Virtual Conference Guide

Format and Platforms

W4A 2021 will be a full virtual event, where attendees will be able to consume contents, make questions and engage with authors both synchronously and in an asynchronous manner.

The conference program is spread across two days and anchored in the Slovenia timezone, as it would have been for an in person event. We have tried to find a satisfactory solution for authors who are not in this timezone, but we acknowledge that this was not possible for all the tracks.

We will be using two platforms during the conference: MiTeam for synchronous interactions and Slack for asynchronous ones.

MiTeam

The Web Conference (TWC) and all the associated workshops, tutorials and collocated events, including W4A, will run on MiTeam. People who registered for TWC should have received an e-mail with an URL to access the platform. The email for joining the workspace has the subject “Workspace Invitation – TWC” and it is sent by no-reply@mg.miteam.si. Please search for that subject if you are not able to find the invitation.

Join W4A’21 at: Direct access to W4A’21 at MiTeam.

Please note that you may be taken to The Web Conference after logging in. If so, go to Sessions and choose Web4All from the filter to find the conference. The W4A’21 session is also accessible via the Agenda.

MiTeam has no desktop client.

Check MiTeam user guide to learn about its key functionalities and how to access the Support room, if needed. All attendees should make sure that their microphone and camera are not being used by other applications (e.g. Zoom) while connected to MiTeam.

We encourage authors to join the platform at least 30 minutes before their presentation in order to make sure that there are no technical issues. Also, please note the following:

  • MiTeam suggests that, when sharing a PowerPoint presentation, speakers should share the entire screen, and not the application window.
  • To share screen with audio, the presenter needs Windows+Chrome and entire screen sharing. In addition, the checkbox Share audio needs to be selected. In the case of pre-recorded videos of presentations already sent to the Program Chairs, this will be done by the moderator or the session chair.

Slack

The #WebForAll_Conference workspace in Slack will be used for sharing documents and discussing the topics with authors. The URL to join W4A’21 Slack Workspace will be shared through MiTeam to all registered attendees. Slack has both web and desktop clients.

Engaging with W4A during the Conference

MiTeam

The main conference platform will be MiTeam.

We highly encourage all attendees to actively engage during the Q&A after each presentation, either by using the Raise hand functionality or MiTeam chat to ask questions.

Please note that if you have logged into MiTeam as a regular attendee and not as panelist or moderator, you will access the conference contents in streaming mode and your name will not appear in the Presence list. If you wish to actively participate in the conference (e.g. ask questions using your microphone), you will need to use the Raise hand functionality and wait until the session moderators “let you in”.

Slack

Slack will be used as a complementary platform during the conference, particularly for asynchronous communication. We encourage attendees to engage with and each other via this platforms. Attendees, particularly those who are not able to attend the live broadcast, can preview content and engage asynchronously with authors via dedicated channels or via private or group conversations.

In Slack, go to Channels and, in the Section Options button, select Browse channels. From there you will be able to join different channels, including:

  • Session channels: Attendees can use these channels to check each session’s schedule and have access to the papers. These channels may be used to ask questions to authors during each session.
  • Paper channels: Attendees who wish to discuss about a specific topic discussed in a paper can use these paper-dedicated channels.They are also an easy way to talk directly to authors.
  • Keynote channels: These channels may be used to ask questions to keynote speakers.
  • #social-introductions: Use this channel to introduce yourself and get to know other conference attendees.
  • #accessibility-help-desk: Attendees may use this channel to report any technical issue experienced in the platforms used for the conference, as well as to ask any accessibility-related questions (e.g. access to captions through UD Talk).

Student volunteers and Session chairs will be monitoring these channels and pulling questions into the sessions to encourage further discussion whenever possible.

We envision attendees following up with authors and asking more questions beyond the usual short Q&A, allowing authors to get more feedback on their work and follow up with people for more in-depth discussions.

Other channels have also been created around less structured topics.

Accessibility

MiTeam

The following keyboard shortcuts are available in MiTeam:

MAC: CONTROL + OPTION + Key

WINDOWS: CTRL-ALT + Key

  • J – Join conference
  • W – Hangup
  • A – Audio (Mic) mute/unmute
  • V – Video mute/unmute
  • S – Add Screen Share
  • G – Toggle Gallery View
  • E – Expand/Collapse Conference
  • C – Toggle Chat
  • P – Toggle Presence
  • H – Raise Hand / Lower Hand

Session Recordings

The recordings of each conference session will be made available to registered participants after the event in the W4A Library within MiTeam. They will be accessible for a period of one month.

Captions and Transcripts – UD Talk

We are really happy to announce that our sponsor UD Talk will provide live captioning of all W4A sessions.

With UD Talk you will also be able to access a transcript in your language of choice of the W4A sessions taking place in MiTeam. UD Talk captions are available via Web or as an app.

Follow the live captions at: W4All captions broadcast by UDTalk.

To use UD Talk app during the conference follow the instructions on how to use UD Talk.