Ten simple rules for organizing a webinar series

• Published in: PLoS computational biology Vol. 15; no. 4; p. e1006671
• Main Authors: Fadlelmola, Faisal M., Panji, Sumir, Ahmed, Azza E., Ghouila, Amel, Akurugu, Wisdom A., Domelevo Entfellner, Jean-Baka, Souiai, Oussema, Mulder, Nicola
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.04.2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Biographies; Bioinformatics; Biology; Biology and Life Sciences; Calendars; Communication; Computational Biology - education; Computational Biology - organization & administration; Computer and Information Sciences; Computer applications; Computer Communication Networks; Conferences; Consortia; Data collection; Digital media; DNA sequencing; Genomes; Genomics; Humans; Internet; Laboratories; Livestock; Logistics; Mapping; Meetings; Pan-Africanism; People and Places; Planing; Research and Analysis Methods; Science; Science literature; Science Policy; Seminars; Settling; Social Sciences; Technology application; Trends; Working groups; South Africa; Tunisia; Sudan; Africa
• ISSN: 1553-7358; 1553-734X; 1553-7358
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006671

Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA-ILRI Hub), International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya Affiliation: South African MRC Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, Cape Town, South Africa ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8282-1325 Oussema Souiai Affiliations Laboratory of BioInformatics Biomathematics and bioStatistics, Institut Pasteur de SalTunis, Tunis, Tunisia, Institut supérieur des technologies médicales, Univesité Tunis al Manar, Tunis, Tunisia Nicola Mulder Affiliation: Computational Biology Division, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa ORCID logo http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4905-0941 H3ABioNet Research working group as members of the H3Africa Consortium ¶Membership list of the H3ABioNet Research working group can be found in the Acknowledgments section. [...]choosing webinar themes requires mapping of the target audience needs and interests [7]. [...]the earlier a regular webinar date and time is settled upon, the earlier it will make its way into attendees’ calendars thereby enabling them to avoid subsequent scheduling conflicts. The webinar coordination team assists with all the planning and logistics for hosting a webinar (Rule 1); Choosing webinar themes requires mapping of the target audience needs and interest (Rule 2); Drafting a webinar planning checklist through regular planning meetings as well as post webinar meetings (Rule 3); Decentralized webinar organization of tasks and resources through accessible shared space (Rule 4); Planing early and settling on the provisional dates and times of the webinar events along with their themes (Rule 5); Choosing and settling on convenient and user friendly webinar platform (Rule 6); Approaching and confirming potential speakers (Rule 7); Obtaining the webinar title, abstract and presenter’s biography for creating the webinar announcement through emails and social media channels (Rule 8); Allocating time for the platform orientation (Rule 9); and Keeping close-up track of webinar metrics for regular assessment and evaluation (Rule 10).