Hiya
Ive been asked to do a presentation at a forthcoming conference, which is great, but they want to record my presentation and upload it onto the conference website - where anybody can access it. I feel really uncomfortable about this, and am not sure i can even articulate why. I know that this is the way things are going in academia, so perhaps i should just get on with it and accept it...Would it be reasonable of me to object? and on what grounds? (and might it be a damaging route to take, in terms of career?). Any thoughts?

This issue really bugs me in academia - my CV was uploaded on an academic website without my permission, and I was also filmed at conference without my permission or prior knowledge. It amazes me that intelligent people can had such disregard for private information or privacy (and I suppose this reveals the poor management/lack of real world experience in academia).

Anyway enough of my moaning...

I would say if you have good reason to object, then it shouldn't harm your career (the organisers will be reasonable), but if it's just because you don't like the idea of it, then you'll just have to accept it. Most conference proceedings are password protected, so it does seem a little unreasonable of the organisers to give public access, and they should at least give you full notification of their intentions. Ultimately, if you don't like the idea, don't do the conference.

hi my school has it very clear. Our theatres can record audio and video and these need to be consented to with the prioir signature of the person concerned on a consent form. Applies for class lectures as well as conferences. One of our lecturers when I was doing my MSc here last yr refused consent I think. I organised a 300 people international conference in June and sent out forms for all speakers requesting consent to record their talks on video and put up thier slides online.

I sent the forms out to around 14 people and I got 14 consents, all saying, YES, of course! within 4 hours I think :-)

Hi Zelda, I don't like the sound of this either - it just seems to be an invasion of one's intellectual property and personality. It's taking things too far, there is no need for papers to be web broadcast, and if there is a specific need then they should really pay you for your performance, and for repeated use of your intellectual property.

Firstly - Conferences are, traditionally, one off events for which academics and PhDs give one performance only to a, mostly small, live audience. They are not traditionally internationally broadcast events and what you have described, to me, sounds like a major departure from that.

Secondly - your intellectual property will now, effectively, be published to the conference organiser's advantage, but without any enhancement to your CV or pocket. The conference organisers gain significantly, you do not.

Thirdly - And this is personal to me, although the issue may resonate with other people too for other/similar reasons. There is the issue of not wanting the entire world to watch you, on repeat, whenever they feel like it. I have a stalker!!!! (who was/is dangerous) I mean I escaped it years ago, but the idea of him being able to sit at home gawping at me when ever he wants without me knowing about it is appalling - I'd at least want him to be paying for the priveledge.

All of these points would cause me additional stress at conference, and really shouldn't we have our minds on our papers? Not on the fact that we've just been jetisoned into the public sphere and have to think about TV presenting skill too.

======= Date Modified 12 Jul 2009 22:31:49 =======
Hence the request for consent (and the attendant option of saying NO!) Academics, and research centres increasingly make content available online from spoken lectures, seminars and discussion groups.

Whatever one's personal prefs are, hence, as I say above, the intermediary step of consent! You can say NO, though of course, you can say YES! too.. :-)

Personally, I (speaking just for myself) have no issues whatsoever, and would say Yes! I think it is a real individual issue, and differs from person to person, and the protocol always demands consent.

Yeah Bug, I do/did realise about saying no, and did pick up on your mention of consent forms, so no need to capitalise!!!!!!

However, it's also sounding from your posts and others as if this is becoming the norm, and as if almost everyone is going along with it - hence it sounds to me as if some form of peer pressure and/or expectation that academics should do this routinely could be around the corner. Academics have sooooo much to do anyway. I mean, what's in it for delegates to do this? what can they gain? I'd really appreciate it if you'd shed some light on that.

Yes, it's a personal thing - and these are my personal views.

======= Date Modified 12 Jul 2009 23:35:59 =======

I did no capitalise to reinforce my views, I have a practice of sometimes using caps for YES and NO to make them stand out, that is all. I think, on the matter of what's in it for delegates, some (who said YES for that huge conference inn June) told me things along the lines of "an extended audiences being available" and "an opportunity for those who couldnt attend" and someone I think said they uploaded their lectures anyway...

I wouldnt know for sure for I havent reflected on this after the confernece really, but I did note that these folk were happy to let themselves be recorded. If it's any help they were 90% academics who do not speak English (EU people) and some folk from policy (who speak English :-) )

Cheers

Edit: i realise this post has many typos, I am a lil tipsy now LOL.... hahaha

Thanks for your responses - really helpful!
Regarding consent, i havent even been asked to consent, but looking at the conference website (its a series of conferences), all the other presentations are up there from all the previous conferences, so theres no reason to think they wouldnt bother for the forthcoming one. In a way, thats one of the things thats bugging me - that it'll be audio-video'ed 'through the back door' so to speak - hence my need to say/do something before it gets that far. But i do feel tremendous pressure not to rock the boat...

Hi,

putting talks online is common nowadays - just look at videolectures.net. and to be honest, as an academic, i think this is invaluable, much better than reading the usually boring papers. If you don't have any specific issues (e.g. a stalker), just generally don't want to be filmed then i would suggest you dress nicely, rehearse your talk and get over with it. But if it REALLY bothers you so much, just tell the organizers you object and they will surely consider your request of not filming you. But it would be unusual.

I also doubt that any ordinary person goes and watches academic talks online - way too boring for the average person .... youtube is much more exciting ....

Hi Zelda, I personally don't mind being recorded, I have been asked at a couple of conferences and said ok... but you are perfectly within your rights to say no. In fact I don't even think you should need to give a reason - the very fact that they asked you in advance means they realise that not everyone will be comfortable with it, therefore if it bothers you, just say no! End of story... I seriously doubt they will come back and want an explanation, that really would be peer pressure!

Personal opinion, but I'd say no, as with Eska I also had a v dangerous stalker, a long time ago now, so no reason to think he would ever be able to or indeed even interested in watching me give a boring presentation; but that feeling of looking over my shoulder etc has never left me, and I never put my details, photos up anywhere, facebook etc, so would refuse consent to record my presentation, and blow the consequences.  No it is not unreasonable to object, freedom of choice and all that. Also theres enough pressure to perform without having the thought of an embarrassing moment being up there to view over and over again - I have done a few stupid blunders which still make me cringe, and thank goodness they werent filmed!!  :$

On a lighter note! Yes I agree with Java about the embarrassing moments online for eternity thing: my skirt once fell off during a lecture I was giving. Yes, it fell completely off, to the floor, and revealed my undergarments, provoking hysterics amongst my students. So imagine that on a loop for the rest of your career.
:$

haha the exact same thing happened to kme when I was 12, at a cousin's birthday, in the middle of a huge hall of people where i was walking up to get food. Mine was worse actually, but never mind!

I just remembered, someone had raised some issues at my uni about video recording and since then I think they've started offering podcasts as an option if people would wish. So just audip gets recorded and then in case there are any 'outstanding' glitches, it's edited out. I have also seen some choose the video but keep the cam focused on the powerpoints, or just the audio on...