In the past when someone gave a presentation, some of the things he or she had to compete with were people talking to each other, doodling on their notepads, reading books or magazines, or even some of the audience members taking a nap. Things like this can be extremely annoying for any presenter, but they can usually handle the annoyance and go on with the talk.

Things have changed!

These days speakers have to be on their game and ready for anything. They still have to contend with the usual annoyances mentioned above, but that’s not all. Our culture is so wired these days (and I don’t mean from coffee!) that many times people are Twittering, emailing, texting, Facebooking, or in some other way instantly documenting what the speaker is saying or how he’s saying it. In a very real sense it’s not just the speaker’s show anymore!

At SXSWi this past week, at literally every session I attended people were armed with iPhones, Blackberries, laptops, or cameras. Many of the speakers, especially when there were panels with more than one person, were monitoring the Twitter stream, ready to address comments…good and bad…from audience members as they happened. At times it side-tracked the conversation, and made it apparent the speaker hadn’t intended on going in a certain direction. In most cases though, it didn’t detract from the presentation itself. Instead, it changed the dynamic from an “I’m teaching you” atmosphere to a “we’re learning together” atmosphere. So in that sense the interactivity it created was pretty valuable.

Below are a few examples (positive and negative) I pulled off of Twitter today. One thing to be sure of, people aren’t shy about saying what they think about the speaker’s style or content. It’s all fair game.

I have mixed feelings about pulling out my laptop during a presentation. Instead of the old fashioned pen and paper note-taking I used my laptop, so that part isn’t much different than the many college lectures I attended with notebook in hand. However, during most of the presentations I sat in on at SXSW, I also had Twitter open a fair amount of the time. Even though I was listening to the speakers and taking notes, I have to admit, they didn’t have my full undivided attention. Watching Twitter during the talks did serve a purpose though. I was able to read what others were thinking at nearly the same instant the speaker said something and gain different perspectives on what we’d just heard.

So was watching Twitter during the talks a good thing? A bad thing? I’m not sure. I could probably argue either way, but next time, I may just leave Twitter off, use my laptop to take notes, and do my best to give the speaker my complete attention.

Technorati Tags: social media, presentations, listening

I’ve been attending South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW) this week and  eating, sleeping, and breathing internet and social media.  Yea, I know…that’s nothing new. But the fact that I’ve been doing it (well…all but the sleeping part anyway) with thousands of other people is. SXSW brings people from all over the world together to learn and share about the some of the things that make us tick.

In his talk about video blogging (and way more tha that) on Sunday, Gary Vayrnerchuk made the point that we need to keep legacy vs. currency in mind when we’re putting  ourselves out there. His idea is, and I totally agree, that our work, our lives, shouldn’t be all about the money. Selling ourselves out can have a negative impact, especially if that hunger for money drives us to do things that are contrary to our beliefs. It’s that “to thine own self be true” kinda thing.

For many of us, our lives can pretty much be chronicled, through our blogs, Facebook profiles, or by piecing together little bits we find here and there on many different websites. The thing is, what we put online is likely to be there long after we’re gone. This means our friends and relatives…even our kids and grandkids…may at some point learn things about us that they never knew, and possibly things we wish they wouldn’t learn about us. Do we really want to have them find compromising photos of us, or stories of how we cut throat we were just to make a buck? Some people may not care, but I think the vast majority of us want others to get a good impression of us, whether we’re still here or long gone. So we have to ask ourselves what’s more important? Getting ahead at all costs, living totally in the moment with no thoughts for consequences…or the overall picture of our lives? Just as a painter uses brush strokes to create a masterpiece, we each create our very own life masterpiece, and I’m guessing most of us want it to be a worthwhile picture.

So, with Vayrnerchuk’s legacy vs. currency theory in mind, the internet may be a tool that can help drive us to live better lives…create a better legacy. It’s not that I think having our lives online can turn bad people into good (although I won’t say it can’t). I do think it’s beginning to making us think twice about doing something that may eventually (or instantly!) find its way online. Whether we’re concerned about potential employers, clients, family members, or friends finding less than flattering stories or photos about us online, many of us are probably more likely to fly the straight and narrow rather than getting ourselves into compromising positions.

Not sure who Gary Vaynerchuk is? Check out his blog or his Wine Library site. He totally kicks ass in the motivation department!

Technorati Tags: SXSW, SXSWi, Vayrnerchuk, life online, legacy vs. currency

Back in November I bought an awesome little Asus laptop computer at Best Buy (I love the computer, btw!). When I got to the point of paying for it, I got the “buy the extended warranty” talk. The guy said it would cover the computer if it broke and left it at that, and I decided against it.

Fast forward to yesterday. I went to Best Buy with my brother who bought his own way cool computer – just like mine. (He’s been drooling over my little Asus computer ever since I got it, so he wanted to get his own.) When he went to pay for it, he got a different story about the extended warranty. The guy told him that it would indeed cover the repairs if it broke, but the warranty would also include an extra battery as well as a new power supply should he need one. At only $59, Alex decided it was worth it and got the extended warranty.

Had I known what the warranty really covered, I would have bought when I got my computer too. I was a little taken aback when I heard what all it covered, and when I mentioned it to the guy helping my brother, he suggested I call 1-888-BESTBUY and talk to the customer service folks. His thought was that the guy who checked me out probably just didn’t know the warranty very well. (DUH!)

So, this morning I called 1-888-BESTBUY and talked to someone who told me warranties have to be bought within the first 14 days after purchasing a new computer. They said due to the way their warranties are written, there’s no way around it. It didn’t seem to matter that I wasn’t given all the info to make an informed decision. So, I was transferred to the customer service folks in the corporate office.

The answer I got from the first person at the corporate office wasn’t any better…I had to buy a warranty within 14 days…blah…blah…blah. Again, it didn’t seem to matter that I didn’t get the full info about the warranty.

My next person to talk to was the CSR rep’s supervisor. His story was pretty much the same as what I heard from the others. He said he was sorry it happened but repeated what I’d already heard about the 14 days. He said the best he could do was give me a $15 gift card to Best Buy. He did offer to talk to the store I bought the computer from and let them know they need to train their people better. Other than that, he said there was nothing else he could do. That’s definitely a good thing, but it sure didn’t feel like they valued my business very much.

Time for Twitter!

I had Twitter open while I was on hold and was tweeting as I waited, which caught the attention of Jason, a Best Buy rep, who obviously monitors what people are saying about the company.

In the end, Jason came through for me! He said they couldn’t do a warranty the usual way, which I understand. Since they use a third party for the warranties, they’re set up in a very specific way, and even if they tried to sell me one it wouldn’t be valid. So instead of giving me the same song and dance about the 14 days he actually did something. He offered a work around for the warranty….and it totally works! I’m perfectly happy with what Jason worked out for me and finally feel like someone understood what I was saying. He actually listened…and totally got it.

I’ll definitely be shopping at Best Buy again…something I wasn’t so sure of earlier today.

Thank you Jason!!

Technorati Tags: Twitter, Best Buy, customer service

If you’re new to Twitter and are trying to play by the rules, it can be a bit daunting! There are, of course, the official Twitter rules that you need to be mindful of. The folks at Twitter make it clear they dont’t want people doing slimy things like impersonating others, violating copyright laws, threatening people, and the like. If you get caught breaking one of these rules you’re likely to be banned. Not a good thing!

As with any community though, there are other rules besides the offical get-your-ass-in-major-trouble rules. These are rules created by the community members themselves, and while they may not be hard and fast like the others they can get you in a bit of hot water…at least with your peers. Some of the things many Twitter users don’t like to see are auto responders, constant self-promotion, using Twitter as an RSS feed, and of course spamming all your followers. There are others but these seem to be some of the biggies.

If you Google “twitter rules” you’ll get a long list of websites coming up with their version of the rules Tweeps should follow. (Even this post will likely be in that search result soon!). Here are just a few of the people who have written about Twitter rules:

@dcrmom (Jo-Lynne) – 7 Ways to Be Worth Following on Twitter

@Scobelizer (Rober Scoble) – The 10 rules of Twitter (and how I break every one -  This guy actually writes about breaking the rules, which some folks can get away with! Some people may not appreciate his lack of adherence to rules, but with nearly 50,000 followers he’s a definite presence on Twitter.

@GrantGriffiths has a bulleted list of things to do and not do on Twitter.

Some Twitter rules are definitely worth taking into account, but when it comes right down to it, it’s about respect. If you respect your followers, chances are you’re going to avoid many of the downfalls the rules have been built around. If you don’t like getting tweet after tweet from someone trying to sell their fancy automatic plant waterer, chances others won’t appreciate your multiple tweets about what you ate for dinner. If, on the other hand, you simply like to piss people off, go for it! I’m sure you’ll find some like-minded followers, but you’ll also find those who will unfollow you once they find out what you’re all about.

Technorati Tags: Twitter, social media, rules

It used to be that journalists and reporters in main stream media (news papers, radio, and television) were the main sources of news that affected so many of us. That’s not the case anymore.  Chris Brogan talks about how bloggers and others are also getting the news out these days.Yesterday he went to a Panasonic press conference and was tweeting about it as it happened.

There was lots of news from the event. I’m sure it was covered very well by people like Engadget. What I liked, however, was that we, the bloggers, had the scoop on the mainstream press by who knows how long, and further (and this is the super cool part to me), I really loved that I had conversation coming back to me almost immediately about what I was posting.

During the massive pet food recall in 2007, I learned first hand how bloggers can make a difference in reporting news. After receiving emails through my website, PetsitUSA.com, from people asking what they should feed their pets I posted a short list at of food that had not been recalled. Literally overnight, I was bombarded with more emails from anxious pet owners and found myself contacting pet food companies to get answers about their food. As the list of recalled foods grew so did the list on my blog, which was eventually moved to it’s own website, The Pet Food List.

I quickly found myself one of a handful of bloggers who gained a lot of attention for the news we were putting out. Along with Pet Connection, Pet Food Tracker, Itchmo, and a couple others I blogged extensively about the recalls. With the number of dead pets rising, all of us wanted to do what we could to help frightened pet owners. Because of our determination (and obsession!) we scooped the mainstream media repeatedly. In fact, we quite often had the information out there for pet owners before the pet food companies themselves added the information to their own websites, and almost always before the FDA published the recalls.

Bloggers and those who use other social media tools are definitely changing the way we report, and even how we view the news. It’s no longer all about getting news from a sterile, good looking, middle-aged white guy on the evening news!

Technorati Tags: new media, traditional media, bloggers, pet food recall

I had a good friend in college who, when somebody managed to punk him (which was rare!) he’d get a very serious look on his face, point two fingers at his irritant and say, “you’re dead.” For a few seconds everybody went silent…waiting for what was next…then we usually burst out in laughter at the whole situation.

In the online world, it’s not always so easy to understand the intent behind someone’s words. There’s no facial expression, and sometimes no background info, to put the words into context. Here’s an example of a real life situation that happened on Twitter and involved some words that were taken a bit too literally. . .

Those of you who KNOW ME know the relationship I have with my daughters. You know the relationships you have with your children. Loving, frustrated, awed, annoyed, angry, blissful.

Tonight, as always, my evil mini-me did her “not going to sleep without one last hug” routine.

Tonight, as always, I yelled, threatened and cajoled her back into bed.

Tonight, as I’ve done in the past, as other parents have done in many ways, I asked if it was ok to smother her.

Which, if you know me, or anyone with my sense of black humor, is a joke born of frustration, annoyance, and yes, LOVE.

Tonight this woman (link removed because enough is enough), who I foolishly followed on Twitter, who likely doesn’t even know me, had someone in LA call the cops.

Anything you say, can and will be held against you…at least by some people it seems!

Did the woman who made the comment go too far? Or was it the woman who reported the comment? Who knows!

Regardless of who you think went too far, it’s a good example of why it’s important to be mindful of what’s you say online. I’m definitely not the most politically correct person in the world (what fun is that?!) so I understand using expressions that aren’t meant to be taken literally, or even saying something just for the shock value of it. The thing is though, it’s probably not a bad idea to be careful not to say something that’s going to come back and bite you in the butt…or have the cops knocking on your door!

Technorati Tags: Twitter, social media, life online

I talked to a woman the other day who hadn’t signed up on any social media sites because she thought they were all about finding dates. Not so, I told her. There are plenty of dating sites out there but that’s not the only reason to use social networking websites. People use them to keep in touch with friends, meet people with common interests, for professional reasons, and even find a job. As we talked, she started to understand a little bit more about how she could use some of these tools in her personal and business life. She has her own business, but in this economy, it’s taken a hit. Because of that she’s keeping her eyes and ears open for a new direction to take her business, or even a new job that may be a fit.

Check this out, from the Wall Street Journal.

Looking for a new job, Alexa Scordato didn’t email or call her contacts about possible openings. Instead, she messaged them via the social-networking Web site Twitter.com.

Her brief message: “Hey there! Looking for a Social Media job up in Boston. Are you guys doing any entry level hires?”

Within a week, she had an interview. Within two weeks, she had a job.

The site, which lets users publish supershort updates of what they’re doing, is a virtual meeting ground where a range of communities — from moms to media professionals — come to converse informally.

It’s been criticized as a site for sharing mundane details about everyday activities. But people like 22-year-old Ms. Scordato, who used Twitter to privately message some people she’d met at a conference, show the site can be more than that.

“I would guess that if I had just sent them a long email with my résumé, I might not have gotten a response as fast as I did,” says Ms. Scordato, who was hired by Mzinga, a Boston-area company that helps businesses use social technology.

This isn’t to say that if you’re looking for a job that you should sign up for Twitter and tweet your resume!

Think about being invited to a party, where you know you’ll be in the midst of people who may have some good connections, or may even be looking to hire someone with your skills. You wouldn’t go up to each of them and say, “Hi, I’m Jenny and I’m looking for a job,” as you force a resume their hands. OUCH! That would probably be the best way NOT to have one of them help you. Instead, you’d probably mingle and have a good time, and possibly mention that you’re looking for a job after you’ve chatted a bit and decided it makes sense. Twitter is much the same. Once you get an account, follow people who interest you, start tweeting messages that are pertinent and you think would be of interest to others, then get the word out that you’re looking for a job.

As the WSJ article says,

Be careful about publicizing your job hunt on Twitter if you don’t want your boss reading about it. But if you’re unemployed, sending an occasional tweet that explains the kind of job you’re looking for could yield responses from recruiters. You can also seek jobs being promoted on the site by searching for phrases like “job opening.”

There are many excellent online tools available these days to anyone searching for a job, and learning to use them wisely can help immensely!

Technorati Tags: job search, Twitter, social media