It has taken a long time to get to this post – partly as I struggled to catch up with ALT-C online. However, I thought I would comment after seeing Brian Kelly’s post on Does Sharing on Mobile Devices Hinder Real World Discussions?
I would agree with Brian’s points:
In reality, I would argue that use of Twitter at conferences helps to develop new links and strengthen existing connections.
But also stress the value in extending the scope of the conference beyond those physically there.
In many ways the ‘social’ elements of a conference (dinners, etc) can therefore become more important – tweet during the day, meet during the evening so to speak.
(I wrote that last point before seeing the tweet copied in Brian’s post: we are sharing and building through twitter and online but maybe next year we say no tweeting over dinner? #ili2012)
Whose Education Is It Anyway? 