We Need Better Listening Tools
It’s become routine for me to “tune in” to REBarcamps using Tweetgrid.com/irc. I set up the feed in the morning and let it run all day. I’ll check in once in a while during the day to see if anything of interest catches my eye, but what is of greater interest to me is who the major communicators and what the big topics of conversation were. I’m trying to look at signal vs noise.
I put together some Wordle-based illustrations after REBarcamp Charlotte and they were well received, but I decided to do something a bit different with the data collected for REBarcamp St. Louis. The video below was triggered by two things. First, I lost most of the morning data by accidentally closng the Tweetgrid.com/irc window, so much of the data was lost for the day. Second, so few people were sharing information and so few tweets were created that it made any valuable analysis impossible. The truth, we need better listening tools.
The Prezi used for this video can be found here: #rebcstl prezi
Interesting. Thanks for the shout outs. I lead the video discussion; so I’m glad the tweeters were talking about it. Can you please expound on your idea of listening tools?
I’d love to.
I’m looking for a combination of Madch.at and Rowfeeder. I want the ability to listen in and filter conversations based on words and people, like Madch.at gives, but I want the data captured and archived like Rowfeeder. For starters…
I also think conference organizers need better tools for curating conversation happening around their events. Those tools would allow for active listening, but make it easy to select and highlight the content they felt was illustrative of the content being presented.
Streaming conference sessions using video is obviously the best way to get the content out beyond the event, but it’s rare that I have the time to sit and watch that kind of content. So, it has built in limitations. I like approaching things from a best case scenario standpoint. So, what if every session could be transcribed? That way we could “hear” every word. Capturing more of the content in a form that was easy to search would give everyone the ability to “listen” for what they were interested in and use it to expand the conversation.
Today, listening is limited not just by the tools used to hear, but also by the tools used to speak. I’m trying to focus more of my attention at events on providing an increased amount of searchable content. It makes it easier for others to listen, real time or otherwise.
The question however is, “Do conference organizers WANT people listening in?” It reminds me of when my brother and I were little, we’d try to sneak in the grass next to the drive-in movie theater to at LEAST see the movie, even though we couldn’t hear it. The movie lot owner would chase people away for obvious reasons.
It’s no secret that conferences for profit aren’t the strongest entity right now. While you and I subscribe to a transparency model, most conferences do not. You have to have releases to video tape, they sell the recordings, etc. to make ends meet and profits rise. Nothing wrong with that!
I understand the argument that if you want others to come IN PERSON in the future, the noise and signal must go inside out to attract others to the experience. Where is the healthy balance between teasing and showing all your goodies?
While the tools may be needed for listening, the question is…is listening embraced?
Whether conference organizers like it or not, people WILL be listening and people will be sharing. Embracing that can only benefit them.
I’m thinking that I might produce more signal than noise with a fantastic live blogging app that I’m patiently waiting for.
I think your post has a lot of valid points, however I can’t help but feel a negative tone coming from the writing on both this post and the original one that you wrote about REBCNASH. The negative vibe seems like these two barcamps in particular were not good enough for you or didn’t meet your standards and therefore are not worthy of the praise for the good things that did happen, such as having an REBC happen at all.
Barcamps have the potential to be great, but they also have the potential to be not-so-great. I attended both barcamps (NASH and STL) and even planned the St. Louis one. The Nashville one was fantastic and the St. Louis one….well, um, it had a lackluster performance… but nonetheless some good still came out of it.
There were a ton of first-timers and social media newbies at the REBCSTL, which is not uncommon for the midwest. There were maybe 8-10% of the attendance that even had a Twitter account, let alone the knowledge to use it in order to produce a good signal. Therefore, a tech savvy individual such as yourself, that is not in attendance and listening from a thousand miles away will most likely NOT get a good signal from this type of barcamp which was also very small in size. Not to mention, it is difficult for most to tweet, interact, listen and learn all at the same time. However, these REBC first-timers ARE listening (afterall, they showed up, right?) and are now getting online to implement the stuff they learned at the barcamp. What happens when they come across a post like this that makes them feel like they didn’t do good enough and now they are discouraged from the get go?
I know that my comments are not completely relevant to your idea of “listening tools” but I think there is another side to the listening tools idea. I’m not offended by the tone of your post, as I’ve said, you have extremely valid points. I just think you chose the wrong barcamp for an example, due to the attendance demographics. Maybe give it a whirl with a more seasoned barcamp such as San Francisco coming up in a few weeks.
Jessica, I think you know me well enough to understand that neither this post nor the last was talking about the content or quality of the event. And the notion that I think they weren’t good enough is simply wrong. I wish I could have been at both. I enjoy the REBarcamp experience. But, it’s up to me to communicate my intent, not up to you, the listener, to be left to interpretation. So, my apologies.
My intent is singularly focused. I personally want to be able to listen better. In order to do that, of course there has to be good sharing of information. So, any REBarcamp that has a high percentage of attendees who are NOT creators of content on Twitter will produce less volume. But that is only half the story. And, yes, you’d probably create more signal if I got you the beta of the live blog app.
(We want to get the iPad married first)
These two were random. I could not momnitor REBarcamp Sacramento, because I was in attendance. That, by the way was an extremely small REBarcamp as well, so I made a specific effort to create as much noise as possible while there. Hopefully some of that was considered signal.
The other half of the equation, however, is the tools available to help us hear better. I’ve been speaking to a number of leaders in that space and we all seem to agree that the missing pieces within reach, they just need to be put together in the right combo. As I said above, “I want the ability to listen in and filter conversations based on words and people, like Madch.at gives, but I want the data captured and archived like Rowfeeder. For starters.”
So, my posts are about the tools more than anything else. But I do want to spur the leaders in our industry to ask whether they have a responsibility to create better signal when they’re at these community organized conferences. Those who put on the REBarcamps work hard and deserve to have some good signal sent from the venue.
Jessica, thanks for this. I’ll make certain my future tone reflects the level of respect I have for the conference organizers and for those in attendance. Most of them are already people I consider friends.
No apology necessary. I’m sure I am making it way more deep than you ever meant for it to be. You’re right, I do know you well enough to know your true intent and know that it’s not meant to disrespect people. No worries, it’s all good ’cause we’re friends.
It’s not lost on me that almost all of the comments have been longer than my post.
And I have fired up the tools to listen in on #rebcden, so let’s see what that brings.
Yo Zeek, you haven’t been as interactive as I thought you’d be on this side. I have you in my reader hoping for some interaction that will just blow me away
We’re busily working on a “blow you away” plugin for wordpress. Sorry.