions a week or two prior to the actual conference. Practice WebChats and MOOs are set up, and participants have a chance to practice logging in and chatting.
Staff stand by at certain times of the day to answer questions, provide guidance, etc.
About a week prior to the conference, we open the password-protected webpages that contain the presentations. Each paper is also linked to a special email discussion list, which gives the participants an opportunity to discuss the ideas presented in the papers. Each presenter is also scheduled for a fifty-minute livechat session on one of the three conference days. In these sessions, participants get to meet and talk with presenters about ideas in the papers. On the opening day, the conference officially begins with greetings that are emailed to all participants at the official starting time.