Just a quick note to show you who did the tweetin’ at Extreme Business Makeovers 2010 in Orlando, Florida. I have a theory that active tweeting during a conference significantly expands the reach of the conference AND paves the way for increased attendance at the next one. I also have a theory that suggests waiting a full year to have the next event is too long. Thus, I’m wholeheartedly behind the effort to organize an XBM cruise for early September 2010. All on board?
Want to connect with these friendly, influential tweeters? Kevin Lyons built a solid #XBM tweeters list. You can also use Twitter search to find #XBM tweeters. Or, use Blast Follow to follow everyone all at once.
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The power of social media is about getting people together. Whether this is one-to-one or at events. If you can't be at an event these days you need to realise that through social networks (twitter in particular) you CAN be.
You're so right. I've sent many tweets from people who were NOT at conferences, such as Like Minds, for instance, who said they enjoyed being a part of the conference remotely, through Twitter.
Your first theory, about social communication during a conference, makes a lot of sense, Trey; and you clearly have a lot of experience and evidence of this.
However, is there also a connection with your second theory that a year is too long between conferences? People communicating socially during a conference presumably continue to do so for some time after the event ends; also, especially as they need to find each other, they probably start communicating before the event begins. So, may I propose another theory which relies on your two theories, as follows? The theory is that: one can help to ameliorate the other; that is, social communication before, during and after a conference expands the conference in time (as well as through the population, as you describe) and this, to some extent, can bridge the gap between conferences.
On your point about additional events: presumably, holding a conference more frequently, such as twice a year (say spring and autumn [aka: fall]), might possibly result in multiple communities: each attending one of the events annually.
So a different kind of event between the main conferences (such as a “cruise” [under the "bridge"; no pun intended!]) sounds like a much better idea, by providing a different level of involvement. So that some people might attend the (possibly local) cruise(s) in addition but not instead of the main event.
As you know, the Like Minds conference organized by Scott Gould and Drew Ellis seems to have already implemented many of these ideas and much more.
Very good points. Like Minds, of course, is my favorite model (go figure). Remarkable story behind Like Minds, too. It demonstrates the power of one tweet between just two people who are tuned-in. Imagine a whole neighborhood like that, or church, or civic club, or…
As I've watched the post-event British conversations, I couldn't help but wonder if there is a pervasive passivity (not just amongst the British, but amongst conference goers everywhere). There are indeed distinct PLAYERS who must take proactive ACTION before, during and after the event to harvest the deep value from the time and financial commitment.
I touched on the roles and responsibilities of the players here: http://treypennington.com/2010/04/03/prediction... and I think it bears further discussion. (there's a bug or something on my WordPress or with Disqus: the comments for that post are closed and I cannot figure out how in the world to open them. I didn't close them.)