Recently I’ve noticed in movies or TV shows that during a lecture every college student is rapidly typing away on a laptop. As a teacher, I think I would find it very disturbing. I’d wonder, are they taking notes or messaging friends? Are they mentally present at all? How does one even speak to a room of people whose eyes are focused elsewhere? Where’s the physical and emotional feedback when one is speaking to a silver wall of MacBooks? Does virtual connectivity interfere with actual interactivity?
At SXSW, I had the opportunity to put myself in the role of the laptop-enabled student. And I loved it. I could take notes almost as quickly as some speakers talked. In fact, if I were speaking, I’d be more concerned when people looked up expectantly; that meant I was just blathering. I’d know I’d hit the mark when everyone began hitting their keyboards.
Rather than some scrawled notes languishing in a notebook that I’d probably never look at them again much less transcribe them, they were already typed up and organized. I was able to add in links. When a speaker referred to a website or a company or used a term I didn’t know, I Googled it and added the info to my notes.
Messaging during a session was actively encouraged at SXSWi. Each session had its own hashtag. (Most of these were painfully long. For example, #beyondthedesktop was informally shortened to #bede.) Panel moderators watched for questions on this backchannel or reacted to feedback. Participants could get a sense of what the rest of the audience was thinking and discuss their reactions. Although the term backchannel was coined in 1970, this was the first time I’d ever participated in an online mass discussion. I felt like one of the elite characters in Oath of Fealty who can mentally speak to each other via links to master computer which are hardwired into their brains. Science fact is quite a bit more democratic and cheaper.
Related
Albion London has done a series of Venn diagrams for SXSWi. One of my favorites explains the Feedback loops at SXSWi. They also explain a backchannel side effect, the dreaded Panel Envy.
Friday March 12, 2010
9:04 AM Mar 12th via Echofon
Stopping for coffee at Jo&’s. #sxswi http://twitpic.com/183w9g
9:48 AM Mar 12th via Echofon
Bag of swag. #sxswi http://twitpic.com/18447j
1:23 PM Mar 12th via Echofon
Connecting at #sxswi http://twitpic.com/1859m2
2:13 PM Mar 12th via Echofon
Video notetaking. #sxswi http://twitpic.com/185joy
3:45 PM Mar 12th via web
Perhaps I can’t get stoked about typography because I don’t hang out with surfer and skate dudes.
4:34 PM Mar 12th via The Social Collective
Switching from the web design to content. Apparently I lack the emotional F-type gene required of designers. #intj #sxswi
5:11 PM Mar 12th via web
Emergency reported. Evacuating ACC in the middle of #sxswi
5:34 PM Mar 12th via web
@timothymeaney A good Austin bar. http://www.pecheaustin.com/ Peche @Peche_Austin #sxswi
10:56 PM Mar 12th via web in reply to timothymeaney
@timothymeaney Glad you made it to Peche, even though I didn’t. I enjoyed your talk. Best of my day.
Saturday March 13, 2010
6:37 AM Mar 13th via web
RT @miemo When will we see organic/slow food movement for content? < http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/fashion/23slowblog.html
12:39 PM Mar 13th via Echofon
In line for mind control. Or this is part of a social experiment.
2:55 PM Mar 13th via web in reply to katiemoffat
@katiemoffat At the keynote now. Headed to User Experience Design Deliverables at 3:30. #sxsw #uxdesigndeliverables
3:17 PM Mar 13th via The Social Collective
Danah Boyd:Before Angelina Jolie Nietzsche said, “”To talk about oneself a great deal can be a way of concealing oneself”. @zephoria #sxsw
3:38 PM Mar 13th via The Social Collective
#UXsxsw UX Design Deliverables a very structured talk. (Yay!) Is that a reflection of the topic or the personality of the speaker?
Retweeted by sinclairstevens and 2 others
3:52 PM Mar 13th via txt
Mental note: checkout peter morville’s ux deliverable treasure map #sxsw #uxsxsw
hursman
Retweeted by sinclairstevens
5:01 PM Mar 13th via Tweetie
I didn’t think the MacBook/iPhone/moleskine ‘uniform’ could be any more pervasive…then I walked into the #uxsxsw sessions. #sxsw
axelhonkrod
6:13 PM Mar 13th via The Social Collective
Enjoyed Jason Cranford Teague on web typography. Hope I win a copy of Fluid Web Typography #FWTContest01 http://tinyurl.com/yepmzvk #sxsw
Sunday March 14, 2010
9:26 AM Mar 14th via The Social Collective
Surprised how many people showed up for the 9:30 sessions given time change and last night’s parties. Resilience of youth. #sxsw
9:50 AM Mar 14th via The Social Collective
“Failing is the new succeeding.” Celebrating failure quite popular this weekend. True or is everyone feeling the need to rationalize? #sxsw
10:43 AM Mar 14th via The Social Collective
Initially put off by marketing crowd but glad I stayed. @JeremyGutsche fun speaker and I won Exploiting Chaos book. #sxsw #exploitingchaos
12:57 PM Mar 14th via web
Previous tweet cutoff. Clay Shirky & Jeremy Gutsche reading from the same book? Very similar messages. Lots of echo in the #sxsw chamber.
1:08 PM Mar 14th via The Social Collective
Finding Dan Ariely’s talk interesting, provocative, and fun. One of the best yet. #sxsw #perfectlyirrational
2:25 PM Mar 14th via The Social Collective
There’s no KEY in Kyoto. Both syllables rhyme with “oh”: kyoh-toh
5:04 PM Mar 14th via Echofon
Fav talk hands down has been @danariely #sxsw http://twitpic.com/18mqzn
5:31 PM Mar 14th via Echofon
Keynote speeches as visualized by graphic artists. #sxswi http://twitpic.com/18mwxf
8:21 PM Mar 14th via Echofon
Why do award shows spend so much time on entertainment at the expense of the people they’re honoring? #sxswi #webawards
Monday March 15, 2010
8:46 AM Mar 15th via Echofon
Seeing the metro rail makes me feel like Austin’s grown up. http://twitpic.com/18qxe7
9:30 AM Mar 15th via The Social Collective
Impressed with font choices/layout of the title slide. More seductive than any of the font talks on Friday. #sxsw #seductiveinteractions
10:54 AM Mar 15th via web
Seduced by @stephenanderson Fun & attractive talk but well-structured w/concrete examples and thoughtful take aways. #seductiveinteractions
2:18 PM Mar 15th via Echofon
Lunch at Piranha Killer Sushi. http://twitpic.com/18slyy
2:44 PM Mar 15th via web
Meandering questions & responses much longer than 140 char. Losing core audience? People trickling out. #sxsw #keynote
3:19 PM Mar 15th via Echofon
Recycling #fail #sxsw http://twitpic.com/18sxn4
Retweeted by sinclairstevens
3:57 PM Mar 15th via Tweetie
The #bede panel is really interesting. In other words, it has to be; it’s featuring the guys who made Siftables and the Wii-mote hacks a.o.
marks
4:02 PM Mar 15th via web
iPhone less than 1% of the mobile phones;but not at #sxsw of course! #beyondthedesktop #bede
4:08 PM Mar 15th via web
The fun thing about this panel is that they all seem genuinely interested in what each other is saying. #bede #sxsw #beyondthedesktop
Retweeted by sinclairstevens and 3 others
4:09 PM Mar 15th via Tweetie
#bede give johnny lee his own session next year
nicklockey
4:24 PM Mar 15th via web
Computers responding in a calm voice when user is angry is maddening. More empathetic if matches emotion. — Johnny Chung Lee #bede #sxsw
5:02 PM Mar 15th via Echofon
Old chairs from the razed Austin Municipal Auditorium make me nostalgic. #sxsw http://twitpic.com/18ti89
Tuesday March 16, 2010
9:44 AM Mar 16th via web in reply to JasonSpeaking
@JasonSpeaking Can’t go to a talk by Googlers and not expect to hear about the awesomeness.
Retweeted by sinclairstevens
9:33 AM Mar 16th via TweetDeck
This is great. RT @adrianho: awesome slideshare of #sxsw quotes from @ConversationAge (who I finally saw in person) http://bit.ly/cQRGGP
katiemoffat
Retweeted by sinclairstevens and 2 others
10:05 AM Mar 16th via TweetDeck
Prototyping tip: Put a 2 sec pause to imitate there’s a server behind HTML prototypes. It always works! #prototypingwebapps #sxsw
yknakano
11:20 AM Mar 16th via web
Proust “The real voyage of discovery is not to seek new landscapes but to look upon the world with fresh eyes.” #sxsw #nostraightlines
11:30 AM Mar 16th via web
Technology succeeds or not to the extent it meets fundamental human needs. #nostraightlines #sxsw
11:58 AM Mar 16th via Echofon
Back again at Cafe Crepe. http://twitpic.com/18yp0i
Retweeted by sinclairstevens and 2 others
11:50 AM Mar 16th via Tweetie
Final day of SXSW Interactive. Weary geeks slowly supplanted by hipsters. Gig posters being taped over dotcom invitation codes.
Cennydd
12:00 PM Mar 16th via Echofon in reply to 360sxswi
@360sxswi @Epicurious. Try Buenos Aires Cafe.
12:26 PM Mar 16th via web
Wonder if this year’s ubiquitous silver MacBook Pro will be replaced by the iPad at #sxswi 2011.
12:42 PM Mar 16th via web
In the age of abundance, how can I communicate my worth? Skill with a specific technology is not enough. #sxsw #becreativegetpaid
1:00 PM Mar 16th via web
This talk is okay but with visuals it could have been great. #sxsw #becreativegetpaid
1:48 PM Mar 16th via Echofon
Artist got more out of @Ev keynote than I. Hope today better. #sxsw http://twitpic.com/18z9li
2:09 PM Mar 16th via web
Watching Spotify demo and quickly feeling covetous. Must I move to UK or will they announce US release? #sxsw
2:12 PM Mar 16th via web
“Spotify playlists are the mix tapes of 2010.” #sxsw
Retweeted by sinclairstevens
2:11 PM Mar 16th via txt
Spotify keynote is already impressive. I’m sad I haven’t had a chance to use this yet. This could kill all other music services
michaelcummings
2:20 PM Mar 16th via web
In Sweden Spotify is bundled with smartphones for 3-6 mos free usage. Then the users are hooked and convert to paying customers. #sxsw
2:38 PM Mar 16th via web
Neither search nor browsing by genre is optimal. Spotify likes collaboration but doesn’t want to be its own social network. #sxsw
2:41 PM Mar 16th via web
Spotify would rather piggyback on Facebook/Twitter and let the latter handle the permissions and other social media issues. #sxsw
2:53 PM Mar 16th via Echofon
Spotify on the phone. #sxsw http://twitpic.com/18zljt
3:02 PM Mar 16th via web in reply to ragnarh
@ragnarh Android, I think, on Sony Ericsson. http://twitpic.com/18zljt
4:11 PM Mar 16th via web
Can user-generated content save US education from the Texas State Board of Education? #sxsw #crackingthebooks
4:41 PM Mar 16th via Echofon in reply to nickvegas
@nickvegas You validated many of my opinions. In 90s telling employers more important that I know how to analyze and write than use app X.
Retweeted by sinclairstevens and 3 others
5:11 PM Mar 16th via web
#brucesterling is up. says he’s going to complain. “I am a futurist, and i can predict my own complaining” #sxsw
baratunde
5:19 PM Mar 16th via web
What do Brazilians, Indians, and millennial Serbs have in common? Their enthusiasm and optimism make #brucesterling happy. @bruces
5:35 PM Mar 16th via web
Prediction: the eviscerating critics of this #sxsw Internet generation will be digital natives with pre-digital nostalgia. #brucesterling