When Twitter Does Not Work

I was at a local conference recently and everyone was ‘Tweeting’. Laptops, Iphones, and Blackberries were ablaze with quick posts for their loyal followers. This, in itself, is not startling – Twitter is common, especially in a high-tech market like Austin, Texas.

The conference I attended featured numerous high-quality speakers on product management and product marketing. Unfortunately, many of the attendees were tweeting during the presentations. I found this highly disrespectful to the presenters and distracting for those in the audience who were there for the content. It was very hard to stay in the present with the speakers when your neighbor was chiming away on his keyboard (and he wasn’t taking notes!!) The speakers worked very hard to build some outstanding presentations only to have audience members more interested in their short bursts of wisdom. I believe this is a major misstep for the ‘always on’ culture that becomes more omnipresent with each passing day.

Until next time,

Dan Naden