We’re expecting a baby here on the home front, so it wasn’t in the cards for me to attend ASAE annual in person this year. But I was still “there” to a significant extent, and will probably remain “there” for a while after.
No, I don’t have mystical powers or a transporter (for those of you old enough and/or geeky enough to know what that means). But I do have Twitter and a wide range of other social learning tools. I tuned into them some during the conference, and I am continuing to tune into them now as the tweets continue and the blog posts flow. Here’s just a quick snapshot of what’s near the top of my Twitter reader as I write this post:
@maddiegrant: RT @FrankFortin: Signs of a GREAT community: #asae10: 8300 tweets, 817 tweeps, only 14.5% of tweets were from the top 10.
@kikilitalien RT @robertmbarnes: Written my notes from #asae10 in @evernote and will synch, then upload to my blog and the #aussieyap group when I land in Syd.
@satovich Back from #asae10 & reviewing www.asae10.org session tweets – many, many takeaways about going mobile
@jtcobb Good stream on leading edge learning coming out of @KathiEdwards session: #asae10le2
@TeriTally RT @peachdave: Was just checking out #sweetspot broadcasted live from #asae10 http://ustre.am/:Ce8k @kikiitalien @maddiegrant
@ tomhood RT @IABC: The 7 Secrets of Inspiring Leaders – #1 Passion. Outline of @carminegallo‘s keynote presentation at #ASAE10. http://bit.ly/doSouh
@ SpeakerSue Almost as if I attended #asae10. Next year! Thank you: @walterASCD @msimps01
Now, let’s just consider what we’ve got here from just a handful of tweets:
- A group of peers actively engaged in discussing what’s going on at the conference and some of the things they are learning about. Each represents a possible connection for more dialogue and knowledge sharing. (i.e., you might want to consider following these people on Twitter!)
- An indication that one of these people is going to upload all of his notes from the conference using (the amazing note-taking and sharing platform) Evernote. He’s then going to synch this to his blog AND share it in the Aussie YAP group. Wow – bring it on!
- Links to the main conference Twitter stream (#asae10) as well the stream for a specific session (#asae10le2).
- A link to a streaming video presentation (http://ustre.am/:Ce8k).
- A link to a blog post with thoughts on one of the keynotes (http://bit.ly/doSouh).
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Folks, this is powerful stuff.
It is important to note that ASAE did not “control” this or dictate how it should happen. This is just what happens when a community of like-minded professionals have access to share the experiences and knowledge generated from a focused event. But ASAE played a very important role in (a) providing the focused event, and (b) fully supporting and encouraging use of the tools. Kudos.
Could this be even more powerful? Sure. It’s not always easy to know what is going on within a flood of communication like this. Personally, I found it quite difficult to locate the session stream I link to above in my tweet.
And obviously, not everything is of equal value. Associations cannot and should not try to control the flow of communication in social media environments, but recognizing them as learning environments and, through active participation, helping people find the connections and resources of most interest to them will be of increasing importance. (Not to say that ASAE doesn’t do this – but it is an area in which it can keep evolving and leading the way.)
Bottom line: social learning that connects online and off – aka, Learning 2.0 – is powerful, and it’s not just a theory. Indeed, it might just be something you want to put to work for your next event.
Jeff
P.S. – I encourage you to check out the free eBook Learning 2.0 for Associations. I’ll forewarn you, though, that I wrote this nearly 3 years ago when Twitter was hardly a blip on the radar screen. I am finally starting a much needed update that will include Twitter and a number of other additions.
Also, you may want to see some other Learning 2.0 related posts here on Tagoblog:
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Love it! Great snapshot. However, I have to note with interest that none of your examples include “official” virtual content. I assume you didn’t attend the virtual conference, but this makes me wonder if there isn’t more that could have been done to integrate the fantastic member-generated and ASAE-supported use of social media with the more pre-planned virtual content. Don’t know the answer, just throwing that out there.
Maddie – Funny you should ask. I would have loved to attend the virtual conference, but ASAE would not apply the speaker discount. Given that there was a good chance of heading for the delivery room during the conference, there was just no way I could justify plunking down the full fee. I have not yet talked with anyone who participated in it, but I hope to as we continue our virtual conference research. I, too, wonder if more couldn’t have been done to integrate across the offical conference, the official virtual conference, and the great wealth of informal and unofficial virtual/social activity that went on (and is still going on!). – Jeff
You took the words right out of my mouth! I’m not a member of ASAE (YET), but was so thrilled and excited that I could follow along and “be there” with my friends and colleagues and see the conference through their eyes! I’ve also become a follower of quite a few who did tweet so that I can expand my circle of friends and colleagues. Thank you for posting! ~Adrienne
Oh yeah, and this tweet is going on my favorites list
Hi Adrienne – Thanks so much for commenting and for the “favorite.” It sounds like the experience may have moved you closer to becoming a member – in which case, chalk up another point for Learning 2.0! – Jeff
Jeff:
It was hard to be there and not get to meet you F2F. Your name is hallowed in the ASAE halls of learning!!
Great list and yes, it is amazing what happens when there is a good core group of social media users determined to share what they are learning with the world. Social learning rocks! You just showed the ROI of the tip of the ice-berg.
Thanks Jeff and here’s to when we do meet F2F. #likeminds
Hey Jeff – Thanks for the kind words. I had hoped to meet you at ASAE this year, also. Hopefully we will get another opportunity soon. And thanks for all the great posts over at Midcourse Corrections – Ellen Behrens and I both praise you in the podcast post before this one. (And anybody reading this who is not yet familiar with Jeff’s blog – be sure to get over there! http://jeffhurtblog.com/ ) – Jeff