Nicholas Leifker <nwl9354@unix.tamu.edu> wrote:

     The panel wasn't as good as I would have liked, though it was pretty
good; I thought we got off on tangents too much.  I decided to try

letting

the audience ask the questions; problem is, that tends to lead the group
off topic.  

As someone who has some experience in running fanfic panels, I'm curious:
what do you mean by "letting the audience ask the questions".  In the five
panels I've run, I've *always* let the audience ask the questions!  After
all, it's the audience you're there for!  I've never found that it leads
the group off-topic, as long as you exercise control and allow different
people to ask questions.

If I was in a panel audience, and the panel wasn't taking questions, I'd be
a little annoyed.  (Although I have to admit, the Anime Central audience
was a little shy, and had to be encouraged to participate more than once.)

------RM