Reference 4 (Added April 17) is a 30 page ACM guide written in the early COVID era.

Consider stretching the workshop. For example, do we want a full day or to try a few hours per day over a few days? (“By spacing out the learning over a longer period, there is a much greater chance that your attendees will have the opportunity to digest, review, reflect, and apply what they learn” see point 9)

Messaging that covers

• Have to address the social strangeness
• Video online is hard to stay focused
• We’re going to stretch it out
• Tradeoff: more dropoff within the week, but keeps ideas in mind

• Video
  • Do we record? Are the recordings available to all? Do they inhibit discussion?)
• Discussion
  • Slack
  • https://www.discourse.org/features
  • https://www.kialo.com/tour
  • https://mural.co/
  • https://realtimeboard.com/

• Train: This is how to present & lead a discussion effectively via video
• Test: Ensure that everyone has tested their setup before the day of
• Don’t be on slack while you present - moderators will select and pull stuff for you
• Clarify time per session (minutes per X on agenda)

• Set norms (including that everyone’s on video for the full event? Many comment that this helps focus).
• Prepare: Software installed and working in the setup you’ll be using.
  • Do you have bandwidth for everyone working from home?
  • Do you have water or coffee handy?
• Side channel expectations - use discussion platform extensively?

• Be explicit that this a new experience for most of us
• Regularly repeat and reinforce norms
• Conference Call bingo cards
• Icebreakers? (See point 4)
• Be explicit about length of breaks - "we'll reconvene at the top of the hour", not "we'll take a few minute break."

• Where do participants go for help with tech failures?
• Who ensures that everyone but the speaker is muted?
• https://digitalfacilitation.net/?p=404

• Make time for this
• Emphasize that people can up use of the discussion platform
• Ask that people spend time in the virtual hallway, assume goodwill and try to make it work

1. https://www.learningrevolution.net/host-a-virtual-conference-tips-for-success/
2. https://trust.guidestar.org/running-effective-virtual-meetings-tools-and-technique-for-engagement
3. https://medium.com/ashleycrutcher/tips-for-running-a-virtual-workshop-11bd7a42e70d
4. https://people.clarkson.edu/~jmatthew/acm/VirtualConferences_GuideToBestPractices_CURRENT.pdf
5. https://www.asymmetricleadership.com/2020/05/04/towards-a-design-for-a-virtual-open-source-event/
6. https://itrevolution.com/love-letter-to-conferences/ (Gene Kim, May 2020)