Dear Geometry List Users,

A recent posting for an individual virtual talk as part of a seminar series prompted some feedback about whether it was a really a "conference" announcement, coupled with concern that such announcements might rapidly proliferate. In these times, online talks and collaboration are certainly proliferating and I agree that the geometry list was not intended to announce hundreds of (albeit perhaps very interesting and valuable) online talks. I will not attempt to define "conference", but will ask you to please use your best judgement. For individual talks, department seminars, etc. advertise them in a more appropriate place such as on  https://mathseminars.org. This is not to say that, for example, a semester devoted to a particular geometric topic featuring a series of external speakers should not be posted on the geometry list. But the entire series should be posted (up to two times) and not individual talks in the series. Routine series, like a department's geometry seminar, also should not be posted to the geometry list even though these days they can be made accessible to the entire world. 

In a related note...in the almost 15 year history of the list I have never had to make a value judgement about the quality of a conference before approving it for the list. I fear that some day purveyors of junk conferences (of the sort that all of us are regularly "invited to") will find out about the geometry list. This is why I have never put information about this list conspicuously online and have relied only on word of mouth to make geometers aware. At any rate, I appreciate the good judgement that all of you have shown in posting high quality conferences. I am not willing to be a judge of value, and if it comes to making such decisions (except in a few extreme cases) I will bow out. 

Thanks,
 Conrad


Conrad Plaut
Professor and Department Head
Mathematics Department
University of Tennessee
 

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