Thoughts on the 2009 Conference

This years’ conference was very different from the 2008 one in Halifax in many ways. First and most obvious, it was online. This immediately made the conference worldwide and changed the nature of a conference experience for almost everyone who attended.

Few people over the age of 45 or outside of the business world have ever attended an online conference. Those who have attended one wouldn’t recognize the technology we used. Business conference use far more complex (expensive) technology. I chose the various presentation technologies based mostly on what would be completely free to view for the worldwide audience. With the advent of YouTube, SlideShare, and Archive.net, this was not difficult.

The choice of technology to use for the live interviews was very easy. Since before the 2008 conference, I’d been listening to Rick Osmon’s weekly online radio show on BlogTalkRadio called The Oopa Loopa Café. His deft management of that show, every week without fail, assured me that we’d be in good hands with the technology and that I’d have a tireless and dedicated partner to organize this thing beginning last March.

The real heroes of this conference are those doing the research. From the beginning, it became apparent that the 2008 conference had begun to develop a reputation. I could tell this from the absolute seriousness and rigor with which this years’ speakers prepared their work. For instance, both Gunnar Thompson and Andrea di Robilant went to the trouble and expense of making their own videos. Gunnar even broke his into 10 minute chapters so they would fit into YouTube guidelines. Brilliant!

The work presented was, as a whole, wonderful. The scholarship, while mixed, was overall of a high caliber. The number of those from an academic background was far higher this year. There were far fewer breathless pronouncements. The audience itself was of a very high caliber including scholars from three continents (possibly more).

Change is in the air.

In my view, there were two presentations which stood out for the assessment and direction they provided – Dr. Benjamin B. Olshin’s and Rick Osmon’s.

While gentle in his delivery, Benjamin was not subtle in his assessment of the work he sees being done by amateurs in this field. Though he never identified specific individuals, he did make it very clear that, to ever be taken seriously, the amateurs working in diffusion must begin to follow careful systems and practice. And, while not saying it directly, he made it very clear (again, in my opinion) that almost all the amateurs he’s encountered so far are not following any practice whatsoever – ripping stones out of the ground, providing no provenance, letting their pre-conceived conclusions guide their research, capturing no site records, exploring no alternative views, etc. I should point out that my own very limited practice in the field is not spotless, either. To move forward, we must change.

Benjamin, our resident skeptic, is very optimistic that we can change and grow into more careful researchers. And he spent a good deal of time outlining some of what works for academia. In all, he is certain that we amateurs (he’s careful to point out that this word has no negative connotation) can make a tremendous and much-needed contribution to the field.

How the change will happen

While helping to set up the Atlantic Conference 2009, Rick Osmon was quietly preparing his paper on how to make what may be one of the most important changes in amateur research in this field, indeed in any amateur field. In his presentation to the Atlantic Conference, Rick revealed his plan to enact the changes needed. He calls it C.O.P.S. – the Coalition Of Pre-Columbian Studies, and it’s the opening volley in what I am certain will become the guiding light for pre-Columbian studies moving forward. At the same time, it will become a thorn in the side of those who choose not to follow the process.

The name itself, COPS, is a near-perfect analogy. Police officers only come around and make our lives difficult when we’re breaking the rules. And if you break the rules, everybody knows it because you get a ticket, or worse. For the vast majority, cops are there to offer help, security and friendly direction to travelers on the road.  

Over the next few months, Rick will continue to build out the structure of COPS, finish the business plan, and seek the cooperation of other organizations like NEARA and work to make the promise of good amateur research a success.

How the Atlantic Conference will use COPS

Even though it’s still in its formative state, I hereby state The Atlantic Conference’s commitment to Rick’s Coalition Of Pre-Columbian Studies and the processes he is proposing. All work being submitted to the AC for review moving forward will be subjected to a simple, yet rigorous check-list which will include many criteria which will be stated by COPS very soon.

We are all COPS

COPS will be for everyone in the field - observers, students and especially future generations. I strongly salute Rick Osmon for taking this much-needed step and I will support it in any way possible.

The next Atlantic Conference

The next AC will be sometime in February, 2010. This is because we had so many presenters this time that we couldn’t fit them all into a weekend. The February event will be a one-day conference. It too will be online, and will look and work precisely like the October event. So those of you who had technical difficulties have a few months to get them ironed out. I strongly recommend you tune in every Thursday night to hear Rick’s Oopa Loopa Café and test the technology.

The Atlantic Conference looking forward

I think just about everyone who was a part of this event felt that it was a good way to experience the research and to conduct a conference.

To that end, the Atlantic Conference will remain primarily an on-line event. I won’t rule out that folks might someday gather in large conference rooms to hear the live interviews and exchange information in person with other researchers, but there will always be a world-wide component to it.

Thanks to the Participation Groups

You went out of your ways to make this an engaging event for so many people, and knowing there was camaraderie around the world in the groups made even those listening in alone from their home computers feel a part of something far greater.

Thank you all for being a part of the Atlantic Conference 2009. It’s been an absolute joy being able to bring it to you.

Steve St. Clair

The Speakers

WE HAD 13 TERRIFIC SPEAKERS - 

Thank you to all the Participation Groups!

6-DVD set from the 2008 Halifax Conference

WeI have 12 DVD sets from the 2008 Atlantic Conference featuring over 11 speakers and their full presentations - Gunnar Thompson, Romeo H. Hristov, Scott Wolter, Stephen J. Augustine, Benjamin B. Olshin,
V. Garth Norman, Diane E. Wirth and more.  These are sold at-cost - $65 for the full conference set. The picture and audio quality is astounding, as is the information from the presenters. 

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