Facebook Cancels F8 Developer Conference Due To Coronavirus Concerns

Facebook has canceled the in-person portion of F8, the company's annual developer conference, due to coronavirus concerns. F8 was originally scheduled to take place on May 5th and May 6th later this year. From a report: Instead, Facebook says that it will replace the main F8 conference with "locally hosted events, videos and live-streamed content."

Why ever have an in-person developer conference?

[OffTheLip]

Seems like a lot of wasted time and effort for something that can be live streamed. Collaboration for this sort of thing is not new.

Re:Why ever have an in-person developer conference

[alvinrod]

Everyone knows it's just a way to write off a bit of travel and weekend of boozing for developers. For Facebook it's a way to shove prepared marketing information on the tech press to see if they will just regurgitate it in their articles without any critical thought, which is what tends to happen when the press is just showing up for a weekend of boozing as well.

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[Baby Yoda's Daddy]

It would be cheaper to release a PR statement. Many newspaper and television reporters will revamp a PR story as their own reporting.

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[slack_justyb]

Well, I'm not justifying the meeting, but usually devs with something to sell typically go. Attempting the hustle is a lot easier in person when you can corner someone rather than let them stew over it via email. VCs who are tech nerds happen to drop into F8 from time to time to feel hip, and the devs with wares usually find some way to shove a proposal in front of them. It's win win because the VCs get their ego pumped up by having needy people begging for cash and the devs might get a quick infusion.

Aga

It's extremely valuable

[SuperKendall]

Seems like a lot of wasted time and effort for something that can be live streamed.

I think you are missing the whole point of conferences. The sessions are usually all streamed later anyway...

The whole reason to go, is to talk to other devs directly. Experts in a field and employees of a company related to products you are using, will say stuff in person they would NEVER say online. You can get a better idea of future roadmaps, what things work and what do not, give brutally honest feedback that will be t

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[OffTheLip]

I take your point, having been a part of a number of travel events when "press the flesh" was the word of the day. It's a time honored tradition but in the bigger picture still a lot of wasted time and effort. It's nice it worked out for you personally but getting harder to justify these days.

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[hey!]

Conferences are about more than sessions. You make professional contacts, find new jobs, pick brains and so on.

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[i_ate_god]

Because then the company pays for me to travel somewhere interesting with an expense account, where I can get drunk with people who speak my language.

I fail to see how this is a bad thing in any way whatsoever.

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[tlhIngan]

Because live streaming ends up being a one-way medium, whereas meeting in person can get you networking opportunities that you'd never see otherwise.

If you work with someone a lot, it can be nice to put a face to that name, and they can often introduce you to others you may want to reach out to for many reasons (personal, professional, etc).

Plus it's why sometimes it's better to get into the office and discuss something over a meeting and get more done than a week's worth of back and forth over email or wha

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[AHuxley]

Re "live streamed" is not the fancy perk and reward staff and international experts expected.

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[bobs666]

OK, We go to conferences to network, to meet new people and look for new jobs. Sure we can just watch the talks and panels online. But we miss out on the Other people that go to conferences.

Press F8 to cancel

[jfdavis668]

I guess that worked.

Oops

[raif11152]

Zuck Alt-F4ed the F8 conference. Classic troll.