Subject: [vmeet] Fwd: WebEx and Remote Presentations

From: IETF Chair <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:05:33 -0400

This is of interest to this mail list.

Russ

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: WebEx and Remote Presentations
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:50:21 -0400
From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Reply-To: [email-masked]
To: IETF WG Chairs <[email-masked]>
CC: IAB <[email-masked]>

Dear WG Chairs:

WebEx has proven a very useful tool for interim virtual meetings, and we
will continue to make WebEx available for this purpose.

The IETF has tried a WebEx experiment for remote presentations at IETF
meetings.  For the most part, this experiment has been a failure.  Too
much time is spent getting WebEx and the room audio system to cooperate.
 And, when it does not, there can be loud obnoxious disruptive noises.
As a result of this situation, the IESG has decided to limit the WebEx
offering at IETF meetings to outbound audio and slides.  If a presenter
is unable to attend a meeting, they will have to arrange for someone
else to make their presentation.  They can listen on streaming audio or
WebEx, and they can help answer questions in jabber.

The IESG is willing to consider the remote presenter experiment again in
the future if there is evidence that the outcome might be different.

On behalf of the IESG,
  Russ Housley
  IETF Chair

---

From: Dave CROCKER <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:17:37 +0200

On 6/24/2010 9:05 PM, IETF Chair wrote:
>   Too

Russ,

Thanks for forwarding the note to the list.  I can't say the conclusion is a 
large surprise.  This stuff seems to be right on the edge of having broad 
utility, but still on the wrong side of the edge.

If it is possible for you or someone else to post a quick summary of the details 
describing the problems, it might prove useful to have that set of experience in 
the archive.  One could imagine drawing from it for specifying future criteria...

Again, thanks.

d/
-- 

   Dave Crocker
   Brandenburg InternetWorking
   bbiw.net

---

From: Peter Saint-Andre <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:26:01 -0600

On 6/24/10 2:17 PM, Dave CROCKER wrote:
> Thanks for forwarding the note to the list.  I can't say the conclusion
> is a large surprise.  This stuff seems to be right on the edge of having
> broad utility, but still on the wrong side of the edge.
> 
> If it is possible for you or someone else to post a quick summary of the
> details describing the problems, it might prove useful to have that set
> of experience in the archive.  One could imagine drawing from it for
> specifying future criteria...

Full disclosure: I work on the Webex team.

In my experience as a WG chair, most of the problems can be found along
the interface between the conferencing system and the physical room,
including:

1. large rooms with boomy audio

2. lack of A/V knowledge among the chairs and participants

3. a weak room-to-telephony transition (including issues with audio
mixers in the room and literally masking tape holding things together)

4. lack of clear instructions for those who are running the meetings

5. unprepared working group chairs

As far as I can see, those problems are not limited to Webex and would
be faced by any other conferencing system we might use.

IMHO the combination of streaming audio + chat room works fairly well
for remote attendees who just want to listen or who want to ask a
question here and there (as long as someone in the chat room is relaying
questions at the mic). However, making things work for remote presenters
is a bigger challenge.

Peter

-- 
Peter Saint-Andre
https://stpeter.im/