Bloggers hard at work at the Social Good Summit's Digital Media Lounge |
The weekend was also hectic and exhausting! I arrived in the bustling Digital Media Lounge each day by 11 in the morning and didn't leave until after 7 at night with almost no break in between. Scores of bloggers and independent journalists were tapping away on their devices from morning to night. I have never seen so many people using Twitter all at once before.
US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice speaks to Mashable founder Pete Cashmore |
A highly connected audience listens while surprise guest Peter Gabrial speaks at the Social Good Summit in New York City |
I was most disappointed in the actual "global conversation" that took place. Rather, that DIDN'T take place as a huge majority of tweets and retweets flowing in through the #SGSglobal hashtag were quotes and sound bites from the speakers. There wasn't much interaction in the way of people discussing the issues the speakers raised. I tried to start conversations by posing a number of questions during the presentations, but most of my Tweets fell on deaf ears or in this case, silent fingers.
So much of the hype leading up to the Social Good Summit was surrounded by the impression that there would be conversation taking place internationally about the issues brought forth at the Summit. I was truly disappointed by the lack of engagement amongst the global audience and the one question that kept popping up in my head was, "Where's the dialogue?"
Despite the lack of sharing and discussing between participants, the talks and presentations on stage were nothing short of phenomenal. (I'll be updating a new blog post with my favorite highlights from the Social Media Summit in the coming days so be sure to check back for what I thought were some truly relevant, moving, and significant topics.)
Overall, the Social Good Summit was an amazing experience to see and hear so many influential people discussing their work and what more they hope to achieve with the help of social media and technology. It just would have been nice to hear what other people around the world were thinking and to have put my two cents into the pot as well.
© Connie Hum 2012
While the size and agenda of the conference did not allow much conversation, I also feel that there could have been more participatory dialogue. That said, I note the Google Hangout in Uzbekistan as one among many Social Good Meetups that were more intimate, with deeper engagement among participants.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, the global conversation on social good does not end with the conference; I will continue tagging tweets and Pinterest pins with #SGSGlobal whenever apt to keep engagers engaged.
I absolutely agree that the global conversation doesn't end with the conference and I also fully plan on continuing my dialogue with others online regarding the issues raised at the SGS.
DeleteIt just felt like a missed opportunity to have had so many like-minded people in one room and internet space and NOT have had more interaction and sharing.
Thanks for sharing about the Uzbekistan group! That's incredible to hear!