Following Esri UC from a Distance via Social Media

After returning from Esri UC I wanted to get a sense of how one interested party, Atanas Entchev of ENTCHEV GIS Architects, was able to follow the event via social media, despite the fact that she did not attend. Disclosure: Entchev has contributed to Directions Magazine and other publications I edited.

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.