Frequently Answered Questions
Am I qualified to attend?
Yes. This event is meant for Anne Lister enthusiasts; there is a basic assumption that you are aware of who Anne Lister is and that you have started your own research. More importantly, that you are willing to share your knowledge with others and interested in learning more.
Experience, background or technical proficiency are not considerations for participation. Summit sessions will be held in English, so listening comprehension in the English language is necessary.
How much does it cost?
This event is free to attend. Spots are limited so there is an expectation that by registering you are committing to participate. Partial attendance is permitted.
Organizing and running the event, however, is not free despite the generous time and effort contributions of all volunteers. You are welcome and encouraged to make a donation, which will be used to offset expenses with technology, infrastructure, tools and others.
While we have an active store selling merchandise of interest to Summit attendees, we created these products because people asked and are excited about it, not to turn a profit, so all items are sold at cost and we do not make any money from their sales.
How do I convince my boss/spouse/parent/advisor I should attend?
We know it’s hard to take the time to do something like this, even if it’s important to you. Here are a few suggestions of what you can tell the people in your life to help them understand why this is worth it:
Research skills: Though the conversations are centered around Anne Lister, her life, and the people around her, you will be gaining tools and other skills that you can apply to any kind of research—maybe it’s your family tree, or some analysis for work or school.
Self-care: We are living in stressful times and giving yourself the time to do things that energize you and are dear to you can meaningfully impact your ability to be resilient and keep on going. Come have some fun.
Building community: The incredible surge in interest in Anne Lister over the last year has created a thriving Ann(e)dom and within it, a very active number of people interested in researching Anne Lister; this event is your opportunity to meet other like-minded people and make connections. It may just be where you find your perfect research buddy.
Shared interests: Invite folks to take a look at the program when it’s published and see what sparks their interests! People are often surprised by how relatable much of Anne Lister’s life is and by attending you can bring back some new knowledge to share.
No travel needed and it’s free to attend!
What technology will I need to participate?
This is an online-only event so a reliable internet connection is necessary to join all sessions.
Zoom will be used to bring audio, video, collaborative tools and recording capabilities to each session. A working camera and microphone are needed so your active participation can be best experienced by others.
Given the nature of the content, some visual information (including dense texts and images of historical documents) is expected to be shared. Don’t forget your glasses!
Experiencing the sessions on a computer with a keyboard is preferable; if your only access option is a tablet or a mobile phone, you are still able to participate, but it is possible you may find difficult to make use of some of the materials shared in the sessions given the smaller screens and input options available on those types of devices.
To familiarize themselves with the tools we'll be using during the Summit, you can watch our Get to know Zoom session we held prior to last year's event:
Will the sessions be recorded and made available after the Summit?
Most sessions will be recorded and available for later viewing, small group discussions during breaks or other activities in the water closet may not be recorded to provide a private environment for participants to engage freely.
There is no need to register just so you can get the recordings later. All recordings will be accessible freely on the website after the event.
How do I register for the Summit? Can I share a registration?
The Summit program has many sessions across three days.
We recommend looking at the schedule to get a sense of what's planned, then following the registration link to the event page on Eventbrite.
If you are planning on attending the Summit with someone else and sharing a computer, you only need to register once.
Do not share your registration with someone else who will be using another device because Zoom will only allow one person using the same email at a time, so either you or your friend will not be able to join. Please also ensure the email you use to register for the event in Eventbrite is the same you use for Zoom.
Watch this guide to navigating the Summit to learn more about how to register and how to access different sessions once you've signed up through Eventbrite:
Will there be live captioning or translation services?
Yes and no. The event will be held in English, and live captioning services will be offered in English in real time, however we expect a large number of participants to have English as a second or third language and the live captioning may not provide 100% accuracy. Session facilitators will help guide conversations and clarify any points of confusion as needed. Recorded sessions from the event may contain automated captioning in English (which we can also make available to the community for translation).
Do you have a code of conduct?
Yes.
What is the Call For Participation? Can I submit an idea for a session?
Yes! The purpose of the Call For Participation is to seek input from the community of people interested in Anne Lister research, to help form the program for the summit. You can submit ideas for topics you'd like to see explored, or if you have a specific area of interest or work and would like to share that information at the summit, let us know!
We'll share more details once we have a date when the call for participation will open.
I've never attended an online conference before. What can I expect?
For those who have never attended a conference or a fully-online conference, we provide some general advice in this First Conference Orientation, including:
What’s a multi-day online conference like
How to prepare
Impostor syndrome
Information overload
Using your time and energy well
Conduct and collaboration
Post-conference blues
What will the sessions be like? Will there be different formats?
As the first event of its kind, we have the opportunity and the challenge to explore different approaches to discussing the breadth of topics we hope to tackle during the Summit.
To that end, there will be four main formats we will use throughout the program. Everyone who joins a session is a participant, and different roles may exist depending on the session dynamic, as follows:
WORKSHOP
In a workshop session, one or more instructors provide hands-on information and guidance on a topic while participants learn by exploring the content shared and attempting to complete activities offered. Timing for questions and answers happens at the pace set by the instructor.
FACILITATED DISCUSSION
In a facilitated discussion session, a facilitator provides a frame for discussion for a given theme and is responsible for engaging all session participants in a group conversation. Session etiquette about how to signal desire to speak, etc, will be handled using Zoom's "raise hand" feature so conversation can flow and all may be heard from.
SHOW AND TELL
In a show & tell session, one or more presenters briefly expose a topic (with or without the aid of materials) to an audience of session participants. Often there will be time for participants to ask questions of presenters at the end of the exposition.
FACILITATED PANEL
In a facilitated panel session, a panel moderator provides a frame for discussion for a given theme and is responsible for engaging panelists in discussion about various topics within.
Session participants observe the panel exchanges; often there will be time for participants to ask questions of panelists at the end of the panel discussion.
Session etiquette about Q&A will be handled using Zoom's "Q&A" feature so participants can send in questions during the panel discussion and the facilitator can select the order in which they will be addressed.
The combination of topic and format is grounded on our desire to live the values we aspire to with this event. As with any experiment, we hope to learn from this effort and adjust as we find what works best to meet the goals of the summit.
I have another question!
Reach out via the contact form. You can also find us on Twitter as @AListerSummit.