A Conference 2.0 Comment Worth Reposting

Posted on April 4, 2008
Filed Under Web 2.0 Kool Aid |

News.com has an article entitled “How to survive the next-gen confab” which discusses the Conference 2.0 concept that I dismissed previously.

An enlightened and spot-on comment from “JDGDOIT” resonated so much with me that I felt it was worth reposting here. Not only does it make a valid point about Conference 2.0, some of its insight can be applied to other Web 2.0 bullshit.

I come from a different generation I guess, but I think that some respect is due to a speaker who has made him or herself available and taken the time to prepare a presentation for the audience. Admittedly, some are paid quite handsomely to do this and some are less than apt as speakers or communicators.
However, it concerns me that with the Web age all common courtesy and personal respect for others has seemed to become obsolete. Everyone thinks their ideas are most important, that somehow they are meant to be heard - ALL THE TIME! Why can’t we put down our electronic security blankets and actually listen intently to someone, recognizing that we do NOT know everything and we might just learn something if we slow down a little and pay attention.
Even in less-than-exciting presentations or way-off-course panels, something can often be gleaned from the discussions. Also, I normally have the freedom to quietly leave with respect to those on stage and without disrupting or making a scene out of it.
I guess it comes down to not seeing myself as the center of the universe and respecting the efforts of others, giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are doing their best to share some knowledge with me.

For ADD-ridden Web 2.0 addicts who have a hard time focusing long enough to read a comment with four paragraphs, here’s a summary: sometimes it pays to shut the fuck up and listen. You just might learn something.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Netvouz
  • ThisNext
  • Reddit
  • SphereIt
  • Slashdot
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
Print This Post Print This Post

Comments

One Response to “A Conference 2.0 Comment Worth Reposting”

  1. Bill on April 4th, 2008 11:23 am

    I completely agree. I am so sick of twitter mobs and the such being complete asses to the presenters on stage.

Leave a Reply