4 ms·

Besides meeting new people/networking, what does one get from attending a conference physically that cannot be obtained remotely?

lr4444lr 7y ago
Hotel bar soap.
- roter 7y ago
  Or just leave the soap. Many hotels recycle it through the Global Soap Project [0] and Clean the World [1]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derreck_Kayongo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derreck_Kayongo [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_the_World https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_the_World
  - tlarkworthy 7y ago
    If I use the soap I am also recycling it, and probably more effeciently than a distribution network can.
x38iq84n 7y ago
Essentially a vacation to a new destination paid by grant money. And the hotel bar soap.
- ocschwar 7y ago
  Boy am I looking forward to going to Dayton for Rust Belt Rust. The bar soap better be awesome.
odiroot 7y ago
I can immerse myself more in presentations when I'm physically there. YT is not the same. I can also grab the speaker and ask them some questions. Also going to some new interesting places.
klyrs 7y ago
I don't know about other fields, but theorems often get proved at math conferences.
DangerousPie 7y ago
There is still a big difference between attending a talk in person and watching it on screen. From AV issues (can you see their laser pointer) to the option of easily asking a question afterwards. Plus, many scientific conferences have poster sessions which are rarely accessible remotely. And don't underestimate how important meeting new people and networking is! I would say that's probably my biggest motivation for going to conferences these days.
- xfitm3 7y ago
  Huge difference. Attending talks in person is akin to reading paperback, while watching a video is akin to a Kindle. It can be difficult to block out time on your computer and give undivided attention to a video.
  - jdietrich 7y ago
    >Huge difference. Attending talks in person is akin to reading paperback, while watching a video is akin to a Kindle. It can be difficult to block out time on your computer and give undivided attention to a video. Given that I actively prefer reading on a screen, I'm genuinely not sure if this is an apt comparison. My e-books have infinitely large margins for annotation, instant excerpting and customisable formatting. YouTube videos can be paused while I Google something, rewound if I've missed something and played on fast-forward if the speaker is needlessly slow.
tcpekin 7y ago
Isn't that the idea behind (academic) conferences? Bringing together everyone in a field to meet new people/network, and also learn from talks and poster sessions is the motivation. There is something I've found fundamentally different in being able to spend time with professors or graduate students "trapped" at a conference poster session than reaching out across time zones via an email->potential phone call. The ability to see tons of different research, ask stupid questions, and bounce ideas off of people in real time without any other distractions means that, to me, they usually are much more productive than I expected them to be.

lr4444lr 7y ago

Hotel bar soap.

roter 7y ago
Or just leave the soap. Many hotels recycle it through the Global Soap Project [0] and Clean the World [1]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derreck_Kayongo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derreck_Kayongo [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_the_World https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_the_World
- tlarkworthy 7y ago
  If I use the soap I am also recycling it, and probably more effeciently than a distribution network can.

x38iq84n 7y ago

Essentially a vacation to a new destination paid by grant money. And the hotel bar soap.

ocschwar 7y ago
Boy am I looking forward to going to Dayton for Rust Belt Rust. The bar soap better be awesome.

odiroot 7y ago

I can immerse myself more in presentations when I'm physically there. YT is not the same. I can also grab the speaker and ask them some questions. Also going to some new interesting places.

klyrs 7y ago

I don't know about other fields, but theorems often get proved at math conferences.

DangerousPie 7y ago

There is still a big difference between attending a talk in person and watching it on screen. From AV issues (can you see their laser pointer) to the option of easily asking a question afterwards. Plus, many scientific conferences have poster sessions which are rarely accessible remotely. And don't underestimate how important meeting new people and networking is! I would say that's probably my biggest motivation for going to conferences these days.

xfitm3 7y ago
Huge difference. Attending talks in person is akin to reading paperback, while watching a video is akin to a Kindle. It can be difficult to block out time on your computer and give undivided attention to a video.
- jdietrich 7y ago
  >Huge difference. Attending talks in person is akin to reading paperback, while watching a video is akin to a Kindle. It can be difficult to block out time on your computer and give undivided attention to a video. Given that I actively prefer reading on a screen, I'm genuinely not sure if this is an apt comparison. My e-books have infinitely large margins for annotation, instant excerpting and customisable formatting. YouTube videos can be paused while I Google something, rewound if I've missed something and played on fast-forward if the speaker is needlessly slow.

tcpekin 7y ago

Isn't that the idea behind (academic) conferences? Bringing together everyone in a field to meet new people/network, and also learn from talks and poster sessions is the motivation. There is something I've found fundamentally different in being able to spend time with professors or graduate students "trapped" at a conference poster session than reaching out across time zones via an email->potential phone call. The ability to see tons of different research, ask stupid questions, and bounce ideas off of people in real time without any other distractions means that, to me, they usually are much more productive than I expected them to be.