The basic precept

We're looking to get some guest speakers to appear in the chat room every week to answer your questions and initiate debate.

I'll announce the speakers in advance via this forum along with the time. You can then post your questions here prior to the event.

The chat session itself will take the following format:

Official questions - this will be when the chat moderator poses the questions you have raised to the speaker. I respectfully ask you to merely listen to this section and stay quiet

Open chat - at the end of the Q&A you can have a free chat with the guest speaker and other attendees.

We'll then post the transcript of the chat session up here for those unable to attend and you can discuss it via the forum as usual.

Adi

[Richard]

Will the speaker know what the Official Questions will be in advance?

If so I was just wondering if it's worth their while typing all the answers out in the Chat Room when they could just post them in a thread.

(I'm assuming they will have done some research on the questions and know what it is they want to say rather than just creating the answers on the spur of the moment).

We're having pre-prepared questions to begin with so as to create some order to the proceedings. Otherwise it's possible that people will type at the same time and things will get a bit messy.

There will be a free question and answer session at the end for more informal questions.

[MikeH]

So we would not be able to respond during the 'prepared question' session?

Wheres the fun in that?

Mike.

[S]

its not all 'just for fun' mikey. cheeky monkey

[MikeH]

Sorry wrong use of the word. I should have used the word interest. It would be interesting to cross examine points of discussion. I do not mean that we should play devils advocate and cause problems for the speaker. However, lively and intesting debate is essentially what keeps forums interesting.

Mike.

So there S, I'm not just here for fun :-p

[S]

your still a cheeky monkey