When we first considered holding this meeting, a big concern was how to ensure substantive dialog, given the limitations of text-based discussion software available for real time conversation. Most of us had little experience with on-line discussions and those experiences we had had were for the most part rather disappointing. We were eager to see if we could do better.

Without the luxury of time, personnel (and money) to do extensive testing, we decided to set the stage for the day-of-meeting interactive talk sessions by commissioning personal essays from a broad spectrum of AIR members on the particular theme of the meeting: The Future of Radio - Independence and New Media. Members were asked to express their own personal hopes, concerns, and vision of the future.

With these essays posted and available several days in advance of the meeting, we hoped at least some people would read what their colleagues had to say, be encouraged to think through their questions and responses, and come to the meeting at least somewhat prepared to engage at a deeper level than might occur without such preparation.