Here are some issues/problems which need to be addressed and solved to have a really smooth, effective, integrated virtual Café:

1. Physical platform. There are several choices: email, phone conferencing, video conferencing, WikiWeb, white board, chat room or some combination. The best would be full motion video conferencing in real time (FMV-real) That takes really fast computers and very high speed broad band connections. Thus FMV-real is a limiting factor for a wide range of participants, but would probably work for a small working group. Each user would need a web cam and software.

The next level down is a web cast from the moderator's location with a web cam. WebEX is probably the best product on the market today. Also-rans are "Gotomeeting" https://www2.gotomeeting.com/t/gg/meeting_software/g2msem3?Portal=www.gotomeeting.com&Target=m/g2msem3.tmpl and MS's Live Meeting software. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/livemeeting/default.aspx?ofcresset=1. There is probably some open source or shareware which could be used for free but would need a techie to install and support the users.

2. The user list, promotions and scheduling would need an administrator.

3. The five topics or thread would need to be defined ahead of time.

4. Members should be encouraged to login ahead of time, give a short bio of their talent and interests and maybe unload an article they have written or a hyperlink to a relevant article(s). The present forum software would support this type of login.

5. The day of the meeting,the administrator needs to make sure all systems are working and that calls are made to absent members.

6. The meeting should start with introductions and an overall assessment of where the topics related to quality of life or some other mega criteria, then the specifics are brought into focus.

7. "Tables" can be assigned to each topic, populated with guests and the discussion begin. Each table then would have a separate independent video conference connection, and keep the main connection to the moderator alive. Any member could log off of one room and login to another.

8. A "scrivener" would keep notes on a white board.

9. When the time runs out, a presenter from each table would review that table's white board with the entire membership, then invite questions. This presenter would answer the questions or ship the question to a member of the relevant table.

10. The Proceedings and member ID's would be published on TWC web (or just the white boards and no ID's) At this point the white board, which is in reality is a WikiWeb, takes on a new life so that folks who wish to do so, could later on, visit the WikiWeb and add their comments and/or edit the text of the proceedings. The moderator could add a summary and a schedule for the next events for that forum.

11. We could use the Virtual Café as an add-on to a regular F2F Café by video taping each table's discussion and the main speakers/presenters, then upload those clips to YouTube and to the TWC website.

The great value of the Virtual Café is that it brings folks together around the world in different time zones either on a synchronous or asynchronous mode, at their choosing. That would, to my way of thinking, greatly expand participation in Cafés.