…depends on what you tell us you want to do at WisCon.

The programming committee chooses panels and events for WisCon based on the interest expressed by members during programming sign-up. This is why we ask everyone who plans to attend WisCon – or even thinks they might attend WisCon – to peruse the proposed panels and identify the panels and events they might be interested in attending, even if they aren’t interested in being a panelist or moderator.

To date, out of the nearly one thousand persons who traditionally attend WisCon, less than seventy-five have rated panels for interest or signed up to be a panelist or moderator. That means less than seventy-five persons are deciding what panels and events will be on offer at WisCon35.

Frankly, we’d like to have a larger sampling, and we on the programming committee would be grateful if you could take time in the next week to indicate your interest in the proposed panels.

All you need to do is visit the programming sign-up page and sign in to your account. (If you don’t have an account, all you need is a valid email address to create one.) Then click on the “Sign up for programming! Tell us which panels you’re interested in serving on, moderating or just being part of the audience” link, and use the radio buttons to indicate your interest (or lack of it.) You don’t need a paid registration to do this.

Note that not voting on an item is equivalent to clicking the “not interested” button – so if you’ve already visited the programming interest/sign-up pages and didn’t indicate an interest in a panel you might like to see, there’s still time to go back, sign in and support that panel.

And if you happen to see a panel on a topic you’re passionate about, please consider signing up as a panelist or moderator. Remember, WisCon doesn’t seek formal expertise – just an enthusiasm for the topic, with an interest in discussing and debating it while being willing to share and play with others.

The deadline for indicating interests/signing up to participate in programming is Friday, March 18, 2011.

The deadline to sign up to do a reading is Friday, March 18, 2011.

Thank you!