The SA Blog - Tag Archive - Higher Education

South by Amazing: My 2011 SXSW Story

March 18th, 2011 | Posted by The SA Team in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

(Before reading this post, if you want to know more about why I went to this conference and who sent me there, check out my previous SXSW post. If you want to know more about SXSW’s history, read this.)

There is nothing I can write that will ever describe what I experienced at South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) in Austin, TX last week. Many of you have tweeted, emailed, etc. and asked what the experience was like so I hope this helps paint a clear picture of my time in south.

Build Up / Arrival to Austin
Leading up to last weekend, I spent some time reading the blogosphere for advice and an overall sense on what to expect. This was the first time I would be at a conference outside of Higher Education and I was traveling by myself as well. To help quell some nerves, I attended a “Boston in Austin” meetup to get to know some of the people who were headed down and to get their sense of what SXSW was all about. Everyone there was so gracious and nice, it gave me a glimpse of what was to come.

Arriving in Austin was a breeze. I was a little concerned because when your event has over 20,000 delegates, you might expect some hiccups, but not at SXSW! I got to my hotel, checked-in there, and was able to register at the Austin Convention Center and get my coveted SXSW badge without any problems. Now, as many of you who have been to Higher Education conferences know, you typically will take your badge off at the end of the day before going out, but not there! At SXSW, it is common to wear your badge EVERYWHERE at night since it gets you into many of the bars, restaurants, and clubs hosting SXSW related events. I put the badge on and began my SXSW adventure.

Unbelievable Networking Opportunities
I realized quickly why people paid the money to be here every year: power networking. Deep down, I just couldn’t believe that everyone was going to be as nice to me as the folks in Boston were… but they were. Every single person I met was unbelievably nice, willing to chat, help, and be a connector. It made perfect sense… you just never knew who you were talking to so you always had to have your best foot forward. Everyone I talked to had an interest in Higher Education and were willing to listen, lend ideas, and connect me with those that could help and amplify our stories. Where else could I have had one on one conversations with Meredith Artley, Managing Editor of CNN.com; Baratunde Thurston, Director of Digital at TheOnion.com; Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable.com; and Sean Ammirati, Chief Operating Officer of Read Write Web? Oh, and for fun, I got to hang out with Romany Malco, and be in the same spaces with other stars like Rainn Wilson, Dane Cook, and Conan O’Brian just to name a few!

I also connected with some fantastic folks who work in Higher Education at an “EDU” meetup, at educational sessions, and at night while out and about. Key folks I met were Cynde Fleagle from Penn State University; Sue Beckingham from the UK ; Ellie Lovell from University of Warwick, UK; Lori Packer from the University of Rochester; and John Hill and Leigh Graves Wolf from Michigan State University. All were extremely insightful and gave me key insights that will help move some of my technology ideas forward in Student Affairs.

Of course, getting the Student Affairs community together at SXSW was amazing. Meeting folks in person for the first time like Marlena Ballard, Pete Pereira, Lynne Ellison, Laura Lambeth, Laura Pasquini, Julie Larsen, and Brad Popiolek was not only fantastic, but also would have made Tom Krieglstein and Debra Sanborn proud knowing what they created in the Student Affairs Collaborative still growing strong at events outside of higher education!

Finally, spending some serious time with Rey Junco and Liz Gross was a major highlight. We shared perspectives on many things in Higher Education, technology, etc. I was inspired to hear about Liz’s research interests and know she has a great mentor in Rey as she goes through her doctoral journey. It was a real treat to see Rey impress A LOT of people while he presented his research and findings. His work is instrumental in my work as a Higher Education administrator and practitioner. As we continue to see shifts in communication with our students at the University level, we all need to be tuned in to Rey’s work. If you haven’t read his stuff yet, you really should.

Educational Sessions
Here are a list of sessions that I was present at or listened-in on/followed up with the speakers on (with a future post dedicated to what I got out of each of these sessions)

- “No Child Left Behind – Mobile Tech Meets Education” – #MobNCLI
- “The Potential For Augmented Reality for Education” - #EduAR
- “Offline America, Why We Have A Digital Divide” – #digdiv
- “Demystifying Online Privacy and Empowering the Digital Self” – #digitalself
- “Using Twitter to Improve Student Engagement” – #twesearch
- “Tech Power to the People: Digital Community Engagement”
- “Keynote: Seth Priebatsch” – #gamelayer
- “Measuring Social Media – Let’s Get Serious” – #smAroi
- “The Science of Influence” – (Ogilvy Note)
- “The Art of Enchantment” – #enchantment
- ”Method Tweeting (for Non-Profits and other Players)” – #methodtweet
- ”Online Reputation, in and around Contexts” – #repinctx

Finally, one of the coolest things I saw as part of the educational process was the staff from Ogilvy and other conference attendees who createed beautiful “notes”, by way of creative images, of many of the talks given. Here is just one amazing example from the sesson: “Tweeting on Weekends: Are we becoming socially anti-social?” – #overtweeting:

Imagine having some of our association talks presented to us in this timeless format? Unbelievably stunning, creative and thought-provoking, even if you weren’t in the session. To view more of these amazing images, visit http://ogilvynotes.com/ and prepare to be astonished. The RSA Organization in the UK does this also and has some YouTube clips out there as well.

Services To Know About (again, with a future post going through in more detail what I think about all of these!)
Leximancer - (Mentioned during Rey Junco’s talk, it is a tweet content analyzer!)
Radian 6, ViralHeat, Swix (Paid Social Media Analytics Services)
SlideRocket (Awesome presentation software. Closest thing to Keynote that I’ve seen online!)
TechSmith Corporation (makers of Jing and Camtasia) (Fantastic screen capture software)
Min.us (A sharing aggregator that I really liked and will start using)
Animoto (While I’ve been using them for a while, they are a great/easy way to make short films using current photos and video clips!)

Gadgets
If you are into gadgets like me, the only things that caught my eye were the iPad 2 and the Asus EEE Slate. If you already have the iPad, I don’t think it is worth upgrading, unless you have a need for video chatting regularly. Yes, its thinner, slightly faster, and extremely light, however, it is not yet worth upgrading. If you don’t have an iPad yet, and want one for casual productivity, then go for it

As for the Asus EEE Slate, take a look at my quick video review:

Wrap Up
Overall, it was one of the best professional / personal development opportunities I have had in recent memory. It is a no-brainer why due to my passion and interest in technology and since Higher Education conferences aren’t known for their innovative education in this area, I was able to go to a place where I was not the one teaching, but learning. In hindsight, the best thing I did was travel by myself to experience as much as I could, but still have familiar faces like Rey and Liz to share in the experience with me. The pictures, videos, and tweets just don’t do it justice!

If you have the same passion and interest in technology that I have, I invite you to join me next year (assuming that it isn’t the same time as the ACUI 2012 Conference in Boston) at SXSW Interactive 2012!

You have to see it to believe it

What questions do you have about my South by Southwest Interactive experiences? If you went to SXSW this year, was your experience as good as mine?

education, first time, Higher Education, Interactive, newbie, Social Media, South by Southwest, Student Affairs, sxsw, sxswi, Tech

SXSW Interactive – Visions of Geekdom

March 8th, 2011 | Posted by The SA Team in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Quick back story: Over the past 18 months, I have been part of Bridgewater State University’s pilot mentoring program called Portfolio’s of Excellence (POE), serving as one of its five faculty/staff mentors. This program is being funded by a grant from the Nellie Mae Foundation and Project Compass. Last year, I earned a small stipend for my work, but this year, the grant is supporting my travel for two conferences: ACPA in Baltimore and SXSW Interactive in Austin. Both conferences feature educational sessions that support the work I do with the POE program and foster the development of educational technology tools and formal technology education for these student populations.

Armed with my Droid X, iPad, Laptop, various chargers, spare batteries, and a “Talk Nerdy to Me” T-Shirt (thanks Rey Junco), I am ready and excited to be headed to Austin on Friday for SXSW. It’s rare that I get an opportunity to attend a conference outside of the Higher Education ones I’ve typically attended. I will be surrounded by so many who share similar passions in all things technology and want to use this experience to provide new technology education for all of you. I will take advantage of each meeting, formal educational session, and networking opportunity to its fullest and have a three goals (or visions) I wanted to share with you all:

1. Share The Latest Technology and It’s Possible Higher Education Applications
SXSWi is where many new ideas, services, and products are shared and as I come across them, I will share them with you. I will do this via blog posts, impromptu Live Video Interviews, and Twitter via the #saSXSW backchannel. Since we know that Higher Education is slow to adopt some technology, let’s get a head start together on the new, emerging stuff. Who knows, maybe I will meet someone whose idea may have Student Affairs or Higher Education applications?

2. Grow My Connections Within the SXSW Community
There are so many fantastic communities within SXSW and my hope is to meet as many of the folks as possible. One of particular interest is the Boston SXSW community who I will get a chance to meet with ahead of time on Wednesday night this week and then again in Austin. From here, I plan on connecting them with all of you Also, as I meet more Higher Education folks at SXSW, I will add them to my SXSW list Stay tuned!

3. Have an BLAST
I’m glad that some members of the Student Affairs community will be there as SXSW participants (Rey Junco, Liz Gross) and locals (Jeff Jackson, Brad Popiolek, Laura Pasquini, Marlena Hensarling, Laura Lambeth, Steph Wintling) to meet and hang out with and have our own mini-tweetup. I am also excited to reconnect with my old Whuffaoke friends Tara Hunt, Karen Hartline, and finally get to meet Liza Sperling in person I plan on having lots of FUN while in Austin, a place I have never visited before!

For those who have been to SXSWi before: Best piece of advice? What to wear in Austin?

For those who will be following us online: What are you interested in finding out more about?

Higher Education, south by southwest interactive, sxsw, sxswi, Tech, technology

Furniture Delivery + Student Affairs

March 4th, 2011 | Posted by The SA Team in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

@RKaplan13 and I received our bedroom set this week and as it turns out, the room and the furniture aren’t getting along too well. Our furniture is HUGE! Our bedroom, not so much.

As we looked, thought, fought, rearranged, looked, thought, fought, I couldn’t help but have a voice in the back of my head saying, “you know this can relate to student affairs right?” Sometimes I really dislike the voice, other times, I love the fact that my passion for student affairs is so deep that I can relate any everyday experience to it.

First off, we did NOT run into this issue (luckily).

Now let’s dig into the metaphor shall we?

Think of orientation, residence life, or any other large community/event on your campus that is looked upon as the cure-all for your campus woes or highlights. Every department/division wants a piece of it; they want to put their dresser, their love seat, their night stand into your room.

Wanting to be the collaborator on campus, you welcome and work the politics of wanting to make everyone support of your program while you support their causes. Here is where things can get sticky.

Some rooms (programs) simply are not equipped to fit everyones furniture (more programs).

Sometimes, a living only needs a sofa, love seat, coffee table, and desk. That’s what a living room mainly needs to be equipped with; it gives you a place to converse, relax, and enjoy company. A living room does not need a sofa, love seat, end tables, coffee table, recliner, TV, bookshelf, desk, ottoman, decorative flowers, art on the walls, fine carpet, and a sofa table. That is no longer a living room, it is a over crowded, cluttered, mess that no longer is a comfortable place to relax never mind attempt to live.

That being said, when it comes time to plan your course, living learning community, orientation, or even your floor program – just remember what the purpose of your program is and stick to it. Simple rooms often say more than rooms that have it all.

In the meantime, we must find a place for our second night stand.

Rock on,
Joe

#postaweek. #highered, Higher Education, Personal

3 social media apps for listening / engaging

February 20th, 2011 | Posted by Eric Stoller in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

I’ve been testing out 3 web-based social media apps. Built to leverage the API’s of sites like Twitter and Facebook, these apps are web-based and can be accessed from any net enabled computer. TweetDeck (Chrome only), HootSuite, and Seesmic are all amazing in terms of functionality. I tested them all out using Google’s Chrome browser. This was mostly due to the fact that TweetDeck is only available as a web app via Chrome.

Aesthetically speaking, I really like the look and feel of Seesmic. It’s been my favorite Twitter app on Android and the web-based version doesn’t disappoint. It’s feature-rich and integrates the following social media services: Twitter, Foursquare, Google Buzz, Facebook, and LinkedIn. TweetDeck works almost as well as the desktop version. HootSuite has long been a popular alternative to TweetDeck. However, I find it’s interface to be less intuitive and quite a bit more “clunky” than Seesmic or TweetDeck. The API connection that TweetDeck leverages in Chrome is impressive. Tweets stream into your web browser almost as fast as they are posted. This makes it very easy to participate in Twitter-based chats using “ChromeDeck.”

In terms of social media listening / engaging, I would recommend that you try out all 3 apps to determine which one works best for you. I’ve been using TweetDeck in Chrome for fast-paced Twitter chats and Seesmic works really well in Firefox. HootSuite offers up a paid, Pro service for folks who want access to a larger feature set. It will be interesting to see how these app providers can continue to provide such amazing apps while at the same time covering their operating costs. While these apps are certainly not as powerful as the social media listening stations that Gatorade and Dell launched last year, I’m certain that you can do quite a bit with a browser, a connection to the Internet, and one of these web-based social media apps.

Which of these 3 apps do you use? Do you use something else?

Hootsuite – (Works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome)

Seesmic – (Works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome)

TweetDeck – (Chrome browser)

chrome, ChromeDeck, foursquare, Higher Education, hootsuite, linkedin, listening, seesmic, Social Media, Social Media Listening Station, This and that, Tweetdeck, Twitter

Was Daniel Pink educated by the Jesuits?

February 17th, 2011 | Posted by The SA Team in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

I read Daniel Pink. I love the Pink Blog. I love Drive. I think his studies and TED talk on motivation are interesting, moving, and a hot plate for new research in higher education. Personally, his mention of “grit” in Drive has led to a small campus project revolving around what could possibly make my institution’s students stand out amongst superior business school students.

Along with this blog, I also try to do a small quote of the day e-mail to a group of people who first showed interest in it 2 years ago when I started it. Since I have taken over a director position, it has been extremely difficult to keep up and maintain it. However, I try at least once a week to send the small group a quote, a story, or a link to a blog post I found interesting. The last one I sent the group was a series of questions that Daniel Pink wants us to ask ourselves at the end of our day. Here they are:

How did the day go? What success did I experience? What challenges did I endure?

What did I learn today? About myself? About others? What do I plan to do — differently or the same — tomorrow?

Who did I interact with? Anyone I need to update? Thank? Ask a question? Share feedback?
Read them again. If you are Jesuit trained having worked at an institution and/or have been educated at an institution that is affiliated with the Jesuits, you could see this:

How did the day go? (Contemplatives in Action) What success did I experience? (MAGIS: Striving for Excellence) What challenges did I endure (Contemplatives in Action, MAGIS)

What did I learn today? (Care for the Whole Person) About myself ? (Contemplatives in Action) About others? (Being Men & Women for Others)

Who did I interact with? (Being Men & Women for Others) Anyone I need to update? Thank? Ask a question? Share feedback? (Contemplatives in Action)

So while Mr. Pink may not have been educated by the Jesuits, it certainly sent a message that fits right into their values. Or…perhaps it wasn’t his education or his thought process in making them. Maybe it was my own education and “lens” of processing that has led me to see things in light of the Jesuit values.

Either way, those series of questions are important and interesting to ask yourself – even just once a week. Try it out and see what your answers are…were you surprised?

Rock on,

Joe

Special thanks to Deb Cady Melzer, life coach, mentor, and former supervisor for pointing out the Jesuit message in every day occurrences and surroundings.

#jesuit, #postaweek, Higher Education, Personal

Snow/Ice Day + Tweetdeck = Reflection

February 2nd, 2011 | Posted by The SA Team in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

I write about Twitter perhaps more than I should. I could write about my 52 books in 52 weeks journey that many others are also doing. I could write some responses to some of the articles in my Gmail from the Chronicle of Higher Education because they are usually good for starting ideas. I could write about what is it like to live in a house with two 100lb dogs, 3 cats, and 1 ferret. I could write movie reviews. I could, I could, I could…but I choose Twitter because there is just SO much that comes from this service that you can talk about.

Today I have a few simple words: community, growth, gratitude.

I’ll elaborate briefly on each because if I don’t limit myself, this would turn into an e-book of cliches, raves, and analogies.

Community

I use Tweetdeck and currently have about 15 columns on the desktop application. When I open it I immediately see feeds for #SAchat, #StudentActivites, #highered, #edtech, #saLEAD, amongst a few others. My favorite part about this is that Twitter went from being a professional development and news delivery service to something resembling a block party. No longer is it necessary to wait for a regional/national conference to discuss higher ed with colleagues. No more is there the need to stalk Facebook to start conversations or catch up on what is going on in your colleagues lives. No more is there a need to count on the newsletters from professional organizations to hear about the latest practices in the field. Twitter is now an on-demand, at your desktop, come and get it venue for all of those! When I open Tweetdeck…it is like opening my front door to see the neighbors and say hello. While we may not see their faces or some may not follow you back, people are sharing, teaching, and learning. I can’t help but think that sometimes looking at the #SAchat feed is like Tim Allen on Home Improvement walking into his backyard to talk to Wilson, the sage who never showed more than his eyes from behind the fence.

If you want to see this community in action, watch some of the self made hashtags some have created to support each other including: #saGrow #saDOC and a much smaller, more focused one that is great to follow to keep some #saDOCs going with support, #statsjail.

Growth

Watching Twitter and a following some of the thought leaders (@ReyJunco, @EricStoller) and social media celebrities (@EdCabellon, @StacyLOliver, @The_SA_Blog) in higher education has led, to what I think, has been the most developmental year in my professional career. I joined Twitter as an #saGrad when it first arrived on campus but did not know how to use it. I became engaged with 2 years later Twitter while in a position that had allowed me the time to explore this realm of social media. Since then, I have moved into director position at my alma mater which is a huge opportunity with lots of responsibility and an obvious need to growth professionally with my approach, thinking, and presence. Twitter has been my advisor throughout this entire process. As I continue to grow in my position and expand my reach on Twitter as well as other social media avenues – it has been those that I follow that have served as my coaches. In addition to those already mentioned, following the likes of @Kathy_Petras @OberBecca @DebraSanborn @CarolynGolz @CindyKane @jefflail @tbump and…well I could go on for a while with all of the followers that have taught me something since day 1 but remember I said keeping it brief. The point is this, Twitter has become the watering hole for professional development due to the community I follow and participate in. Twitter has become the backchannel for the larger conference that takes place in Higher Education, it’s called “everyday in the office.”

Gratitude

As I have already given shout outs to many Twitter users that show up on my stream and whose tweets I constantly favorite to read later, I must give thanks. I am a better professional, communicator, creator, writer, contributor, participant, supervisor, student, mentor, coach, advisor, presenter, and person for the growth, support, connections, network, skills, advice, role models, and opportunities that Twitter has afforded me.
And it should come as no surprise that the catalyst for all of this was stumbling upon 6 letters and 1 character: s-a-c-h-a-t and #.

Thanks for reading. I hope this post encourages you to reflect today if you are sitting at home on this snowy/icy day away from the office.

Cheers,

Joe

#postaweek, Higher Education, Personal, Twitter

Living in the Backchannel: In Real Life

January 27th, 2011 | Posted by Joe Ginese in #sachat - (5 Comments)

Living in the backchannel has led us down a path of what it is like to connect with people before you leave for a conference, how the knowledge sharing in the backchannel could become overwhelming and fulfilling, and how contributing to the backchannel led to a more focused approach to note taking during sessions. Now, in the finale of the series, I will share with you what happens when the backchannel becomes a reality channel.

It started with the keynote speech during lunch which featured not only a panel including Dr. Susan Komives but a table including Chris Conzen (@clconzen), Becca Obergefell (@OberBecca), Fred Kuo (@FredjKuo), and Robyn Kaplan (@Rkaplan13). Immediately the smart devices came out and the others at our table were curious about what we were doing. They listened to our explanation of Twitter, how we used it, and how it was a resource. By the end of the keynote, they had signed up and started tweeting but the best was yet to come…

With the keynote coming to a close, the moderator offered up a Q &A session for the audience. This meant the opportunity to ask Dr. Komives a question and get the answer straight from her, IN REAL LIFE! I was overwhelmed, I had no questions. So I did what any Twitter savvy person might do…I went to the backchannel and the backchannel didn’t disappoint.

I stood up and addressed Dr. Komives, “Hi, this question is for Dr. Komives coming to you via Twitter actually from Cindy Kane at Bridgewater State….” Snickering, she answered the question, commenting that she knew Cindy and that she didn’t know how to use Twitter but perhaps she would learn. I immediately offered to teach her if she’d like which was greeted with some subtle laughter from the audience. Nonetheless, it had happened, Twitter was brought to the forefront and people were now aware of the power behind it – the backchannel was in real life. (Social media side note: Dr. Komives mentioned that she knew Cindy because they are Facebook friends.) Still, the best was yet to come…

Throughout day 2 of the conference a tweetup was being planned and organized throughout sessions and the lunch, this would be the backchannel in real life to the nth degree. After sessions, a select group of professionals milled about the second floor lobby trying to match faces to Twitter profile pictures. At first it was like a massive blind date; you had known this person via Twitter, conversed with them via Twitter, now it was time to get together and talk. After a few familiar faces popped up and a few tweets searching for people as they stood on opposite sides of the lobby were sent – the tweetup was underway. For almost 45 minutes, opinions, knowledge, wisdom, ideas, thoughts, stories, tweets, and a few “who should I follow?” answers traveled within the amoeba shaped ring of professionals. This was the power of Twitter. It had brought conference attendees whose only contact with each other (for the most part) had been electronic communication (some of whom only knew of each other for a matter of hours!) together. This was one of the most unique experiences LEI 2010 offered yet it wasn’t on the schedule, it was purely attendee driven, and it was organized via Twitter. It had empowered new professionals, re-energized seasoned professionals, and inspired all to utilize the backchannel in the future.

As I am out of words for this post, I will leave you with an image courtesy of Mike Severy (@MikeSevery), showing upwards of over a dozen professionals networking and discussing leadership topics in more than 140 characters and in real life at the tweetup. The backchannel had become a reality channel.

Joe Ginese (@JoeGinese) is the Director of Student Activities and Orientation at Nichols College in Dudley, MA.

#lei10, #postaweek, Higher Education, ideas, Twitter

Student Affairs Book Recommendations — January 2011

January 20th, 2011 | Posted by The SA Team in Books - (0 Comments)

After updating my GoodReads account earlier in the week, I shared two book recommendations via Twitter for my higher education and student affairs colleagues. I’m sharing them again here so they’ll be more easily available and accessible. I’m hoping to make this a monthly feature.

Halfway Heaven: Diary of a Harvard Murder by Melanie Thernstrom

Thernstrom explores the murder of Vietnamese student Trang Phuong Ho by her roommate, Sinedu Tadesse, who subsequently committed suicide. Though the incident received little press outside of the Boston area, it’s been revisited in the years following in light of similar situations on campuses. Delving into issues of mental illness and standard of care, Thernstrom examines Harvard’s knowledge of Tadesse’s struggles as a student prior to the murder. Tadesse’s own journals are cited, offering a harrowing look at the times she sought help and was not taken seriously. The book contributes meaningfully to ongoing dialogue about universities’ responsibility in working with students with mental illness. This is a captivating glance at the shortcomings of the Harvard system and an opportunity to engage in discussion about your own institution’s current policies and practices.

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at America’s Holiest University by Kevin Roose

Taking a semester off from private, liberal Brown University in Rhode Island, Kevin enrolls undercover at Liberty University, the private, conservative university founded by Jerry Falwell. Roose chronicles a semester of reframing what it means to be a college student, having to meet a different set of standards and trying to blend in on campus. From the classroom to the cafeteria and the church, Roose was challenged by his understanding of the Liberty culture. In an unexpected turn, Roose becomes the last member of the media to interview Jerry Falwell before the evangelist’s death. A captivating, easy ready, this book makes a wonderful foundation for discussion for student affairs professionals examining institutional culture and student development.

Have you read either of these books? Do you have a book discussion group on campus? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Book Recommendations, Higher Education, mental illness, Student Affairs, Student Development

Living in the Backchannel: Pre-conference and Day 1

December 15th, 2010 | Posted by Joe Ginese in #sachat | Conferences - (4 Comments)

Before reading you may want to make yourself familiar with what a backchannel is by reading the #SAChat transcript from the 12/9 chat on the topic.

#LEI10. That simple six character term has completely transformed my perspective of what it means to be engaged at a conference. It is the Twitter hashtag for the 2010 Leadership Educators Institute. The conversation started in late October by @NASPATweets and Chris Conzen (@clconzen) with reminders for registration. The Twitter stream then went silent until the end of November when the conference was just a week away. Then December arrived and #LEI10 came alive.

Think about how you’ve connected with fellow conference-goers before a service like Twitter. Perhaps you posted it on your Facebook profile status or sent an e-mail to a listserv asking who else was going. In both of those cases, you were throwing up a signal flare in a forest and hoping someone not only saw it but responded to it. With Twitter, that hashtag becomes a lighthouse, or the North Star of the conference, not just a flash in the pan call for help. The hashtag serves as a beacon to guide participants to a place where lively discussions are happening in real time and, as a result, connections are breaking through the barriers of the virtual world and being made in real life. In the days leading up to the conference, Twitter allowed me to connect and be aware of what “tweeps” were going and who I’d get a chance to meet in real life. This may seem frivolous but you can’t tell me that when you go to a party and do not know anyone else that is going your anxiety level isn’t heightened just a bit. With Twitter, a conference where you are surrounded by strangers from all over the country became a conference where you and a group of your tweeps can meet up. This made the conference not only a professional development opportunity to learn new skills but also a chance to deepen friendships and strengthen your network. It is organized, sponsored, and supported by the association running the conference (in most cases) which adds legitimacy and purpose to the usage of it.

On the first day of the conference, the backchannel provided fellow tweeps a chance to locate each other right from the start of the keynote speech with tweets like this one from @LeslieMPage:

During the opening speech 55 tweets were sent responding to questions posed by the speakers, posting resources the speaker had shared, and sharing quotes that struck a chord. A perfect example from @OberBecca:

Now, I have followed a backchannel before for other conferences so I had an idea of what types of tweets would be most helpful and what would hopefully engage those, who are not in attendance, to contribute. What I did not expect was the amount of effort and time it takes! Contributing to a backchannel can turn into a part-time job while attending a conference. You can find yourself so involved in your tweets and other participants’ tweets that you forget that you are in the room with the person providing the information. My analogy for this is going to a concert and focusing on the screens on the side of the stage that give you a close up of the performer, rather than looking at the actual performer. How is that any different than watching the performer on TV? If you are in their presence, pay attention to them! With Twitter, your mobile device can turn into that screen at the concert right in your lap and in place of being a participant of a conference, you are now a bystander. So, as great a resource as this could be, remember to be mindful of the presenters and be careful not to be rude. Educate conference-goers of what you’re learning by tweeting resources, quotes from the presenter, or questions posed by the audience. Do not tweet that the lunch spread looks delicious or that the room is chilly.

The first day of the conference backchannel rendered 152 total tweets of which I contributed 31. The backchannel had sucked me in. It was exciting, it was fun, it was leading to more connections, more resources, and had me more engaged in a conference that I had ever been before. I’ll get into my experience of the second day of the conference in my next post which will highlight the explosion of the backchannel (over 400 conference tweets!), what happened when my phone died resulting in being cut off from the backchannel, and an epic tweet-up.