Tag-Archive for » twitter «
When used properly, high-tech networking can increase the quantity and quality of professional connections. But to accomplish this, you’ll need an ‘Extreme Networking’ technology strategy — which starts weeks before and culminates in the face-to-face event.
Helping grow a participant’s professional network is a sure-fire way to increase loyalty. Last month, we explored how to do this with low-tech networking strategies. Here, we look at a tech-based “Extreme Networking” strategy. Note that this will necessarily vary from group to group, depending on where your members live their online lives.
Rather than try to do everything, it’s best to choose a few of the following 11 high-tech options and spend the bulk of your time building adoption and engagement – if you do, pretty soon you’ll attain the enlightened state of Extreme Networking.
1. Collect IDs
Use optional fields in event-registration and membership-renewal forms to ask attendees for their blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter URLs. Explain the benefits of providing this information, and share your privacy policy.
2. Create event pages
Encourage attendees to RSVP via LinkedIn and Facebook event pages; updates and posts to these then will display in each person’s network stream. Provide fresh content that will encourage people to participate.
3. Use crowdsourcing
Online polling is a great way to engage your audience before the meeting. It also establishes a conduit for valuable input and a forum for attendees to meet one another.
4. Compare to connect
Some event-specific solutions allow attendees to compare their existing social networks against your registration list – and reaching out in advance to people you already know is an Extreme Networking best practice. Solutions that allow you to send a LinkedIn message, write on a person’s Facebook wall, or Direct Message Twitter followers are also very powerful.
5. Host Webinars and interviews
Schedule Webinars by conference speakers or locals from the event city who can give tips on restaurants and attractions. A pre-event Blogtalkradio series for speakers and Disney-lovers was a big hit for one association, whose attendees connected via Internet radio and text-messaging during the show.
6. Play matchmaker
Some solutions allow attendees to complete professional profiles and personal itineraries. Participants then use keywords and demographics to search for those with similar interests and schedule a time to meet. Some systems take this further and provide customized recommendations of people, sessions, or products.
7. Deploy PURLs
Powerful new solutions on the high-tech scene are personal Web pages (or PURLs) that aggregate links to session handouts, archives, exhibits visited, and attendees connected with. Oftentimes a proprietary device is used, although lead-retrieval and mobile-based solutions are quickly being adopted.
8. Monitor the hashtag
Some of the best connections come from watching others ask intelligent questions or provide insight on Twitter. Pick a unique hashtag (say, #pcma10), and ask attendees to use this when tweeting about the meeting.
9. Organize a “Tweetup” for Twitter-using attendees.
10. Game on!
Location-based apps with gaming components, such as Foursquare and Gowalla, help increase networking and connections. Encourage your hotels and local attractions to play along, and consider giving out awards to top connectors.
11. Share photos
Sites like Flickr allow attendees to deepen their relationships by sharing digital snapshots – and memories. For real-time memory-making, create a “Twitterfountain” that displays tweets and pics from the event as it’s happening.
Adoption Is Key
Too often, new technology isn’t utilized by enough participants to deliver desired results. Communication, education, and community management are the three pillars of success of encouraging adoption. As such, consider hosting a networking best practices Webinar before your meeting to teach attendees how to maximize their use of Twitter and take advantage of the power of the second degree on LinkedIn.
Reprinted with permission of Convene, the magazine of the Professional Convention Management Association. © 2009 pcma.org
Since 2007, people have gazed at Twitter and wondered how the Twittershpere developed into what it is today. It’s been the subject of much philosophical, religious and scientific discussion and debate.
People who have tried to uncover the mysteries of the Twitterville development include such famous researchers as Danah Boyd, Chris Brogan, Beth Kanter, Charlene Li, Brian Solis, and Dan Zarrella. Many of these researchers have developed their own Twitter birthing theories as they watched the tweeting continue to evolve.
Soon Twitter invaded conference, events and tradeshows. Albert Einstein, Steven Hubble and Stephen Hawking could not have predicted this social phenomenon. Yet, one of the most famous and widely accepted models for the Twitterdom’s development is The Big Tweet Theory.
Although The Big Tweet Theory is famous, it is often misunderstood. A common misperception is that Twitter, tweeting and the conference backchannel is mostly spread by geeks and Gen Y. That’s not quite right. It’s often some of the most influential thought leaders in your industry. People that can help make or break your conference.
Another misconception is that the Big Tweet Theory was a sudden explosion of blue bird tweets. Something that happens only in the wilderness by wild unruly Tweeps and that Twitter is unused by cosmopolitan, sophisticated conference attendees today. That’s not accurate either.
The Big Tweet Theory is an attempt to explain how it developed from the minds of some smart people and into many conference and tradeshow venues today.
Summing up The Big Tweet Theory is a challenge. It involves concepts that contradict the way we perceive traditional meetings and societal norms. It goes against the grain that attendees must sit passively in a ballroom, looking forward, listening to the presenter. The earliest stages of The Big Tweet Theory focus on a moment in which all the separate forces of the conference environment were part of a unified force. There, the attendees begin to experience similar emotions, feelings and thoughts. They turned to the backchannel to share those insights with others. They were dissatisfied with talking heads, script readers, no time for Q & A and boring lectures.
The Big Tweet Theory explains the various phases of what happens when people begin using Twitter for the conference backchannel.
Phase 1 – The Birthing Announcement: Hello Twitter. Look what I can do.
A conference attendee posts their first few tweets. The attendee experiences a range of emotions about using the backchannel. It seems new, odd, fearful, fun, stupid and exciting. People step into their first conference tweets with mixed feelings of apprehension and exhilaration. Many write their first tweets about their earliest impressions of using the tool. The Big Tweet Theory has begun.
Phase 2 – Sharing The Blue Bird’s Kitchen Sink: Here’s everything that’s happening.
As Tweeps become more comfortable with the Twitter tools and the backchannel, they post every detail of everything they hear and see. Their tweet flood overwhelms many that are following them. Tweets of conference foods, sights, smells and sounds along with word by word note taking of presenters may seem daunting to some. The Big Tweet Theory expands.
Phase 3 – Restraint And Insight: Communicating the good stuff
Tweeps have perfected the use of the backchannel and post bite-size highpoints from the conference. Often their tweets contain links to more detailed conference blog posts, additional resources and provocative thoughts. Followers begin to realize that their missing out on great education and networking. The Big Tweet Theory matures.
The Big Tweet Theory describes the development of the conference Tweep from the birthing announcement to a refined and eloquent communicator. It describes the development of conference Tweep as he or she came into existence in the Twittersphere and evolved into what it is today.
What’s your experience with The Big Tweet Theory? How have you seen conference attendees evolve into conference Tweeps today? Should we encourage or discourage The Big Tweet Theory?
So you’ve decided you want to help facilitate the attendee communication at your next event.
You’ve set a goal to increase your onsite attendee engagement with each other and the speakers during the event. And your goals include listening and responding in real time, when appropriate, as well.
Yet, you’re not sure where to begin or which tools to use.
Let’s consider one of the most popular backchannel tools today: Twitter.
Why has Twitter become so popular as a backchannel tool?
- Free
- Ease of use
- Short learning curve
- Fast
- Searchable
- Feels personable because thumbnail photos of those tweeting displayed
- Ability to attach pictures, documents, links
- Accessibility from smart phones and laptops
- Ability to facilitate ongoing relationships among audience members long after the meeting has ended
Here are 16 criteria to consider when choosing your conference backchannel communication tool so that it becomes as popular as Twitter with your attendees.
Adoption Rate
1. Popular
What online communication tools are the most popular today?
2. Setup
Is it easy or hard to setup? Can a new user sign on and setup an account quickly?
3. User-friendly
How easy is it for your attendees to use? What level of technical knowledge or skill do your attendees need to have to use it? Is it intuitive or do your attendees need training on it?
4. Learning Curve
What’s the learning curve for using it? Is it easy or steep?
5. Mobility
Can people use it on their mobile devices in addition to laptops?
Price/Value/ROI
6. Costs
What are the costs of using this tool? Is it free or fee-based? If free, will users be bombarded by advertisements and spam if used?
7. Archived
Do you want the communication to be archived or temporary? If you use Twitter, the information is typically kept for about two weeks. You can visit http://wthashtag.com immediately following the event and print the transcript for the event. This is great data to understand the adoption rate, value and ROI of the conference backchannel.
8. Displayed publicly
Will displaying the backchannel publicly extend the conference’s messages to a broader audience? Does a public backchannel increase the ROI and/or any potential risks?
9. History/References
What backchannel tools have other conferences used? Does the backchannel tool have any references or case studies?
10. Customized
Can you customize the look of the tool with an event logo? Can you change the settings for font size, color, style, etc?
Functionality
11. Character Limit
Does the tool limit the number of characters per comment or can attendees write their thoughts in long form? Is a character limit good for your audience?
12. Identified or Anonymous
Can the users be anonymous or do they have to identify themselves with a name, photo or other means in order to comment? There is a higher risk of negative or inappropriate comments from anonymous users.
13. Standalone
Do you want the backchannel to be a standalone, private communication tool or do you want it part of a public service like Twitter that can reach far beyond your conference walls?
14. Software or Web-enabled
Does it require a download of special software or is it web-enabled?
15. Monitored or Real-Time
Do you want the ability to monitor and approve comments before they enter the backchannel? Or are you open to real-time comments.
16. Attachments
Can users attach pictures and links to additional sources easily? Or is it rich text enabled only.
These are just a few questions to consider as you choose your backchannel tool for your next event.
What other criteria should be considered when choosing a backchannel tool? What are some of your experiences with the backchannel?
Have you ever passed a note to another person during a meeting?
I’m not talking about the love notes we used to pass in high school. Nor am I talking about the origami paper fortune teller you used to create in junior high to pass the time and ask questions of your neighbors during boring lectures.
Fess up. Have you ever passed a note during a meeting?
Sure you have.
Have you elbowed the person sitting beside you during a presentation and made a gesture about what was just said? Or have you texted someone while you were in a meeting? Like maybe a family member or friend about when you’ll be done, where to meet or even to bring home the milk.
Let’s be honest. We’ve all done it and it’s been perfectly acceptable to do so. Unless you had a teacher that demanded everyone sit perfectly still, in rows, hands on their desks, eyes forward.
Or maybe you’ve made a beeline for another person as soon as the speaker was finished to discuss an idea shared. You wanted to talk about it with them immediately to apply the concept to your business
Or perhaps you’ve written a question that you’re dying to ask the speaker during their presentation. Or maybe you’ve questioned the credibility of their documentation and wrote yourself a note to disprove their findings.
Guess what, you participated in the old-fashioned form of a backchannel. A backchannel is when attendees communicate with others inside or outside the room. Today, backchannels are usually facilitated by Web-based technologies. They are often spontaneous, self-initiated and limited to the duration of that live event. Backchannels can be constructive when they enhance or extend the event’s content and are destructive when they amplify disagreements and controversy.
The Omnipresent Conference Backchannel
So how pervasive (invasive maybe?) are these backchannels? Can you expect your audience to talk back to the conference organizer and presenters at your next event?
A 2009 Weber Shandwick survey of global conference organizers showed that attendees were blogging and tweeting from conferences 58% more than the previous three years. comScore’s April 2009 data found that the 25- to 54-year-old crowd is actually driving the Twitter trend. 45- to 54-year olds were 36% more likely than average to visit Twitter with 25- to 40-year-olds 30% more likely. This is in direct contrast to conventional wisdom that younger people are driving the social media trends.
A December 2009 Pew Internet and American Life Project Internet research shows that 80% of Americans own a mobile device and 54%-56% connect to the Internet wirelessly. Two-thirds use the cloud.
If your conference audience demographic includes 25-54 year olds, and there is a wireless or mobile phone connection in the room, it’s safe to say that some people in the audience with be texting, tweeting or using some other similar service to create a backchannel.
Why The Increase In Backchannels?
So why have attendees turned to talking to one another during a presentation?
- Boring, one-way monologues and lectures
- Lack of presenter-attendee engagement during presentation
- Need to connect with others and share information as they are hearing it
- Need to be active during presentations as the brain is bored with passive listening for 45- to 90-minutes
- Attendees want to have a say and belong
- As a way to engage with the content
- To express their opinions about the presentation
- To build community
- To ask questions and clarify
Your Two Options
So conference organizers have two options.
A. Ignore the possibility that a backchannel will be used at their event and not monitor that conversation or provide customer service.
Risk: The lack of awareness of what conference attendees are saying in a voluntary backchannel could lead to disastrous consequences. For example, a speaker is blantantly selling their services during the session and attendees are tweeting about it. You could find out during the presentation and interrupt the speaker (by calling them into the hall.) Or you could find out after the event.
B. Facilitate the positive value of a backchannel and proactively help attendees use these alternative communication methods during an event.
Risk: Attendees could talk back about poor presentations, irrelevant content and bad speakers…but you’ll have honest, real time feedback on the areas needing the most improvement.
The choice is yours. The audience wants to talk back to you and the speaker. Can you hear them now?
What are some other reasons attendees use backchannels? How can event organizers help facilitate the attendee discussion during a presentation? What’s your experience, good or bad?
Disruptive technologies have impacted the way we communicate and work for years.
The relationship among event organizers, presenters and audiences is undergoing a fundamental change. Attendee 2.0 has embraced social media platforms and frequently engages in the backchannel discussing the event before, during and after the meeting. Attendee 2.0 has no problem reviewing the conference or expo, whether negative or positive and posting online for all to read. Many believe that the interaction that occurs in this new communication method is a threat to traditional conferences and will bring conference presentations to the brink of failure and negative public drama. And indeed that has happened in some instances.
The naysayers, those that try to control Attendee 2.0 and those that want to maintain the status quo, are not new. History has heard their hostile voices before and moved beyond them. Their rancorous rants could not stop many societal shifts. Consider the following.
- People said the first writing wasn’t needed and would distract people from being able to farm, produce and work. It didn’t. It helped merchants keep track of their goods and led to the written alphabet and words.
- The royals and elite said that the printing press would lead to the demise of talking. It didn’t. It led to an increase in adult literacy and the democratization of knowledge. People still talk today.
- The general populace thought the telephone would only be used for social, non-business affairs. It wasn’t. It became one of the primary tools of business as we know it.
- Society cried foul with the advent of the talking box saying it would end productive, quality lives and active communication. It didn’t. Television is one of the key communication tools today.
- The public screamed that the Internet was the work of the devil and would lead to the demise of community, family and intelligence. It didn’t. It has become as common as electricity and water in most people’s homes leading to more access to information and communication than ever.
- People said the birth of mobile phones and texting would speed the downfall of society and lead to family destruction, and the lack of basic social and communication skills. It didn’t. It’s led to a more connected society and the ability to communicate in new ways.
- Today misanthropists bellow that social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter will lead to the destruction of society, less productivity and that people will no longer know how to have face-to-face conversations. It hasn’t and it won’t.
In each of these cases, when there has been a shift in common communication practices, several things happen:
- Our communication capability expands.
- We increase the distance and speed of our communication reach.
- The new way we interact affects the way we organize, shifts the balance of power and influences how we get things done.
Currently, conference and tradeshow organizers are feeling the impact of new media. Web 2.0 disruptive technologies, like the backchannel, have caused a new way for attendees to organize and shifted the balance of power from the organization to the attendee.
Despite the cynics and old school pessimists, the potential for positive outcomes from disruptive technologies like the backchannel are equally attention-worthy as we all deal with shifting presentation tectonic plates. There have been other disruptive technologies that have transformed presentations in a positive way including the introduction of blackboards and whiteboards, microphones, overhead projectors, image magnification, LCD projectors, video and presentation software like PowerPoint.
Today, one thing is sure, the backchannel is rewriting the job description of everyone involved with presentations, including the conference organizers, audiences and speakers.
- Conference organizers have to rethink how they bring audiences and presenters together both face-to-face and virtually.
- Audiences find themselves with the power in their hands and can bring down a presenter in a blink of an eye or help spread the speaker’s messages to the masses.
- Presenters’ jobs are changing the most because their view from the stage is rapidly changing.
As an event professional, you may think “This isn’t going to happen at my meetings. We have doctors, (dentists, executives, construction workers, plumbers…substitute your audience here) who will never use social media like Twitter to communicate with a backchannel.” Yet, the genie is not going back in the bottle and the situation can change as quickly as a click of the mouse.
Ready or not, you may have a backchannel waiting on you at your next conference, event, tradeshow or presentation. All of this raises some great fundamental questions to consider:
- What do audiences, including Attendee 2.0, expect from conferences, events, tradeshows and presentations today?
- What are the ground rules, if any, regarding backchannels and social media platforms at events?
- Who is accountable, the conference organizers, attendees, exhibitors or speakers?
- How can conference and tradeshow organizers seek and integrate real-time attendee feedback?
What do you think? What’s your experience? Share your thoughts.
Recent Comments