Blog - Posts tagged covid-19https://www.writethedocs.org/blog/archive/tag/covid-19/atom.xml2020-04-29T00:00:00ZABlogWrite the Docs 2020 conferences going virtualhttps://www.writethedocs.org/blog/moving-portland-prague-2020-online/2020-04-29T00:00:00Z2020-04-29T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="write-the-docs-2020-conferences-going-virtual">
<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>We hope that you’re holding up during these trying times.
We are all stuck at home, but still thinking about our docs community :)</p>
<p>Due to the global events and travel restrictions, which are not expected to relax in the near future, we concluded that <strong>we must cancel our on-site Portland and Prague conferences this year.</strong>
Even if the official travel and event restrictions will be relaxed by the scheduled dates, the safety of the community and everyone else comes first, so <strong>we are converting the conferences to online-only virtual events with an adjusted format.</strong></p>
<p>The Portland virtual conference will be held in August, exact dates will be announced soon. The Prague virtual conference will be held in the Autumn, exact dates and Call for Proposals announcement will be announced in early summer.</p>
<div class="section" id="your-portland-conference-ticket">
<h2>Your Portland conference ticket</h2>
<p>If you currently have a ticket to Write the Docs Portland, your options are:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Pre-order a ticket to the online event for 25% and get a refund for the remaining 75% of your original ticket amount.</li>
<li>Convert your existing ticket into a virtual ticket pass, valid for all of our online events until the end of 2021. We plan to move Portland & Prague online this year at least, and offer similar online events next year. Support the Write the Docs organization by helping us cover operating expenses for the next year and a half.</li>
<li>Get a full refund of your original ticket amount on <strong>May 15th, 2020</strong>. This option will happen automatically if you don’t select either of the previous options.</li>
</ul>
<p>Please fill in the <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2020/ticket-choices/"><span class="doc">ticket processing form</span></a> to let us know which option you prefer.</p>
<p>We’ll be reaching out to all of our sponsors to talk about moving their sponsorship to our online event, and we are excited about offering new sponsorship benefits available thanks to the new format.</p>
</div>
<div class="section" id="what-format-will-the-online-event-have">
<h2>What format will the online event have?</h2>
<p>We’re looking at ways to keep the spirit of our events in a virtual format, so that the event will act as a gathering place for the community.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li>Writing Day, where the community works on projects and learns from each other. These will work well remotely.</li>
<li>Unconference, where our community has discussions and shares ideas. We think our Slack network already approximates this pretty well, but we’ll be adding a little extra structure and moderation during the event to help keep the discussions productive and friendly.</li>
<li>Presentations, where we share ideas, insights, and best practices. We’re investigating live and pre-recorded options, with curated and real-time Q&A with speakers and other experts.</li>
<li>Job Fair, matching attendees to sponsors and jobs. We’ll be building on our Job Board, offering our sponsors the ability to showcase the work they’re doing and the roles they’re hiring for.</li>
<li>Unfortunately, our Hike or Boat Ride can’t be done online, but we’d love it if you go out and enjoy a small bit of your local woods or water, at socially responsible distances, on our behalf, and share your pictures or videos with the community.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section" id="let-s-make-the-most-out-of-the-new-normal">
<h2>Let’s make the most out of the “new normal”</h2>
<p>We are sad not to be able to have our upcoming events in person,
but there are some great benefits to converting the events to an online format.
The biggest benefit is accessibility to the event itself, since people who haven’t been able to travel to our events will be able to speak and attend the virtual events, making the events more accessible to everyone. The lower ticket price will also help more people from all walks of life attend the event.</p>
<p>We’re working hard on putting something in your calendar to get excited about,
and we’re doing the same thing we always do, facilitating knowledge sharing and social connections within our community.</p>
<p>Stay tuned and take care of yourselves and your loved ones,</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
</div>
</div>
Prague Conference - COVID-19 Update 02https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2020/news/prg-covid-19-update-02/2020-04-01T00:00:00Z2020-04-01T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="prague-conference-covid-19-update-02">
<p>The most recent COVID-19 update is:</p>
<ul class="postlist-style-none postlist simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../moving-portland-prague-2020-online/">Write the Docs 2020 conferences going virtual</a> - Wednesday, April 29, 2020</li>
</ul>
<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<p>Since our <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/prague/2020/news/prg-covid-19-update-01/"><span class="doc">first announcement</span></a> two weeks ago, we’ve been following the COVID-19 updates from the relevant authorities. At the time of writing this update, Czech Republic is still under lockdown and the government predicts that this situation will continue for at least a month.</p>
<p>Given the uncertainty of the long-term impact of this situation, we have decided to <strong>postpone the Call for Proposals and ticket sales until at least 1st May, 2020</strong>. We hope that by then we will have more information to determine whether to proceed with the conference on the original dates, postpone the conference, or cancel the conference altogether.</p>
<p>The true power of community comes in the most trying of times. It’s been amazing watching folks come together on <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../slack/"><span class="doc">Slack</span></a>, and we’re trying to plan more ways for folks to feel connected and supported. We are grateful to have such a supportive and flexible community, and we’re sending positive thoughts to all our documentarians, as well as other communities that have been forced to cancel or postpone their events.</p>
<p>You can check the following resources for up-to-date information about Czech Republic and Europe:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://koronavirus.mzcr.cz/en">Czech Ministry of Health</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19">WHO Regional office for Europe</a></li>
</ul>
<p>We are watching the situation closely and will send another update as more information becomes available. You can find all our COVID-19 updates in our <a class="reference external" href="/blog/archive/tag/covid-19/">tagged archives</a>.</p>
<p>If you have any questions about this, please reach out to <a class="reference external" href="mailto:prague%40writethedocs.org">prague<span>@</span>writethedocs<span>.</span>org</a>.</p>
<p>Take care,</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
<p><strong>Last Updated: April 1, 2020</strong></p>
</div>
COVID-19 Update 03 - New Portland Conference Dateshttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2020/news/covid-19-update-03/2020-03-18T00:00:00Z2020-03-18T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="covid-19-update-03-new-portland-conference-dates">
<p>Hey Folks,</p>
<p>We hope that you’re doing okay. It’s been a stressful few weeks, and we wanted to send positive thoughts as we all attempt to get through this. <a class="reference external" href="mailto:portland%40writethedocs.org">Please let us know</a> if there is anything we can do to help you.</p>
<p>The true power of community comes in the most trying of times. It’s been amazing watching folks come together on <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../slack/"><span class="doc">Slack</span></a>, and we’re trying to plan more ways for folks to feel connected and supported.</p>
<p>We also wanted to give you an update on the Portland conference. <strong>We have a new date, August 9-11, 2020.</strong></p>
<p>Given all the uncertainty about the future, we are being cautious in our approach with the conference.
We’re announcing the new date so that people can mark it on their calendars,
but we’re waiting to open ticket sales again until we are certain that the event can proceed.
We recommend that you not book new travel until we open ticket sales again.</p>
<p>We know that changing the conference dates means that not everyone will be able to attend.
In order to more easily handle requests for changes, we <a class="reference external" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuxyWIlgrNe0hG2AjMl205yoTohWksRlGaJu5d6G7aPENmLg/viewform">created a form</a> to handle incoming ticket change requests.</p>
<p>We’ll continue to be in touch with updates about the conference and other ways to connect with all our lovely documentarians.</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
<p><strong>Last Updated: March 18, 2020</strong></p>
</div>
Prague Conference - COVID-19 Update 01https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/prague/2020/news/prg-covid-19-update-01/2020-03-17T00:00:00Z2020-03-17T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="prague-conference-covid-19-update-01">
<p>Dear documentarians in Europe and beyond,</p>
<p>By now you should have gotten an announcement from us about ticket sales and Call for Proposals for the Prague conference.
However, as you’re all aware, the COVID-19 virus has been causing tremendous shifts and upheavals globally, and we are following developments as they might impact our community.</p>
<p>Last week we announced with a heavy heart that we must <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2020/news/covid-19-update-02/"><span class="doc">postpone our Portland conference</span></a> from May to August (exact dates to be announced soon).
Since the Prague conference is scheduled for September, we’d like to maintain our cautious optimism that we can hold it as planned.</p>
<p><strong>As of today, March 16, Write the Docs Prague 2020 is scheduled to go ahead</strong>.</p>
<p>Despite the severe measures taken by the Czech authorities during the past week, these are short-term efforts to prevent the exponential spreading of the virus, and the restrictions are due to be lifted by mid-April.</p>
<p>You can check the following resources for up-to-date information about Czech Republic and Europe:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://koronavirus.mzcr.cz/en">Czech Ministry of Health</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19">WHO Regional office for Europe</a></li>
</ul>
<p>In the meantime, we understand that some of you are hesitant to make travel plans, so <strong>we are postponing our ticket sales and Call for Proposals until mid-April</strong>.</p>
<p>We are watching the situation closely and will send another update as more information becomes available. You can find all our COVID-19 updates in our <a class="reference external" href="/blog/archive/tag/covid-19/">tagged archives</a>.</p>
<p>If you have any questions about this, please reach out to <a class="reference external" href="mailto:prague%40writethedocs.org">prague<span>@</span>writethedocs<span>.</span>org</a>.</p>
<p>Take care,</p>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
<p><strong>Last Updated: March 16, 2020</strong></p>
</div>
COVID-19 Update 02 - Postponing the Portland Conferencehttps://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2020/news/covid-19-update-02/2020-03-10T00:00:00Z2020-03-10T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="covid-19-update-02-postponing-the-portland-conference">
<p>The most recent COVID-19 update is:</p>
<ul class="postlist-style-none postlist simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../moving-portland-prague-2020-online/">Write the Docs 2020 conferences going virtual</a> - Wednesday, April 29, 2020</li>
</ul>
<p>Hey Folks,</p>
<p>Since our <a class="reference internal" href="../../../../conf/portland/2020/news/covid-19-update-01/"><span class="doc">first announcement</span></a> last week, we’ve been following the COVID-19 updates from the Oregon Health Authority and the CDC. We’ve also seen <a class="reference external" href="https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/communicable-diseases/disease-control/novel-coronavirus/protection.aspx">King County</a> (Seattle) and <a class="reference external" href="https://www.sccgov.org/sites/phd/news/Pages/order-health-officer-03092020.aspx">Santa Clara County</a> (SF Bay Area) explicitly request organizations cancel or postpone large gatherings. We have concluded that our event cannot go on as currently scheduled.</p>
<p><strong>Our current plan of action is to postpone the conference, most likely to a date in August.</strong></p>
<p>We’ll be talking to our venue, staff, speakers, and sponsors to find a date that works. We’d like to keep uncertainty to a minimum, so we hope to announce a final decision by <strong>March 20</strong> at the latest.</p>
<p>If we do reschedule, we’ll transfer all existing tickets and sponsorships to the new conference date. We will refund tickets without charge for anyone who can’t make the new date.</p>
<p>If you have any questions, please reach out to <a class="reference external" href="mailto:portland%40writethedocs.org">portland<span>@</span>writethedocs<span>.</span>org</a>.</p>
<p>In the meantime, we recommend keeping an eye on the official resources at:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html">CDC Updates</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/DISEASESAZ/Pages/emerging-respiratory-infections.aspx">Oregon Health Authority Updates</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
<p><strong>Last Updated: March 10, 2020</strong></p>
</div>
COVID-19 Update 01https://www.writethedocs.org/conf/portland/2020/news/covid-19-update-01/2020-03-03T00:00:00Z2020-03-03T00:00:00ZWrite the Docs Team<div class="section" id="covid-19-update-01">
<p>The most recent COVID-19 update is:</p>
<ul class="postlist-style-none postlist simple">
<li><a class="reference internal" href="../../../moving-portland-prague-2020-online/">Write the Docs 2020 conferences going virtual</a> - Wednesday, April 29, 2020</li>
</ul>
<p>Hey Folks,</p>
<p>As you’ve probably heard by now, the coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) is a new virus that causes respiratory illness in people and can easily spread from person-to-person. Since Write the Docs Portland 2020 is only 2 months away, we wanted to give you an update.</p>
<p><strong>As of today, March 3, Write the Docs Portland 2020 is scheduled to go ahead</strong>.</p>
<p>We are watching the situation closely, and taking advice from the Oregon health authorities and the United States CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). We plan to reassess the situation regularly, you can find updates tagged with <a class="reference external" href="/blog/archive/tag/covid-19/">COVID-19</a>.</p>
<p>If at the time of Write the Docs Portland 2020 you feel sick, or are worried that you might have been in contact with people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, we encourage you to stay home. Your registration will be 100% refunded. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to <a class="reference external" href="mailto:portland%40writethedocs.org">portland<span>@</span>writethedocs<span>.</span>org</a>.</p>
<p>We will continue to provide updates as the conference gets closer. In the meantime, we recommend keeping an eye on the official resources at:</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html">CDC Updates</a></li>
<li><a class="reference external" href="https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/DISEASESAZ/Pages/emerging-respiratory-infections.aspx">Oregon Health Authority Updates</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The Write the Docs Team</p>
<p><strong>Last Updated: March 3, 2020</strong></p>
</div>