10 Takeaways from Jeff Pulver’s 140 Characters Conference

I opened my first Twitter account in March 2008 after a poolside chat with my son-in-law, Etan Horowitz, a technology columnist and blogger for The Orlando Sentinel. At the time I wasn’t sure how I might share my thoughts in 140 characters or less – at least in a way that would provide value to anybody else. I knew Twitter was searchable on the Internet and didn’t want to do anything that would leave an embarrassing digital trail for posterity.

The turning point came when I got my iPhone in early October or November. Though certainly not essential for Twittering, having the iPhone made it easy to Twitter when I was waiting in lines or sitting in the car on long trips while Dennis drove.

I solved the issue of deciding whom to Follow on Twitter by seeing whom Etan, otherwise known as @etanowitz, was Following. Each time he was a panelist at an event likely to feature other power Tweeters – such as the Consumer Electronics Show or the South by Southwest Interactive Festival – I checked to see who he had added and whether I might learn anything by Following the person myself.

For me the best thing about Twitter was that I could get links to lots of different blogs, news stories, and videos. I also learned that I could pass along the offerings of the people I Followed by Re-Tweeting. A communications professional by vocation, I love being able to promote people, issues, and stories I think are important.

Earlier this week, I had the good fortune to accompany Etan and my daughter, Daphne, whose Twitter name is @Dsashin, to the 140 Characters Conference in New York. Organized by Jeff Keni Pulver, a self-described technology anthropologist and the guy who founded the venture that gave rise to Vonnage, this two day event brought together everybody who’s anybody in the world of Twitter and social media.

New York has a lot of distractions, and while I planned on listening to a presentation featuring Etan and other panelists, I wasn’t sure I would stay the entire day. The events unfolding in Iran and the fact that Twitter was giving voice to people with no other means of expressing their political views provided added context to a conference planned many months ago.

Nobody envisions and plans a conference like Jeff Keni Pulver, and I don’t think I’ve ever attended any event more valuable. Anybody who plays the theme song from Exodus when a panelist or speaker goes beyond his allotted time deserves nothing but praise and admiration.

Always on the lookout for celebrity sightings, I can’t resist noting that I saw @anncurry of NBC’s The Today Show, @johnabyrne of Business Week, @shelly_palmer of MediaBytes, and @lizstrauss of Successful Blog.

Twitter friends not able to be at #140conf have asked me to tell them what I learned during day one, and 10 takeaways come to mind. The ideas are not mine, but those of speakers and panelists I heard, and I invite my readers to fill in who provided what.

1. “Twitter provides postcards to the future. Imagine how nice it would be if you could see the Twitter stream of people in your life who are no longer with you.”

2. “Links are the currency of the internet.”

3. “Twitter is not instead of traditional media. It’s just a new channel.”

4. “There’s a big difference between presentation and conversation, and Twitter is about conversation.”

5. “Find interesting people [to Follow] and amplify their voices.”

6. “If you want me to Re-Tweet your Tweet, make me feel proud to pass it on.”

7. “120-125 is your character limit if you want to be Re-Tweeted.”

8. “Re-Tweeting is like offering an assist to the best people on your team.”

9. “When people ask ‘what’s the return on investment?’, ask ‘what’s the return on ignoring Twitter’.”

10. "Governments can use Twitter to bypass the media and reach segments they usually couldn't reach."