Info Center > Conference > Delegates
These pages explain how to be a delegate for the virtual graphology conferences (known as GRAPHODIGEST Conferences).
Q1 How does the conference work?
Conference papers are available on web sites across the Internet. They are introduced to you each day, just like a normal conference. The conference takes place during November and December of each year.
Q2 What is the official language?
Most announcements and introductions are in English, but you will see delegate biographies in the preferred language of the person who wrote it. Conference papers are in many different languages. You can translate them into your language by using robot translation devices, for example Altavista - Freetranslation - Intertran
Q3 Who will participate?
The words "speaker", "delegate" and "organiser" have been used to describe the people involved in the conference. Speakers will not speak in the traditional sense, but they are allowing you to read their work in the form of an article or paper. Delegates will read and discuss papers. These discussions will take place on Email Discussion Groups. Organisers have worked behind the scenes to make the conference possible.
Q4 When I've seen and read a paper, what happens now?
Consider the conference as a voyage of discovery. The paper may give you new knowledge or it may be a new way to describe something you already know. Ask yourself: What is good about the paper? What is wrong with the paper? What is missing? What could be improved? How could the work continue?
Make some notes about your observations; take some books from your own collection and find the subject area; try to follow up some of the references; discover other work written by the speaker.
Q5 How do I participate in debates?
You can discuss the themes using e-mail discussion lists. Subscribe to as many as you wish. Your involvement is vital to the success of the conference. These gatherings have been compared to the dance floor. A dance floor remains empty until someone is brave enough to get up and dance. Slowly confidence builds and most people are out there enjoying themselves. Internet discussions are the same; don't leave it to someone else to decide the tone and topic of conversation. Please try to send at least one considered message about each paper, you will enjoy the conference by participating. Speakers will probably be available to answer your questions
Q6 Are there any guidelines for email discussions?
Think carefully about what you are writing and read it carefully before sending it. Never send a message if you feel angry or tired, you will regret it. Don't pass on gossip, virus warnings and chain letters. In your reply to a previous message don’t send back the full text, just quote relevant parts, no-one needs a full mailbox. Please do not send attachments to Graphodigest lists. There is something called "netiquette", this is good practice in Internet use. Consult some guidelines by clicking here
Q7 I don't want to subscribe to any of these groups, can I still join in?
Yes, the announcements allow you to follow the conference. A Message Board is sometimes created.
Q8 I will be travelling during the conference, can I still join in?
The joy of the Internet is that you can use it anywhere. Take time to register with Yahooclubs or Topica before you go, that way you can follow new announcements on the web rather than by email. But for full mobility open a web based email account such as yahoo or hotmail! Wherever you are in the world an internet cafe will be nearby. You can print out details of cafes at your destination from http://www.netcafes.com/
Q9 Will a book of papers be published?
Fully indexed books follow each conference and you can buy a copy. As a delegate you can create your own book. You just need to make sure you print out each contribution and add them to your folder. Some papers are removed from the Internet when the conference closes.
Q10 Can I be involved in future conferences?
Yes, much of work goes on behind the scenes and you will certainly help to make the conference better. Past delegates make excellent "speakers" they know how it works and have seen how it unfolds. You can receive speaker information if you click here SPEAKER INFO
If you are interested in being an organiser, there are many different jobs, to act as a "buddy" to speakers, to proof read, to review manuscripts, to edit papers, to create web pages, to check translations, to create translations etc. Contact me by email if you are interested in helping out. Remember it is voluntary: that keeps the conference free. Your reward is satisfaction and getting early sight of some excellent material.
Q11 What is the history of the conference?
In 1987 Nigel Bradley with some very supportive people initiated a Graphological Research Symposium. It has been held in Oxford and Cambridge on University premises and should continue for many years.
By 1997 the Internet had been introduced and new people were coming in vast numbers, one report in the late nineties said that there were seven new internet users every second! A few people who brought graphology to the Internet impressed me. Specifically, Gary Brown, who created an on-line community of graphologists and Anna Koren who almost launched a graphology conference on line. From such work I realised that an Internet or "virtual" conference could bring people together in a new way. It could attract the type of people who had been unable to go to the Oxford and Cambridge symposia. A "virtual" conference would avoid costs, time and fatigue. No airfares, no hotel bills, no traveling frustrations.
There are at least 10,000 people on planet earth who have an active interest in graphology. The tools offered by the Internet would allow us to unite at least a few thousand of these people on the five continents; it could cover the 3000 languages spoken. The Internet has some clever devices: web pages, email, discussion groups, message boards, language translators etc.
In 1999 I started to open Discussion Groups on the Internet. They cover many languages and several geographic regions. You can see them described at this page.
In 2000 I began the Graphodigest conferences. The speaker's stage was provided by web pages and discussion groups provided the seating for delegates.
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1. As a delegate you will agree to receive announcements between November and January of the conference for which you register. They will be sent using a service provided by a company called Topica. You can stop the announcements at any time, the footer of each message explains how.
2. You may print a copy of each article to read and keep, but copyright of each article remains with the author. You cannot make reproductions (e.g. in a journal or book) without the written permission of the copyright holder.
3. You are not expected to pay any money to organisers, speakers or other delegates and you will not receive money from organisers, speakers or other delegates.
4. You will agree that your biography can be used to introduce you to other delegates. The biography may be in an official book of conference proceedings.
5. These are conference guidelines, for legal advice consult a legal advisor. For any queries contact Nigel Bradley, the organiser, at his email address: bradlen@graphology.ws
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Continuous - Call for papers/ speakers invited
Continuous - Delegate registration for next conference
30 October - Delegate registration closes
01 November - Welcome to conference
02 November - Delegate introductions begin
10 November - Paper/speaker introductions begin
20 December - Conference Closed
September - Book of Papers Published
Register NOW as a delegate! Click CONFERENCE
Graphology Info Centre - Centro d'informazione di grafologia (IT) - Centre d'information graphologique (FR) - Last updated 26 Jan 2004. Please report any corrections to bradlen@graphology.ws- 13 July 2001
