This year TTIX is live-streaming all keynotes and sessions through Ustream, and will have video archives available online after each session.

To view the live stream simply go to http://www.ustream.tv/ttix and click on Go to Show Page, or visit the Session Schedule to access individual presentations.

Jennifer Jones blogged about her experience with backchannels during conferences and meetings. Her observation was that if you’re not familiar with backchannel, the practice of participants communicating in the background of your presentation, your first exposure to it can be confusing, irritating, or distracting. But it can also be revelatory and enlightening. Comments on Jennifer’s blog pointed to advantages and disadvantages of the backchannel (instant formative feedback, parallel learning, impact on working memory, multitasking, perceived rudeness, a backdoor, etc). Chris Lott took up his own analysis of the backchannel, concluding that backchannels provide an opportunity for leadership to emerge, information to be shared and cross-referenced, and greater ideas to develop.

Since there will be chat technology on each presentation page at this year’s TTIX conference that will facilitate a backchannel in each and every session, I thought it would be interesting to get the opinions of TTIX participants and presenters, both before, during, and after the conference. What has your experience with backchannels been?