Making the Social Network Real

With the recent news of the cancellation of FOSE, we wanted to reflect on why an institution like that event is suddenly gone from the landscape. While the reasons are numerous, one key factor is that big tradeshows and conventions tend to be one-way conversations. While the speakers may be high profile and interesting there is no way to interact with them. In the social media age of instant gratification with retweets, likes, and replies, attendees want more than a bullhorn approach to communication, they want a dialogue. We've done some thinking on this and came up with a couple ideas on how to bring the interactivity of online social networks to real-life social networks.  

• Think small - we've talked here before about the concept of meet-ups and lunches. Smaller, more intimate events designed to provide an opportunity for two-way communication between a speaker/expert and the audience. These events are appealing for attendees as there is the real opportunity to interact and make a connection not only with the speaker but fellow attendees. A real life version of LinkedIn where you know you share interests (LinkedIn Groups), may discover connections (people you may know), and can have an exchange about those shared pieces without a keyboard and a spam filter eating your messages. These small events can even be used as lead-ups to a larger conference or tradeshow.

• Social media as online dating? - events should have a social media presence before, during and after the event. To effectively use social media as a recruitment tool, event planners should use platforms to get discussions going on topics related to the event as they tease out speakers and topics. As attendees, we need to participate in those discussions to get a sense of what to expect at the event. In doing so, you may virtually "meet" a fellow commenter who shares your opinion, one who disagrees, or one who you have been looking to meet. Use these online forums as a way to connect with these folks and plan on a meet-up at the event. Going into that in-person meeting with a discussion already started online will make it more effective and beneficial for everyone.

• Real-time reactions - using event hashtags and following them will help you link up with people that you did not know were at the event. Just as following pre-event chatter helps you find connections that you want to make, listening to the chatter during an event can direct you to the people your message will resonate with.

Even at large, multi-day events that may still be using bull horn type presentations, using these tactics will help you break through all that noise and find the people you really need and want to interact with. It is these real connections that are the goals of anyone attending an event. In the era of reduced travel budgets and justifying expenses, showing you are making these connections is necessary to future event attendance.

How about you? How have you translated an online interaction into a real-life connection?

Image from: cnet