Caucus
Guide for Conference Organizers
By Stuart Karabenick, Ph.D.
Center for Instructional Computing
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
Last revised: 4 April 1996
This guide was written for the Center for the Instructional Computing and University Computing at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan. It has been revised and reprinted with Dr. Karabenick's permission. For more details about how to use Caucus features to start and organize a conference, see the companion guide Caucus Conference Organizer "How To".
This guide is intended for new organizers of Caucus conferences. Prospective organizers may be familiar with conferencing in general, and Caucus in particular; however, there are certain features and issues with which organizers need to be familiar and which deserve special emphasis. These are examined in the following sections. It should be noted that the original guide was written for a large conferencing system in a university setting, and a special section is devoted to that context. Most of the topics, however, are generic, and they apply to a wide variety of settings.
Furthermore, the Organizer's Guide was prepared as a stand-alone document, and it has its own set of organizer-relevant commands (13.9). Thus, Chapter 13, or a version specifically tailored to your hardware, system, and support environment, can be an effective supplement to your conferencing environment.
1. Starting Up
1.1 Types of Conferences
Each conferencing application will have a variety of conferences suited to that environment. In general there are two types.
Open
In an open conference, membership is available to anybody with access to the Caucus conferencing system. Open conferences cover general topics open to all. These can include anything from restaurant reviews and company picnics to office policies, vacation schedules, music, politics, and literature.
Restricted
Restricted conferences impose some limitation on membership. The organizer can specifically designate persons who may become full or read-only members and/or exclude others. Examples of restricted conferences are:
Course-related
In an academic setting one of the major uses is in connection with classes. In the typical course conference, membership is restricted to students and their instructor. Additional non-course participants, such as other faculty members or experts, are sometimes included (see Course Conferencing, section 7).
Special purpose
There are many types of special conferences whose membership may be partially or fully restricted. Examples in an academic setting are: thesis committees, faculty committees, student and faculty organizations and research groups. Business examples are: Boards of Directors, research and development groups, holiday party committees, and sales support groups.
1.2 Obtaining Computer IDs for Participants
Using Caucus requires some kind of computer account or "id". Typically these ids will either be assigned by your organization, or else can be selected by the users themselves. If you as an organizer are running a restricted conference, you will need to know your members id's so that you can identify them.
1.3 Starting a New Conference
In some applications, users are free to start their own conferences. In other settings, a conferencing system coordinator may restrict the number and type of conferences. Restrictions prevent duplication of discussions and conserve system resources. (For information on how to start new conferences, see the Caucus Conference Organizer's "How To".)
1.4 Learning to Use Caucus
It is very important that participants know how to use the system before engaging in any "serious" conferencing. Introductory training sessions led by experienced users, practice (fun!) conferences, and provision of quick reference guides to users are suggested.
2. Principles of Conference Organizing
2.1 Creating a General Framework
An organizer's first task is to provide a conference structure, or framework. Considerable time and care at this phase is suggested. The information participants first encounter begins to establish this structure.
Pre-conference Communication
Computer conferencing is often preceded by interaction using non-electronic means. Quite frequently, participants communicate with each other by phone and/or discuss the conference in person prior to any computer communication. These interactions may be augmented by printed material that announces the conference, its goals, topics to be covered, and information about the participants. Such interactions and information are especially important for first-time conference users. The more they know prior to going on-line, the more they can concentrate on mastering the conferencing system and substantive content. Consider the nature and extent of such preliminary communication and how it can help to achieve your conference's objectives.
Conference Interaction
Conferencing users are required to register the first time they use the system. That registration carries over to all conferences of which they become members. Their first interaction with a specific conference consists of an introduction, followed by a greeting. The organizer customizes them by editing some text inside Caucus.
Introduction
The purpose of the introduction is to describe the conference to prospective participants. It is displayed the first time a participant joins a conference. Its major utility is giving prospective members of open conferences enough information to decide whether they wish to join. For closed conferences the introduction is typically less important since it is presumed that members of a restricted group would already know why they are joining.
Greeting
The greeting is text that is displayed every time participants join a conference. The greeting can serve several functions. For example, at the outset, it can serve to orient members by elaborating the conference's goals, purposes and etiquette and rules (see section 5). Later it can be used as a bulletin board for announcements or to direct participants to important new information, items, or responses. Some organizers prefer to keep greetings brief and use a separate item as a bulletin board.
2.2 The First Few Conference Items
The first conference items (discussion topics) have an important bearing on a conference's success. This is especially true when participants are new to conferencing. The following are recommended:
Extended Introductions
The first item gives participants the opportunity to expand upon the information they provided when they first registered in the conferencing system. Consider asking them to describe their background and/or provide other relevant information. This is especially important in larger and open conferences and even in small conferences in instances where participants are relatively unfamiliar with each other.
Purpose(s)
Even if discussed in other forms (e.g., in pre-conference interactions or hard-copy) an item devoted to the conference's purposes is worth including. This is your opportunity to restate the conference's goals and, importantly, to receive feedback from participants. It provides an opportunity for participants to ask questions and to suggest alternatives after having encountered the original introduction and greeting. The item may also be useful in keeping track of changes in objectives as the conference progresses.
Help With the Conferencing System
This item provides a central place to ask questions and serves to reduce the stigma that participants often attach to seeking help. It is especially important for novice conferencers.
Bulletin Board
Even if the greeting is reserved for fast-breaking news, an item devoted to a bulletin board is quite useful. Unlike the conference greeting, past information remains, and there is a record of prior bulletins.
Conference Rules and Norms
Another useful item is one reserved for the discussion of special conference rules or norms. For example, there may be issues of confidentiality, anonymity, adding items or altering previous responses, and rules of conduct (see Etiquette and Rules, section 5) that need to be stated and about which participants may have opinions.
3. Managing Your Conference
3.1 Facilitating Interaction
Starting Discussions
Participants, especially novice conferencers, are understandably reluctant to respond to "blank" items. Thus, a useful technique is for organizers to respond to their own items just to get the ball rolling. For example, an organizer might be the first respondent to the item used for extended introductions or the one used to discuss a conference's purposes.
Respond to Initial Responses
Keep in mind that while you may enjoy discussions and conferencing, some people do not. They may be cautious and embarrassed about stating their own opinions in public, and, quite possibly, intimidated by computers. It helps if organizers respond to participants' contributions either in the conference itself or by sending a private message acknowledging their input.
Developing a Sense of Cohesion
Although physically and temporally separated, regular conference participants can develop a feeling of cohesiveness. This dynamic varies according to the nature of the conference. It is more evident in longer-lasting working groups than in large open conferences, but it is usually present in all conferences to some degree.
Organizers can play an important function in nurturing cohesion. It helps to greet people when they join. Ask them questions. Encourage people who have not contributed to do so rather than just to read. Give participants feedback! Remember, as in face-to-face discussions, participants who are consistently ignored, who feel they are talking to themselves, will cease to contribute.
Lighten Up!
Humor can be an important element of discussions. If not spontaneously generated by participants themselves, consider injecting some in otherwise "serious" conferences. It helps relax people if you break the ice first.
Degree of Organizer Participation
Too many public responses by an organizer can make a conference seem moderator-dominated. Thus, organizers should consider using private e-mail to make constructive comments, to ask a participant why they haven't contributed, or to defuse an argument. Private e-mail does not interfere with conference activity.
Summarizing
Providing summaries is another important organizer function. This helps current participants to quickly understand what has transpired while helping new participants catch up on discussions.
Keeping Things Going
Because computer conferences can extend over long time periods, there are two important maintenance operations. One is to bring in new material to help freshen up conferences. Consider bringing in material from other sources (including from other conferences). The second is to houseclean occasionally by deleting dormant items and keeping subject categories up to date.
3.2 Managing Discussion Topics
How Many Items, How Structured the Conference?
Some conferences have a very well-defined and detailed agenda which should be set by the organizer in advance. For example, a group working on a task (e.g., a new marketing strategy), a course conference, or a committee established to discuss a new program might have specific topics they need to discuss. In these instances the items may be known in advance and the conference structure may be rigid. However, in conferences with more general topics (e.g., office morale, micros or music), it may not be possible, or even desirable, to do this. For open conferences, it is suggested that the initial topic structure consist of a few general items. More specific items typically emerge from those general discussions, and there may be hundreds of items in conferences of a long duration.
Item Drift
An important moderator function deals with what is called "item drift." This occurs when people stray from the topic of an item. You might want to gently (sometimes not so gently) remind "drifters" to return to the topic. Conferences with significant item drift turn out to be "muddy" since the same topic may be discussed in many different items. Some drift is inevitable (do not be too heavy-handed), it is a matter of degree. In fact, participants sometimes signal they are drifting to make a digression (by saying "set drift on" and "set drift off"), indicating that others should not follow their lead. If the drift is significant and raises issues or covers topics not addressed in other items, a new item may be warranted.
Grouping Items Into Subject Categories
Caucus provides the capacity for organizers to group items under subjects. This is an extremely important organizer function, especially in large, open conferences and those of long duration. Like items, these might be thought out in advance and grouped under these headings as they are added. In some conferences with no set agenda, they are likely to develop as the conference progresses. It would also be helpful for you to notify participants of the subjects' existence and explain how to access items by subject categories.
Private E-Mail vs. Public Responses to Items
A conferencing system is designed to facilitate group discussions. Private e-mail would, therefore, seem antithetical to this purpose. Nevertheless, e-mail can serve many useful functions. As in face-to-face discussions, there are some things better said in private. Some communications are simply more appropriate for another individual or subset of the entire group. It is suggested that as much of the communication as possible be conducted in the conference itself (it would not be much of a conference otherwise), while recognizing the need for private communications. The presence of extensive private communication between some people could suggest the need for another conference for those members. For more information on e-mail, see chapter 5.
4. Participant Restrictions
4.1 Adding Items
Typically, conference participants are permitted to add their own items. There are, however, circumstances in which this may be undesirable. This is especially true in newly organized conferences, when it may be beneficial for the organizer to maintain control of the topics and/or the order in which they are discussed. There may even be conferences where the organizer wants to completely control the conference items, such as in computer-mediated business meetings and, in educational settings, course conferences. Once conferences have matured, an organizer may wish to relax this restriction. Note that open conferences would probably not survive this restriction for very long.
4.2 Altering Previously Entered Conference Material
Unless you decide otherwise, participants are permitted to change (i.e., edit, replace, or delete) material they have previously entered (items or responses). This is useful when, in retrospect, they are not content with something they have said. However, there may be circumstances when allowing such changes would be inappropriate. For example, in a group working on a sensitive topic, retrospective changes could significantly alter the context in which subsequent remarks are embedded, changing their meaning entirely. It is suggested that restricting the right to make such changes should be used with caution and only with the consent of the participants. Of course, you can always reverse the restriction. Restricting changes is ordinarily not appropriate for public conferences.
4.3 Names: Real and Pseudo
Except for duplications of names already registered, participants can select any name they desire. Thus, pseudonyms are possible and can be used creatively. For example, names can be used for role-playing, or groups of individuals can select similar names for simulations. However, under some circumstances they may be inappropriate, as in business settings or in course conferences where it is necessary to track participation. Furthermore, pseudonyms should be used responsibly and not to harm or impersonate other conference members. Remember, the identity of the author of any item or response can be discovered despite the use of pseudonyms.
5. Etiquette and Rules
5.1 Remedies for Violations
Organizers of open conferences need to be especially sensitive to objectionable content. After all, participants' comments are available to anyone with access to your Caucus system. The same basic guidelines that apply to free speech using any other medium apply here as well. There are two minimal rules that should be adhered to in all public conferences: no vulgar language and no personal attacks.
There are several ways to handle problems:
* Delete any offensive material (items or responses).
* Ask the person to apologize for offensive remarks.
* Send a private e-mail or speak directly to the participant involved.
* Publicly chastise the participants in the conference.
* Exclude members from the conference and/or system if necessary.
5.2 Confidentiality
Confidentiality is frequently an issue any time people communicate. However, since computer conferencing creates an instant transcript, breaches of confidentiality become markedly simplified: it is relatively simple to print material, copy it to another conference, or publish it in some other fashion. Thus, computer conferencing provides a greater potential for abuse.
It is typically assumed that conference material is intended only for other participants. Reproducing that material for wider distribution would violate that assumption. However, if material in a conference is of a particularly sensitive nature, you might wish to:
* Discuss the issue of confidentially with participants
* Place a notice in the introduction and/or greeting about the confidentiality policy
* Suggest that persons who specifically wish should emphasize confidentiality in their communications
6. Winding Down
6.1 Archiving Your Conferences
Keeping a permanent record of a conference is highly recommended. This is especially true for course and special purpose conferences that you may wish to review after they have ceased to exist. One option is to print a hard copy. Another is to write the conference to a file (see print and file transfer commands, in the Caucus 2.0 User's Guide.)
6.2 Terminating Conferences
Open conferences run continuously but are typically restarted periodically (with much advance notification to participants) to conserve computer resources. Conferences established for specific purposes (e.g., task groups) have a definite life. In educational settings, course conferences normally terminate when the term closes. Other special conferences may be indeterminate. In each case, the organizer should notify the conferencing system coordinator when to terminate the conference.
7. Course Conferencing In Educational Settings
7.1 Why Course Conferences?
8. Helpful Hints
Here are some additional suggestions that others have found useful:
Foreign Language Conferencing
It is possible to conduct conferences in languages other than English by adopting text conventions. The creative use of punctuation marks and symbols can substitute for many accents. The greeting or first conference item should be used to establish the conventions.
Indexing With Creative Item Titles
Items can be selected in database fashion with the judicious use of item titles. Suppose there are several working groups producing several versions of documents in one conference. If each group's document was entered as a separate item that carried the group (e.g.,G1) and version number (e.g.,V1) the list some items link from the conference home page could be used to show all documents for group 1. Other standard information contained in item titles would be similarly searchable.
9. Important Organizer Features
9.1 Conference Membership
Each conference maintains a userlist which controls who has membership privileges. This list can be edited from the customize link on the conference home page (or the "Customize USERLIST" command in the text interface.)
Completely Open Conferences
A completely open conference should have a colon (:) followed by the word "include" as the first line in the file and no other text. The second line should contain an asterisk (*). Therefore, the file would look like this:
:include
*
Restricted Conferences
To specify a list of permitted participants, the asterisk should be replaced by their user IDs. The following userlist specifies three faculty members and a student (fox).
:include
psy_karabeni
csc_remmers
ori_young
fox
Use of "Wild Cards"
To specify a group of participants with a common account name, such as a set of course accounts, enter the common element, then an asterisk which is called a "wild card". The following userlist would permit a faculty member and all students in his chemistry class. Student IDs would all begin with the course prefix, then their student number (e.g., chm610566475). The common element is chm610.
:include
chm_ramsay
chm610*
Excluding or Limiting Participants
Participants are excluded by listing their account names, following a line which reads ":exclude." In addition, participants can be limited to only being able to read (not contribute to) material by listing their account names following a line which reads ":readonly". The following userlist would permit all faculty members in a department to participate, give an invited guest (gendin) permission to read the discussions, and exclude one department member (orloff) from accessing the conference at all.
:include
psy_*
:readonly''
phi_gendin
:exclude''
psy_orloff
9.2 Customizing Conference Characteristics
Customize the Introduction
The conference introduction may also be edited from the "customize conference" page. Modify it to suit your needs for the particular confernce. For example:
Welcome to the Music conference. Its purpose is to discuss all facets of the musical scene, both classical and contemporary. We welcome membership and participants.
Customize the Greeting
The greeting appears every time a person sees the conference home page. As with the introduction, text already exists upon the conference's creation. Modify it as you see fit. An example:
Note that the items in Music are in organized by categories, according to their title. To see these categories and the items under each, click on list some items, and then pull down the menu bar to "by words in title". See item 26 for a discussion of the next assignment.
Allow users to add new items?
The organizer may instruct Caucus to permit or deny conference participants the right to add their own items. The default is to permit adding items.
Allow users to edit their own responses?
Caucus gives the organizer the option of not permitting participants to alter, replace, or delete the text of items and responses they have entered. The default setting permits such changes.