A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to OpenCon Live, a full slate of remote events surrounding the main OpenCon conference designed to connect you to the meeting. Thanks to your excellent feedback, we’re developing a set of events and ways to engage designed specifically for OpenCon Live participants. By popular demand, here are five ways that you can participate during OpenCon: 

Returning from 2015:

Last year, our OpenCon Live page, complete with high quality webcast and Twitter stream, was a hit with our remote participants. This year it’ll be back, and better than ever.

Not on Twitter? Join us on Whatsapp

Twitter is the best place to experience the buzz of OpenCon. We recommend you sign up and follow #opencon if only for the conference. However, if you’d prefer not to use Twitter, we’ll add you to a Whatsapp group for the event. There is a hard limit on how many people we can add to a group, so please only sign up for this group if you don’t want to participate in the main online discussion through Twitter. Join that here.

Exclusive Presenter Q&A

New this year, we will be doing exclusive Q&A sessions with some of our presenters during the coffee breaks. We’ll collect your questions in a Google Doc and OpenCon Live host, Lauren Collister, will conduct the interview via Facebook Live.

Lunchtime Networking Hangouts

Conference lunches are a great time to connect with fellow conference attendees and make new connections. To bring that to OpenCon Live, we’ll be setting up hangout sessions for different groups during our lunch breaks. Join one that interests you and converse with OpenCon Live participants. Don’t worry, we’ll provide the venue and some questions to get the conversation going!

End of Day Community Calls

We love OpenCon community calls and want to bring them to the conference. At the end of each day of the conference, we’ll get together to discuss the highlights of that day’s conference. What were the greatest quotes of the day? What projects really excite you? What did you learn that you can put into practice? What can we look forward to for the next day? Join us to unwind and chat with your colleagues in OpenCon Live.

Introducing OpenCon Live’s co-host

We’ve already introduced you to Lauren Collister, one of our OpenCon Live hosts. This time we’re happy to announce our co-host, Osman Aldiriri!

"I'm Osman Aldirdiri, and I'll be co-hosting this year's OpenCon Live! I begun my journey with "Open" advocacy four years ago after attending this fascinating conference and getting connected with its exceptional network of supporters and advocates. Today, I am playing an active role in leading groups and organizations in the field like the Right to Research Coalition and the FORCE11 Scholarly Commons Working Group. I am also leading a national advocacy project for openness in Sudan which I was inspired to found following the event. I am sure OpenCon will be with a life changing experience for you as it was for me and I hope that we live up to your expectations in hosting the best event possible."

We’re still working on a few other surprises, so stay tuned! You can find these all on the OpenCon schedule, where you can also sign up to attend.