Live tweets: Observations of a first timer
Last week I attended a local industry luncheon and found the experience similar to all the others I have attended in the past. You know the scene. A flurry of business card swapping, a buffet line and then a sit down presentation.
But this time, unlike events past, I brought my smart phone and sat it down next to my iced tea. Ten minutes into the presentation my ADD set in and I coyly reached for it. With one eye on the podium I slipped the device below the tablecloth and debated reaching for the “on” button.
Surely, I wasn’t going to tweet during the presentation. That would be disrespectful. Besides, if I tweeted while someone was speaking, I wouldn’t retain a thing. I then scanned the room and saw several other folks with their heads down and their fingers a-flying. That was just the permission I needed.
Once I logged on I realized that I was already late to a party. Several people that
I follow also happened to be in attendance and had already tweeted quotes and observations. It was now my turn and 126 characters later, I was no longer this party’s wallflower.
What I found was that by reading other peoples real time tweets, I was privy to their interpretations and impressions. It kind of reminded me of passing notes in the third grade. In this case there was no threat of Mr. Claussen grabbing me by the ear and reading my thoughts aloud. I also found that keying in the things I found noteworthy only helped my retention and overall takeaway.
But this time, unlike events past, I brought my smart phone and sat it down next to my iced tea. Ten minutes into the presentation my ADD set in and I coyly reached for it. With one eye on the podium I slipped the device below the tablecloth and debated reaching for the “on” button.
Surely, I wasn’t going to tweet during the presentation. That would be disrespectful. Besides, if I tweeted while someone was speaking, I wouldn’t retain a thing. I then scanned the room and saw several other folks with their heads down and their fingers a-flying. That was just the permission I needed.
Once I logged on I realized that I was already late to a party. Several people that
I follow also happened to be in attendance and had already tweeted quotes and observations. It was now my turn and 126 characters later, I was no longer this party’s wallflower.
What I found was that by reading other peoples real time tweets, I was privy to their interpretations and impressions. It kind of reminded me of passing notes in the third grade. In this case there was no threat of Mr. Claussen grabbing me by the ear and reading my thoughts aloud. I also found that keying in the things I found noteworthy only helped my retention and overall takeaway.
Maybe this real-time event tweeting thing isn’t such a bad idea. I just might do it again—as long as it doesn’t look disrespectful and no one ends up pulling my ear.
Comments
Thank you Scott! You've now given me the tacit permission I needed to do the same and not feel disrespectful to the presenter.
I've been known to call out people in my speeches and presentations who are tweeting or facebooking or whatever. Granted, it makes a funny joke because I run a website called "The Anti-Social Media." but I still think you need to calculate the value of sharing information versus tuning out for a bit to send out that tweet.
You are right about the ADD aspect of Tweeting during a meeting. I really don't like being still and they only alternative prior to getting my iPhone was drinking 6 glasses of tea. Tweeting is better.
That said, I appreciate the Tweets if I am present for the reasons you stated. More importantly, I appreciate hearing about an event I could not attend, Like SxSW. It keeps me in the loop and lets me know if there is something I should follow up on later.
Leave a Comment