Calendars at the ready – this year’s SpotOn London conference will take place on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th November and we warmly invite you to join us!
Hosted by Nature Publishing Group, in association with the Wellcome Trust, SpotOn London is an annual conference for anyone interested in how science is carried out and communicated online.
This year we’re hosted at the British Library which means we’ll have room for almost 250 attendees to join us at an event that usually sells out.
And just in case you do miss out on a ticket, we’ll be live-streaming and live-tweeting sessions so you’ll be able to follow along online. Check out last year’s archives here and join in online with the #solo13 hashtag.
What can I expect?
Last year we changed our name to SpotOn London – SpotOn stands for Science Policy Outreach and Tools Online – and we re-structured the conference programme to focus around the three broad topics reflected in our new name: i) science communication and outreach ii) online tools and digital publishing and iii) science policy.
This year we’ll be sticking with a similar format and the programme will include keynotes, discussion sessions, practical workshops plus the fringe events. We’re also hoping to run a hackday again.
As an attendee, you won’t be restricted to any one track – you’re free to hop between the threads at any point. We’ve just found that the tracks help to create a more balanced programme that ensures everyone’s interests are represented.
A final note on the format: SpotOn London is a dynamic, lively melting pot of scientists, science communicators, technologists, and those interested in science policy. The resultant sharing of ideas, problem-solving and learning experiences depend on everyone’s enthusiastic input so we hope you’ll add your voice to the conversations.
How do I get involved?
If you like the idea of sharing a new tool you’ve been working on, giving a case study about an interesting project, letting us know about a problem you think needs solving or otherwise want to help to shape any of the conversations, we’d love to hear from you!
The overall theme of this year’s event is Impact – that might include altmetrics, assessing the success of communications, considering whether crowdfunding can change the science funding landscape or thinking about specific campaigns to address policy issues. So if you have a suggestion that fits broadly into this theme, please do add you suggestions to the public google document.
Don’t worry if you’re not sure which of the three strands your suggestion fits into, or whether it fits the overall theme – we can always rejig later. If you prefer, you can email us at spoton@nature.com.
You’ve a choice of two session formats to contribute to. The first is a discussion session where a panel of 3 – 4 people acts as a warm-up to a wider conversation involving the in-person and online audiences. The second is a more hands-on workshop session where the audience should be involved from the outset. Discussions are an hour in length but we might be more flexible about workshops, so let us know if you think you might need more than an hour.
You don’t need to have fully-formed ideas, so don’t worry if you’re not sure about who else to present with – we can work together to create new collaborations and friendships. We’re also looking for help to organise the fringe events so if you’ve got a fun science activity in mind that you think others would also enjoy, do let us know.
If your organisation would like to sponsor SpotOn London, we have several different options this year, from attending as an exhibitor, to hosting refreshments, to sponsoring a specific track. Do get in touch for more information (spoton@nature.com).
How do I get a ticket?
Tickets will go on sale in three batches to give everyone who would like to attend several opportunities to reserve their space. More details on this once we’ve confirmed the programme.
Keep in touch!
Don’t miss out on any of the news or chatter! You can follow the SpotOn London accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ as well as adding the SpotOn site to your RSS reader. The main conference hashtag is #solo13 – and that will work on all the main social media platforms now, including Facebook.
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