Tweeting is Fun, But Face to Face Conversation is Best
Pisarro's Conversation
by Deb Ng
Something struck me as amusing at SXSWi ‘09. The buzz word of the event was “conversation” yet, a lot of people weren’t talking. Don’t get me wrong, there were conversations happening, just not with each other. Every where I looked, I saw folks sitting next to each other….tweeting. I saw tables full of people not speaking but their fingers were flying at a rapidfire pace over cell phones and laptops. Are we getting so into our social networking we’ve forgotten about talking to each other?
It’s a good reminder that while social media has it’s place, real live conversation is more important. Twitter is 140 characters, the human vocabulary is infinite. I had wonderful conversations at the Residence Inn’s free breakfast buffet with folks I had just met, but that’s because I made it a point to leave my laptop upstairs. There were plenty more folks sharing tables who didn’t even look at the potential friends or colleagues joining them.
Whether you’re talking about your blog, your radio show or whatever it is you wish to promote, don’t forget the art of conversation doesn’t mean spending all your time online. The best conversations take place among good company with lots of ideas and laughter being shared. At BlogTalkRadio, we take conversation to a new level. I hope you do too!
[...] our laptops and turn off our cell phones once in a while. One thing that struck me at SXSW was how many people were sitting around tables Twittering, yet they weren’t talking to each other. For meals, I made it a point of leaving my electronic devices back at the hotel and had some [...]
I’d read this or leave a comment but I have people I have to meet.
I sometimes feel that Twitter and the like are like the new age IRC.