---
title: "A Few Ways to Make the Next STC Summit Better, #stc10"
date: 2010-05-11
description: "Dallas STC Summit videocasts  1.0 → A Few Ways to Make the Next STC Summit Better, #stc10  <a..."
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/2010/05/11/a-few-ways-to-make-the-next-stc-summit-better/
---
# A Few Ways to Make the Next STC Summit Better, #stc10
## What Went Well at the Summit

Here is my list of what I thought worked well.

### + Workshops were well-attended.

I had a dozen people in my WordPress workshop on Sunday. Overall I believe the workshops were well-attended and successful, especially compared to last year. Last year my workshop was canceled due to lack of attendees. I'm not sure how many other workshops were canceled last year, but the conference organizers reduced prices and changed time slots for workshops this year, and as a result, attendance boosted.

### + Sessions were recorded.

I skipped a couple of sessions at the conference -- one because I was preparing for my presentation. And another because I was tired from lack of sleep. Other times I found myself in sessions wishing I were in other sessions. It's comforting to know that in six weeks I'll be able to go back and listen to those sessions I missed. As I filled out evaluations and looked at all the sessions, I realized how many intriguing-sounding sessions I missed throughout the conference. Knowing I can access recordings of these sessions makes me feel both relieved and motivated to keep learning from the Summit.

From a presenter's perspective, the recording process was practically invisible. I didn't have to use any software (they intercepted the video feed), and I could run my presentation from my own computer, which was nice because I used PowerPoint 2010. It was also convenient to have the tech guy on site during my session to handle any technical problems if they arose.

### + Tweetup was excellent

Robert Armstrong organized a tweetup on Monday night that I thought went extremely well. Apparently some attendees were upset about a beer keg that contained Bud Light rather than draft beer, but since I don't drink, I only learned about this later. I liked the informal venue of the tweetup and the casual conversations I had with about a dozen people that night. Here's a photo someone took from the balcony of Croc and Rock, where we held the tweetup.

![Monday night Tweetup at Croc and Rock. I'm at the bottom right, talking to Kirsty Taylor from Australia.](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/crockandrock-600x4011.jpg)

**+ Lots of time between sessions**

Between every session we had about a half an hour of time to interact with others, browse the expo, get a snack, or check twitter (in wifi zones). I especially enjoyed this padding of time because it allowed me to interview people for videocasts. I do value the time to interact with conference attendees during these breaks. When sessions have only 10 or 15 minute breaks before the next session, there isn't enough time to do that. Thirty minutes, on the other hand, is perfect.

### + The idea of taking a topic for the BoK

One of the bulletin boards promoting the STC [Body of Knowledge](http://stcbok.editme.com/) initiative had topics that people could take and write articles about. Although this bulletin board was a little vague and poorly positioned, theoretically the idea was brilliant. About 80 people took topics and promised to write STC Body of Knowledge articles. I support the Body of Knowledge initiative, and even though I don't plan to write articles for it (yet), I thought this was a good strategy for collecting content and increasing visibility.

## What Could Be Better

Here's my list of how to improve the Summit for next year.