path: root/2022/organizers-notebook.md

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# Table of Contents

-   [Current tasks / status](#orgf14a3e8)
    -   [Organizers: Review the submissions in emacsconf-2022-private and e-mail emacsconf-org-private with any objections or comments by Sept 26 for possible early speaker notification, Oct 7 for everything](#org51a82ee)
    -   [zaeph: Write preparation instructions and decide on deadline for prerecs](#orgea044bb):zaeph:
    -   [sacha: add more submissions (CFP deadline Sept 30)](#orgf265776):sacha:
    -   [corwin: Double-check Sacha's timezone conversions for availability](#orgea58299):corwin:
    -   [corwin: Investigate streaming options, maybe OBS in the cloud](#org37c8814):corwin:
    -   [Prepare to export talk information to wiki](#orgbc3cdfd):sacha:
-   [Other tasks and processes](#orge3845f9)
    -   [Sacha: Organize volunteer information](#orgaaed6fe):sacha:
    -   [bandali: Set up file upload](#orgbe2a704):bandali:
    -   [Once talks are approved](#org0bffd54)
    -   [As prerecorded talks come in](#org1ab1993)
    -   [Other tasks before the conference](#orgdd0dce2)
    -   [During the conference](#org58d4c71)
        -   [Roles needed](#roles)
        -   [During each talk](#each-talk)
-   [Communications](#orgb4d9ac0)
    -   [Ask emacsconf-org-private for feedback on early submissions](#org326c084)
    -   [Early speaker notification](#org15d6721)
        -   [Option A: Early speaker notification(?)](#orgd0155b2)
        -   [Option B: Just letting them know it's been postponed](#org8fe7046)
    -   [Second announcement: CFP](#org455145e)
    -   [First announcement: CFP](#org595e067)


<a id="orgf14a3e8"></a>

# Current tasks / status

Planned dates and phases:

<table border="2" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6" rules="groups" frame="hsides">


<colgroup>
<col  class="org-left" />

<col  class="org-left" />
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td class="org-left"><span class="timestamp-wrapper"><span class="timestamp">[2022-09-26 Mon]</span></span></td>
<td class="org-left">Yes/no decisions for original submissions</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left"><span class="timestamp-wrapper"><span class="timestamp">[2022-09-30 Fri]</span></span></td>
<td class="org-left">Original speaker notification date</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left"><span class="timestamp-wrapper"><span class="timestamp">[2022-09-26 Mon]</span></span></td>
<td class="org-left">Yes/no decisions for original submissions</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left"><span class="timestamp-wrapper"><span class="timestamp">[2022-10-15 Sat]</span></span></td>
<td class="org-left">New speaker notification date</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left"><span class="timestamp-wrapper"><span class="timestamp">[2022-10-31 Mon]</span></span></td>
<td class="org-left">Schedule published</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left"><span class="timestamp-wrapper"><span class="timestamp">[2022-10-30 Sun]</span></span></td>
<td class="org-left">Ask early submitters if they can start</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left"><span class="timestamp-wrapper"><span class="timestamp">[2022-11-05 Sat]</span></span></td>
<td class="org-left">Target date to receive prerecs; earlier is better</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left">&#xa0;</td>
<td class="org-left">zaeph: reencode videos</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left">&#xa0;</td>
<td class="org-left">sachac: prepare talks for captioning</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left">&#xa0;</td>
<td class="org-left">volunteers: tech checks, captions</td>
</tr>


<tr>
<td class="org-left">2022-12-03, 2022-12-04</td>
<td class="org-left">Conference</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>


<a id="org51a82ee"></a>

## TODO Organizers: Review the submissions in emacsconf-2022-private and e-mail emacsconf-org-private with any objections or comments by Sept 26 for possible [early speaker notification](#org15d6721), Oct 7 for everything


<a id="orgea044bb"></a>

## TODO zaeph: Write preparation instructions and decide on deadline for prerecs     :zaeph:

We need time after the prerecs get submitted to:

-   convert the videos and check that they've been reencoded properly by watching the re-encoded ones all the way to the end
-   caption videos
-   capture any extra info
-   follow up with missing prerecs

zaeph will also figure out the ffmpeg incantation for converting videos and the process for handling submitted prerecs


<a id="orgf265776"></a>

## WAITING sacha: add more submissions (CFP deadline Sept 30)     :sacha:

-   Sacha: Add submissions to emacsconf-2022-private, draft 2-day schedule by Oct 10


<a id="orgea58299"></a>

## TODO corwin: Double-check Sacha's timezone conversions for availability     :corwin:


<a id="org37c8814"></a>

## TODO corwin: Investigate streaming options, maybe OBS in the cloud     :corwin:

-   Issue: zaeph was dropping frames


<a id="orgbc3cdfd"></a>

## TODO Prepare to export talk information to wiki     :sacha:


<a id="orge3845f9"></a>

# Other tasks and processes


<a id="orgaaed6fe"></a>

## DONE Sacha: Organize volunteer information     :sacha:


<a id="orgbe2a704"></a>

## TODO bandali: Set up file upload     :bandali:


<a id="org0bffd54"></a>

## Once talks are approved

-   Publish initial talk information pages
-   Format them nicely
-   Publish draft schedule
-   Confirm e-mail communication with all of the speakers


<a id="org1ab1993"></a>

## As prerecorded talks come in

-   Sacha: Parcel out captioning work to volunteers, help them get set up
-   Volunteers: Caption pre-recorded videos (usually starting from autogenerated ones for easier work)
-   Make sure all the links/resources mentioned are written down somewhere (web page and enriched captions for pasting into #emacsconf-accessible)


<a id="orgdd0dce2"></a>

## Other tasks before the conference

-   Coordinate volunteer schedules so all the roles are covered


<a id="org58d4c71"></a>

## During the conference

-   Volunteer: Check in speaker for live Q&A, make sure audio/video works


<a id="roles"></a>

### Roles needed

-   Streamer
    -   Send the combined stream to Icecast for broadcasting
-   Producer (possibly same as streamer)
    -   Switch scenes, manage audio volumes as needed
-   Host
    -   Introduce talks and speakers
    -   Read questions
    -   Give time warnings
    -   Thank speakers and transition to next talk
-   Check in
    -   Notice speakers checking into IRC
    -   Get them into the correct room and help them doublecheck their audio and video quality
    -   Troubleshoot as needed
    -   Notify host about next room to join
    -   Follow up with speakers who haven't checked in yet
-   Questions
    -   Copy questions from IRC and the pad to wherever the host and speaker are looking
-   Pad
    -   Organize and format people's contributions
    -   Add notes about links, key points, Q&A
-   Quality checker
    -   Doublecheck stream quality and audio volume
-   Accessibility
    -   Describe visuals in #emacsconf-accessible
    -   Nice to have: echo the captions into #emacsconf-accessible
-   Publisher
    -   Announce talks in the IRC channels
    -   Nice to have: Update the wiki page with resources (video)
    -   Nice to have: Set resources to public as each talk is played (Toobnix, YouTube)
    -   Nice to have: Update the schedule to reflect changes throughout the day


<a id="each-talk"></a>

### During each talk

-   Volunteers: post links/resources/descriptions/captions (depending on your level of energy) to #emacsconf-accessible
-   Volunteers: making sure questions get posted somewhere the speaker can see them


<a id="orgb4d9ac0"></a>

# Communications


<a id="org326c084"></a>

## TODO Ask emacsconf-org-private for feedback on early submissions

The EmacsConf 2022 CFP was extended to Sept 30 with notifications to
go out on Oct 15. We've got plenty of submissions and with any luck,
you've been reviewing them as they come in (assuming you have access to
emacsconf-submit@).

As a courtesy to people who got their stuff together in a timely manner
and to give them extra time to prepare a prerecorded talk (which might
also translate into extra time for us to process and caption the talks),
I'd like to send acceptances and tentative time allotments by Sept 30.
I plan to offer a max of 20 minutes with a note that additional time may
be available for Q&A depending on how many additional submissions we get.

Could everyone who wants a say in the program please add comments to
$url by ****Sept 26**** so that we can send out early acceptances? In
general, we try to say yes to everything, so here's your chance to
raise any red flags or suggest ways to make things even better.
Thanks!

Sacha


<a id="org15d6721"></a>

## TODO Early speaker notification

We can accept early or send people a note saying notification of acceptance will be on Oct 15, because of the extended CFP.


<a id="orgd0155b2"></a>

### TODO Option A: Early speaker notification(?)

Hi, $name!

I'm happy to tell you that we've accepted your EmacsConf proposal for "$talk." Thanks for volunteering to share what you're learning about! I know it takes a fair bit of work to prepare a presentation, so I appreciate that you're taking the time to show what's possible with Emacs and encourage people to learn more.

We've extended the call for participation to Sept 30, so we might get a few more submissions over the next two weeks. That means we'll confirm time allocations on Oct 15. Since you submitted before the original deadline, we wanted to send you your acceptance by the original timeline so that you wouldn't be waiting in uncertainty. 

Just like last year, talks will be prerecorded in order to minimize technical risks, make it easier for speakers to enjoy other people's talks, allow captions, and let attendees catch up or share cool stuff quickly. I hope we get everything together in time so that we can ask volunteers to check for any issues that might come up when we re-encode. (I missed parts of some talks last time because I was rushing. <blush>)

&#x2013;&#x2014; if $time = $max\_time

You asked for $max\_time minutes for your talk and I think that should be all right.

&#x2013;&#x2014; else

You asked for at most $max\_time minutes for your talk. I think at this moment we can commit to $time minutes, with possibly more time being available depending on other submissions. If you want to plan a pre-recorded talk for that length and then use extra time for a live presentation or as Q&A, that would be great. Alternatively, you can wait until we confirm the schedule in case you want to plan a longer prerecorded talk.

---

&#x2014; if Q&A will be live or IRC &#x2014;

You'll have some time after your talk for Q&A, so the $time minutes can be just for your talk. Of course, if you like, you can make it shorter.

---

If you want to get a head start on recording your talk, please feel free to do so. We'll be streaming talks at 1920x1280 resolution, so the closer your recording is to that, the easier it will be to process for streaming. .webm format is preferred, but we can convert other formats. $recording has some tips on recording tools and settings that you might find helpful. We'll send you instructions on how to upload files once we get that set up.

We're going to try to caption as many talks as possible again this year, and extra time helps a lot. People found the captions really helpful while watching the stream, and sending your talk in early will make it more likely that we'll be able to get your captions edited and reviewed before the conference.

Could you please reply to this email so that we can confirm that I've got the right email address for you and that messages can get properly delivered?

We'll be putting up the public wiki pages for each talk soon using the information from the talk abstract, and we can put $public\_email as the contact information for you. Please let us know by $publish\_date if you would prefer something else.

Thank you so much!

Sacha


<a id="org8fe7046"></a>

### TODO Option B: Just letting them know it's been postponed

Hi, $name!

We extended the EmacsConf 2022 call for participation deadline to Sept
30, so speaker notifications will go out on Oct 15 instead. Thank you
for your patience!

Sacha


<a id="org455145e"></a>

## DONE Second announcement: CFP

Dear fellow Emacsians,

This is the second and final Call for Participation for EmacsConf 2022
now extended until September 30, and the conference itself planned for
December 3 and 4 (Sat-Sun).  Please see the CFP below for details on
how to send in your proposal(s), or chat with us about them and about
other ways of participating and volunteering around EmacsConf via our
main IRC channel #emacsconf on the Libera.Chat network.

If you're considering submitting a proposal but think the remaining
time may not be enough, please reach out to me off-list as soon as
possible so we could work something out.

I'll close this portion of the email with a thank you to all of the
folks who have submitted session proposals or expressed interest in
volunteering with EmacsConf.  We look forward to reading and reviewing
all of your messages and proposals, and getting back to you about them
and about the next steps soon. :-)

Best,
amin

P.S. please direct any replies to this post either to myself or to the
emacsconf-discuss list, so as to help avoid generating extra off-topic
chatter in the other lists cc'd on this message.  Thank you.


<a id="org595e067"></a>

## DONE First announcement: CFP

Dear fellow Emacsians,

We are excitedly calling for your participation for EmacsConf 2022,
planned for December 3 and 4, 2022 (Sat-Sun)!  The CFP will be open
until September 18.  Please see below for details on how to send in
your proposal(s), or chat with us about them and about other ways of
participating and volunteering around EmacsConf via our main IRC
channel #emacsconf on the Libera.Chat network.

As an entirely volunteer-run conference we are always looking for more
volunteers and organizers to help with various aspects of organizing
and running the conference, including reviewing session proposals and
streaming parallel tracks.  To get involved, please come by our IRC
channel or one of our public mailing lists (see below) and introduce
yourself and tell us about your interests, or contact myself or one of
the other organizers directly if you're feeling a bit shy; we hope to
hear from you! :)

Best,
amin

P.S. please direct any replies for this message either to me or to the
emacsconf-discuss list, so as to help avoid generating extra off-topic
chatter in the other lists Cc'd on this message.  Thank you.