Some reflections on remote conferencing:

I class myself as a bit of a technophobe. I’m not a digital native and would much rather meet IRL, as the kids used to say.

But, there are considerable advantages to this new way of gathering. Starting with ...

Accessibility. Our online conference #WordsworthWaterWriting enabled Wordsworth enthusiasts from across the globe to participate in free, open debate. No fees, no accommodation costs, no travel costs.

I miss the chance interactions in the coffee breaks between panels. I miss boozy chats after the official conference dinner. I miss people. But, on the whole, remote conferencing enables us to do all those cool things we always imagined, but could not put into practice.

Now, I just need to get comfortable with the technology. I found it difficult to concentrate on the excellent presentations while navigating numerous screens, buttons and discussion threads. But despite my fumbling attempts to run the show, people were very kind.

Democracy. Remote conferences opens academia to the wider world, enabling institutionally affiliated scholars to engage in debate with diverse audiences. This was not possible in the days when participation in conferences cost the earth.

Talking of which, apart from the carbon emissions generated by the hum of 50+ PCs and attendant servers, our conference had a negligible carbon footprint: no trains, planes and automobiles; no soulless corporate hotels.