New Media

A Very Sociable Week

The idea was that New York would make me a more interesting blogger, but I was so busy attending Social Media Week events, conference panels and doing actual work that I neglected to update until today. Of course, because of Twitter I don’t really dedicate time to lil posts with recommended links anymore. It’s just so much more efficient, even though your SEO pals would argue that such behavior does not generate new pages for search. (Although, you can always make the counter argument that linking back to your own site in such a targeted community where people already like you is more valuable and still increases page views.)

Twitter was, in fact, the rage all week. The MSM, led by Time magazine, wrote about it en mass and even David Gregory got an account and quickly wracked up 16,000 followers. Everyone I met in Manhattan had their @screenname on their business cards, and conversations seamlessly halted midstream for tweets to be typed on Blackberries and iPhones.

The culmination of the madness, for me, was at the Shorty Awards in DUMBO, Brooklyn, which were like the Twitter Oscars hosted by Twit-maniac Rick Sanchez and Twit-phenom MC Hammer. Not surprisingly, it was the most schizophrenic experience I’ve ever had. It was multitasking hell: As people spoke on stage, the crowd was clearly listening, yet everyone’s attention fluctuated between friends and screens as their fingers flurried. Some jack*ss knocked his drink onto my Blackberry and Flip video camera while I was (gasp!) simultaneously documenting the frenzy and BBMing with @bridoc.

The experience confirmed my growing suspicion that technology has hijacked our manners and is making us less compelling people. My case is particularly acute, as an only-child attention whore feeling lonesome in a new city. Thus, without further delay, I will be launching my Manners 2.0 project on Monday, with or without the book deal. (And because my friend Meghan made me an awesome graphic!!)

Not sure how much it had to do with the Tweeting or the stress of my new bicoastal lifestyle, but I essentially OD’ed on upwardly mobile New Yorkers this week. There’s always an event, or a panel or a mixer. I started seeing the same faces everywhere and wondered if I’d unwittingly become a media troll. That was certainly not my intention. So, I skipped Twestival to watch UCLA hoops with an old co-worker instead and decided that I just want to have fun and do as many cultural things as possible for the remainder of the month. I’ll catch pneumonia if I keep up this schedule and then Gramma will be mad at me. Can’t have that!

It was funny, I met several different groups of people from LA last night, and I got excited thinking about heading home, even as cool as it felt walking back from Mieka Pauley’s show to the subway on busy city streets. It was exactly how I felt driving on Sunset Blvd. before my plane left for JFK at the new year. I guess when you identify with more than once place, something will always feel like it’s missing. Good thing my Twitter followers can come with me anywhere I go. *whew*

Email this post  image image Print this post Print this post

Discussion

No comments for “A Very Sociable Week”

Post a comment