I believe that there are great new technologies like Skype, Facetime, etc that can enhance our professional interaction, and I am all for developing them and utilizing them where appropriate. But, as has been said previously and more eloquently, for many of us there is no substitute for direct human interaction with colleagues and other like-minded individuals. I rarely make it to conferences not within driving distance, but take every opportunity to interact with other archaeologists. Students new to the field can get really excited meeting with leaders and others in the field, and I don't think that they would be equally jazzed by a net meeting. Additionally, technology can be great, but it certainly has its pitfalls. For instance, how many professional archaeologists have spent portions of their day today following or participating in this extended discussion thread, taking time away from excavating shovel tests, interpreting features, completing site forms, teaching students, writing reports, or any number of professional activities that clients and taxpayers pay us to do?
Sure, on occasion, I have been on projects where senior staff left to go to the SAAs, or some other meeting - but it never inhibited the work; there were always others of us available to take over during their absence. If these gatherings are truly archaic and obsolete as you seem to believe, they will atrophy and die off anyway. So go ahead, develop robust technological tools to help us do our jobs and interact - but simply boycott conferences rather than evangelize the need to abolish them.
Dan Lauterbur
Archaeologist
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of sent
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 4:57PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Why YOU should come to SHA Quebec 2014
Again sacrificing jobs and research for the feel good of human contact I cant see why this justifies such sacrifice.
As you point out the job can be done with electronic communication
We owe the public the most inexpensive solution and it has been demonstrated that traditional conferencing is the most expensive solution for doing the same thing- communicating and discussing.
If you want face to face discover free good and easy skype
If you want to exhange papers and even co author them use google docs
for recreation and travel- well use your own money- or volunteer to do archeology in a nice setting
Easy
Conrad Bladey
Archeologist
Peasant
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 4:50 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Why YOU should come to SHA Quebec 2014
I really have to weigh in here. I know what it was like to attend virtually no conferences early in my career and what it is like to do at least two per year now (ACRA and SHA, sometimes SAA). Both my business and my company's work has improved dramatically, with a lot of that due to face to face interaction with people in the field. I have picked up many innovative ideas, made many changes in the way that I do work and just became more enthused with archaeology on a regular basis by attending and participating (an important component - giving papers, participating in symposia, doing posters, serving the organizations on committees and as officers, etc. - I was chair of the 1999 SHA Conference in Salt Lake City).
While I have not expected to generate new work from these attendances, it has happened over the years. I also have, no doubt, that there have been projects we have done that have been the result of farther flung connections made at conferences that I have no idea came from there.
Electronic communication is wonderful and a great way to share specific information and keep in touch, but humans are humans. There is no substitute for person to person interaction, body language, interacting with multiple people at once, experiencing the book room, personally interacting with people who create posters, the venue and city in which the conference is held. Getting to know archaeologists, historians, architectural historians and others over the years has enhanced my understanding of and joy in the profession, made my work better, and generated friendships for my wife (also an
archaeologist) and myself that I would not trade for all of the electronic communications available, hands down.
Mike Polk
Sagebrush Consultants, L.L.C.
Ogden, Utah
In a message dated 5/15/2013 2:05:07 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes:
Exactly it is black and white that is why it is so important. We have more ways to promote interaction other than conferencing than ever in history-why are we using this expensive method which takes jobs and detracts from our ability to address the research?
Communication is communication- all the things you mention can be generated by electronic communication-its easy-
It is like people are insisting that we put our postal mail back on horses and stage coaches because it feels better- terrible foundation for the
argument for communication!
Conrad Bladey
Archeologist
Peasant
-----Original Message-----
From: Kimberly Wooten
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 2:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Why YOU should come to SHA Quebec 2014
That's your black and white argument. I think the flip side being that attendance at conferences generates new ideas, enthusiasm, and professional contacts, all of which lead to funding and preservation opportunities, and if I enjoy myself, regardless of the personal finical decisions I make to attend a conference (locally or internationally), so much the better. VTCs are another option, happen frequently where I work, and are often employed in conjunction with professional meetings. The point of my message was to be supportive of a peer charged with the task of promoting an important conference. Kimberly
> Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 14:10:36 -0400
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Why YOU should come to SHA Quebec 2014
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> So the fun and travel is worth limiting funding, employment and
necessary
> conservation and fieldwork?
>
> Look into the many ways you can do really clear visual and audio
> conferencing-free
>
> Conrad
>
> Thank you in advance for your prompt response!
>
>
> On May 15, 2013, at 1:48 PM, Kimberly Wooten
> <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > Let me try this again... As archaeologists, it is almost a given
> > that most of us are not living the high life. I admit it can be a
> > financial
> > strain on my family to attend a conference, but we choose to do
> > this;
we
> > can't always attend annually and are careful with those meetings we
> > do attend. The SHA meetings in York, England, several years ago
> > were wonderful and nothing can compare to meeting people
> > face-to-face,
having
> > my enthusiasm for my chosen field renewed by this contact and some
> > excellent presentations, all wrapped in the bonus visiting
> > beautiful places. Technology has its important uses, but its limits
> > as well. I
for
> > one, will be happy to attend the meetings in Quebec City. Kimberly
> >
> >
> >> Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 01:17:50 +0000
> >> From: [log in to unmask]
> >> Subject: Why YOU should come to SHA Quebec 2014
> >> To: [log in to unmask]
> >>
> >> See the Society for Historical Archaeology’s latest blog, “Why YOU
> >> should come to Quebec in 2014”
> >>
http://www.sha.org/blog/index.php/2013/05/why-you-should-come-to-quebec-in-2014/
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> William Moss
> >> Conference Chair / 47th Conference on Historic and Underwater
> >> Archaeology Président du Comité organisateur / 47e Colloque sur
> >> l'archéologie historique et subaquatique
> >> www.sha2014.com<http://www.sha2014.com/>
> >
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