A Day Spent with 140 Characters – Part Deux #140conf Takeaways

What is it about social media events that bring out the super-nocturnal creature in me?  It’s past midnight again as I finally drop my computer bag, plug in and start to marinate on the day’s events.

The second day of the #140conf featured more fascinating Twitter Characters from around the globe sharing their personal stories and insights from inside the Twitterverse.  The keynote speakers, moderators and panelists spoke about big business, small business, trust agents, chaos theory, covering the White House, dating escapades, hyku, user experience, science, fashion and filmmaking.  With each topic, the dialogue not only challenged our thinking around old and existing business and communication models, but our very own personal life operating constructs as well.

Once again, I’ve attempted to capture the key takeaways from each of the #140conf Characters.  Unfortunately, there were several time periods when I had to step away from the live conversation, so not all topics are represented below.  After reading this list, if you have any others you would like to add, please post as a comment below and be sure to tag it #140conf

@mkokc – “Using Twitter for Public Safety”

“People are looking for one another in the most basic human way – Twitter has become our little Town Hall, our ‘Mayberry’, like a good back fence neighbor””

@erictpeterson – “Twitter Stats”

“The average active Twitter user: 4,664 followers, 1,165 following, 108 updates/week, referenced 75 times, Tetweeted 21 times, Retweeting others 11 times per week on average” (Slideshare deck here - http://bit.ly/iUIc0)

@maheshmurthy – “Twitter’s Role in an Integrated Marketing Plan”

“Existing digital marketing and advertising models are unsuited for Twitter – re-defining CRM = Cult Relationship Management” (Slideshare deck here - http://bit.ly/bGBQO )

@steverubel – “Twitter and PR”

“No community has a staying power past 5 years – don’t get too attached to any one community platform, instead take a digital embassy approach”

@KaylieJones – “Twitter Rocks Publishing” Panelist

“If its only about me, then it won’t be an interesting story; people go wrong on Twitter because of too much self-promotion, instead of too much community”

@RonHogan – “Twitter Rocks Publishing” Panelist

“Make sure you are sharing the thing you are most passionate about with others”

@chrisbrogam – “Twitter and Trust Agents” Moderator

“When something goes bad, don’t’ go dark.  Leverage is about building and sharing relationships”

@julien – “Twitter and Trust Agents” Panelist

“The more you act like the network, the more successful you will be on the web”

@dberkowitz – “Twitter as the GPS for Greater Social Media Mesh” Panelist

“Be in the channel so you’ll at least know how to respond to customers”

@bmorrissey – “Twitter as the GPS for Greater Social Media Mesh” Panelist

“Most brands are not sure what their role is within social media; its like watching Dad dance – it feels awkward and creepy”

@pfasano – “Twitter as the GPS for Greater Social Media Mesh” Panelist

“The hard part for brands is to distinguish the hot topic of today from the true trend of tomorrow”

@hadleystern – “Twitter as the GPS for Greater Social Media Mesh” Panelist

“For brands, understanding what is the sea of change happening within social media is their greatest challenge”

@bronwen – “Twitter, the media and Chaos Theory”

“Twitter is the opposite of controlled media – its chaos theory in action.  Although it mostly looks like disorder, you discover all the underlying order within the random data underneath”

@newmediajim – “Correspondency in the Age of Twitter” Moderator

“Through tools like Twitter, everyone gets a seat at the briefing table”

@anamariecox – “Correspondency in the Age of Twitter” Panelist

“Twitter gives us the ability to share the inside context for why certain things are happening; Being a journalist is not something you are – its something you do”

@MarriottIntl – “Twitter and Brands: Lessons Learned and Still Learning” Panelist

“You gotta listen; without listening we wouldn’t be where we are today”

@jbell99 – “Twitter and Brands: Lessons Learned and Still Learning” Moderator

“I think Twitter is a pretty forgiving universe, if you respond to criticism and keep carrying on the conversation”

@ami_with_an_i – “Twitter Publishing: People Get Real” Panelist

“Book reading is a solitary activity, but they spawn highly social activity; Books function as social glue in the community”

@chapmanchapman – “Twitter Publishing: People Get Real” Panelist

“Storytelling is going to change form – from just text, to text that can live”

@hjortur – “How I Became a Twitter Character”

“Putting out value, putting out great ideas is what truly spurns connection and community on”

@scottpordad – “Follow Friday”

“Hashtags make conversation more democratic and open up the playing field; think about how what you’re doing can help to create a framework for community”

@thesciencebabe – “Twitter and Science” Co-Moderator

“Twitter is enabling the application of science and scientific research to be more in the hands of the people”

@bernard_d – “A Look at Twitter Apps and the Road Ahead” Panelist

“Aggregate, filter, curate and associate that content/ideas with the community”

@WingDude – “A Look at Twitter Apps and the Road Ahead” Panelist

“The market will shift towards tools that enable you to search, filter and become an editor of the news; little Twitter is dragging Facebook ahead into this space”

@pallian – “A Look at Twitter Apps and the Road Ahead” Panelist

“I see a lot of mashups coming between Twitter and Facebook”

@heathr – “Being ‘Private’ in Public”

“Twitter and social media are revealing the personal, and making the personal more revealing”

@garyvee – “What I Love About Twitter”

“When was caring not a real job?  Twitter has allowed me to scale my caring”

@wyclef – “An Interview with Wyclef Jean”

“It’s important that we feed the soul”

@jobsworth – “Twitter in the Enterprise"

”The traditional ways of communicating, even e-mail, deal with the hierarchy of the organization.  But when its subscriber driven (like Twitter), then its more about linking and tapping into the passion that breaks through hierarchies”

@JaysonElliot – “Designing User Experiences for Twitter” Moderator

“We’re in an experience-based economy; experience is the reason why one entity beats another”

@karenmcgrane – “Designing User Experiences for Twitter” Panelist

“Don’t focus on talking to ourselves, but to the people who are puzzled on why they should use tools like Twitter; its our job to get more people to use it”

@jeffdachis – “Designing User Experiences for Twitter” Panelist

“Its about applying values of what you get out of Twitter and bringing those values to the applications and other user experiences we design”

@whitneyhess – “Designing User Experiences for Twitter” Panelist

“Keep in mind who your target is – Twitter may not be right, then if not, apply the values Jeff was talking about to the places that will best serve your users”

@sujamthe – “BottomUp Innovation”

“Come with an idea, take a risk, put it out there and see what comes back” (Slideshare deck here - http://bit.ly/1b7ZfX )

@jeffpulver – “Intermission”

“We’re living in the NOW and Twitter is the language we speak.  If you have an idea for change, now is the time to act”

@marcyshinder – “Twitter and Small Business” Panelist

“Twitter reveals itself the more you get into it”

@rieva – “Twitter and Small Business” Panelist

“The beauty that Twitter brings to small business is that SMB is used to being part of the conversation already”

@alizasherman – “Twitter and Small Business” Panelist

“Empty followers are like sugar – empty calories and they give me a headache”

@howardgr – “The Wisdom of Twitter” Co-Moderator

“Its about find your tribe, contributing and making that tribe a better place”

@DeanLand – “The Wisdom of Twitter” Co-Moderator

“You have to follow someone, you just can’t be there”

@calindrome – “All the Web’s a Stage”

Performance arts are the original disruptive social media; they give a voice to the voiceless”

@sass – “Everything I Know About Twitter, I learned in Grade School”

“The best way to make friends is to share, raise your hand and participate when you hear someone ask a question or for help”

@melissapierce – “The Documentary that Happened Because of Twitter”

“The planned life is not worth living anymore; we’re all living intuitively”

Last but certainly not at all least – a few shoutouts to Tweeps who helped make the #140conf especially productive, memorable and fun:

@Urvaksh – for being my steady seatmate and “pet sitting” my laptop all during Day 1

@aaronstrout – for organizing a delightful impromptu Twinner outing with 13 great Twitter Characters

@pfasano – for encouraging me to come and experience the #140conf and a much needed guac and chips break on Day 2

@shelly_palmer – for asking me about my story and profoundly changing the course of my next few months

@Haroldgr – for being my seatmate sidekick and “Tweet co-heckler” on Day 2

To all the Tweeps who sat behind us in Row 3, where the AC adapter lived, props to you for keeping me and a dozen other laptops juiced and plugged in throughout the show

Weren’t able to make the NYC #140conf?  Never fear!  #140conf Los Angeles and #140conf London are in the works for Fall 2009.  Follow @140conf and nominate yourself or another Tweep to be part of the next Cast of Characters.  The State of Now continues on…

Comments

[Jack Wilson]

The paradigm with how we communicate with each other is continuously changing. As that paradigm shifts, the platform used (i.e. Twitter) will shift to another platform that takes advantage of the paradigm shift unless Twitter stays abreast and changes with the paradigm shifts. Regardless, social media has changed the way that people interact with each other and will continue to do so in the future. I expect to see more global activism via social media as people realize the full impact of the role that Twitter played in the Iranian elections.

[Meri Walker]

Well, I'm certainly happy you stayed up late and posted your notes about the conference, Michelle. Couldn't attend myself. I have learned a half-dozen things right here from your notes that I'll be puzzling over all day now. Gotta get to more live Tweep events! I'm longing for the F2F juice we get from being live with people who share a passion. Twitter has been fascinating me for 6 solid months now! I keep thinking it's allowing us to evolve - literally - and catch up a bit with this new tool (the global real-time web) Man has created that is WAY PAST our current capabilities to manage.