Perhaps we're headed for virtual conferences that are something like a large set of webinars or screencasts that have some kind of interactivity to it. If that happens, I'll just have to create some "networking" events that feed my need for person-to-person interaction ;)
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ted Roche Sent: Monday, September 18, 2006 5:03 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: FoxForward -- thanks On 9/18/06, Rick Schummer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The number one reason people don't attend conferences is the direct availability of > content on the Internet. A distant second is cost. This is based on direct feedback I have > received from developers. The facts are plain and simple. Conference attendance has gone > down year after year and content on the Internet has gone up. I meet people at every > conference who are surprised to learn the networking is such a big benefit. Everyone who > attends a conference knows this is a huge benefit. > The numbers just don't bear that out, either in the VFP market (which we know is at best not growing): http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~VFPConferenceAttendance (2005 had the second highest attendance since 1995) Or in other computer conferences. Some go up, some go down, pattern is really hard to discern. Nine-eleven squashed attendance, Katrina did it again. Folks are less inclined to fly into the US. US attendees are less inclined to travel. That internet content goes up while conference attendance goes down is at best a correlation, not a cause-and-effect. I really think that making content available has to be tested to determine if the overal result is good or bad. Folks can show their bosses what can be learned at a conference; the smart ones send their developers; the dumb ones think they don't have to. I agree with you that cost is a factor; I've often heard that cited. But availability of materials I haven't heard. Google can find our white papers whether they're published on individual sites or by the conference attendee (although conference banners would be great to stick in there). I don't think finding the answer you need now to a question on Google has that much to do with whether you choose to attend a conference, but I'd like to see more information on this developed by both sides. -- Ted Roche Ted Roche & Associates, LLC http://www.tedroche.com [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
