Unfortunately, the online platform (called Shindig) was not quite up to the task. Even with my moderate email, I had to keep refreshing and restarting through the day. It was clear that some of our more isolated areas were having an even harder time. Meanwhile, the visuals and sound would occasionally make it feel like spikes were being jammed into my brain.
Fortunately, we were able to form small groups that could watch the proceeding together. Thus, I had the chance to hang out with several of my friends and make pithy comments throughout--just like if we had been together at a table at the actual event. Sharing the experience certainly made it more bearable.
I feel bad for the organizers. The event clearly took a great deal of work and was certainly even more stressful and aggravating for them than it was for us. I hope that they are all able to get some rest after a day like today.