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How did one person interested in the Esri UC, but not in attendance use social media to follow the event? Directions Magazine asked Atanas Entchev of ENTCHEV GIS Architects about his experience tracking the conference from a distance.
Adena Schutzberg (AS): How did you follow the Esri UC via social media? What tool(s), hash tags, accounts did you use/read/follow? How often did you look at them before, during the week of the conference, and afterward?
Atanas Entchev (AE): I followed the Esri UC (and BPC [Business Partner Conference]) through the online activities of a select few whose opinion and judgment I value: James Fee, Adena Schutzberg, Dave Bouwman. I followed them wherever they were broadcasting (I followed Fee on Twitter for the BPC and on his live blog for the UC. I read the APB [Directions Magazine’s All Points Blog] via RSS. I followed Bouwman on Twitter and his UC BackChannel). I did not use any hashtags. There's only so much info I can absorb, so I didn't even look for more info beyond those three streams.
AS: Which types of tweeters and/or types of tweets were the most valuable to you? Why? Which types of tweeters and/or types of tweets were the least valuable to you? Why?
AE: Most valuable - the three above, for their objectivity and keen observation. Least valuable - self-centered and self-aggrandizing twitterers (we all know who they are).
AS: Did you read any of the live blogged coverage of the plenary? (James Fee and Very Spatial provided such coverage; others may have also.) Did you or will you want the videos of the plenary (which are already online)? Why or why not?
AE: I read James Fee's live blog. I did not view (or want) the videos for the same reason I don't listen to podcasts: I like to set the pace when absorbing technical information; listening to audio could be annoying to coworkers with whom I share office space; text can be saved (and later searched) for reference - not so with audio and video.
AS: What advice do you have for Esri, partners or users who publish via social media around Esri UC to enhance its value to those not in attendance?
AE: Give users the facts, with no spin, in grammatically correct text, with no spelling errors.
AS: Feel free to share any other observations or comments you have.
AE: I understand that conferences are also a place for socializing. Lest I come across as a curmudgeon, let me state that I understand the value that social media provides along those lines. I did notice (and occasionally scan) the social channels of social media, and I think those provide a valuable sense of community for Esri users.
