Tools, Tips And Tricks For Tech Events
10Apr2008 Filed under: Startup News Author: Dan TentlerMost of us have been to tech events and have thought at one time or another “Damn, I missed networking or communication opportunities”. Or perhaps “Aw, I wish I could have heard about where party X was, or where everyone was going after talk Y.” Maintaining some degree of awareness regarding where the crowd is moving and what is happening is key, because let’s face it – all the good stuff happens at the parties, the pubs, and in the hallways and lobbies. During the talks everyone is occupied with the talk. Here is a quick list of things that will help lift your head above the proverbial ‘treeline’.
Twitter: Everyones favorite. The status quo. Everyone uses it, everyone loves it and 3rd party companies keep making stuff that plugs into it (foamee, twitpic, fireeagle - the list goes on). Get on twitter, and make sure everyone knows who you are.
Flickr: Everyone also loves pictures. I, for one love to capture moments otherwise lost to the sands of time whenever possible (which is likely why I have 7300+ pictures in my stream). Dont take ten thousand pictures, but 20-50 awesome pictures will be gratefully appreciated by the crowd.
Meta: Make sure you know what the meta for the event is. Hashtags, tags for flickr/blogposts/etc. Know them well ahead of time, and be ready with ‘OH’ and twitpic at the ready.
Data: Networking is essential at these events. Meet awesome people, exchange information! If you don’t have business cards, look into little cards from moo.com. They’re like business cards except far more clever.
Elevator pitch: Be able to describe yourself to anybody in ten seconds. Whether you’re a tech person, or a non-tech person, you should be able to describe yourself to anybody in any regard in ten seconds. Practice/rehearse this - ask your friends (the non crazy ones) for help.
Thats it!
You don’t need much other than a nimble wit, and a keen sense of your surroundings. Check out our calendar here for all the neat San Diego tech events going on, and try to employ some of these points!
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Jason
April 10th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I disagree about twitter. I don’t use and don’t see what the big deal is. Maybe I am just not web 2.0 enough to enjoy it
Jenn Van Grove
April 11th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Hey Jason, thanks for your comment. All of us at StartupSD are pretty obsessed with Twitter, but I completely understand the point your making, and I could definitely point you towards some resources as to why Twitter is relevant (including a recent post I did on my blog InsidetheRabbitHole.com) if you’re interested.
Cameron
April 11th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Jason, as a recent twitter user I know where you’re coming from. For awhile, I avoided twitter like the plague thinking it would be nothing but a huge time suck. While I’m still not completely convinced I’ll stick around, I am enjoying it so far and it seems like a great way to get and stay connected. I think you should at least give it a try, that way you’ll know what it’s about.
Jason
April 12th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Can you guys tell me exactly what you use it for?
Audrey
April 12th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Hey Jason,
I avoided Twitter for a while for fear of getting “sucked in” to another social networking tool. But here’s a good example of how it’s been helpful since I started using it in March:
At SXSW this year, by following some friends and other folks I knew I’d like to run into, I was able to track what parties and events people were headed to and hear in real-time what they were thinking about the panels they were attending. That was really helpful since there was no way I could have kept up with that info stream over email or texting (nor would all of us have taken the time to even message each other in those ways with the brief one-sentence-long updates you can easily post to Twitter).
A couples back from SXSW, I’ve gotten back into checking in on my Twitter feed at least a couple times a day as I’ve found it a pretty good way to keep up with what your friends, colleagues, peers and others in the industry are thinking about, working on, etc.
Dan Tentler
April 12th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Heres a perfect example: The popcrunch (techcrunch and popsugar) event that was in Los Angeles on Thursday:
I’d say 10-15 people from San Diego went up there for the shindig, and we all kept in close contact by using twitter. All of the gossipy happenings went out over twitter (like Arrington kicking out Pete Cashmore, and the photographer from Valleywag) then the subequent afterparties..
MC Hammer showing up..
The list goes on. Think of it as a broadcast system you can operate from your phone. It’s very handy if you have 50 people and you need to know whats going on with any one of them at any given moment and you’re not at a laptop
Jason
April 13th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Ah thats right, I keep forgetting its a mobile phone app as well. I guess that makes sense. I still prefer blogs to keep up to date with people and IM/email to keep up to date with friends.
Dan Tentler
April 13th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Right - its the mobile version of it that makes it so useful.
Twitter is used more to keep tabs on stuff real-time, than just keeping up with friends.
For example, if I want to make an event .. say … the opening day of some new movie and perhaps dinner before, and drinks afterwards.. I’d twitter about it. People who follow me on twitter may be interested and reply - while they are out and about, assuming they have twitter turned on to use their mobile device.
Say that 15 people throw down for the event - we can all coordinate real time on twitter. WHo is where, whos buying tickets, whos going to be late, and if they are going to be late, what to get them for dinner etc. Its really quite handy.