Kiss My SASS!

The state of NOW, not later, was the focus of Jeff Pulver's inspiring Los Angeles edition of his 140conf.  While the inaugural 140conf in New York this summer was very clearly inspired by Twitter and the character limit of a tweet, in Hollywood the spirit of the conference was more clearly about the character of the 140 characters who took the stage over the two days.  The famed Kodak Theatre was the home to 140 speakers that ranged from comedians to cancer patients, from homeless to household names, from business leaders to folks trying to give us the business. Those in attendance laughed, cried, and more importantly, connected, and brought their online lives into a real time environment.  It was a thought provoking, invigorating, inspiring event, as evidenced by the continued conversation on Twitter.

My own small contribution to the event was called "Is That A Phone In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Enjoying The Show?" in which I tried to highlight both the benefits, and some of the downsides to our always on, always connected lives, thanks to our ever-present mobile devices.  In a nutshell, while it is truly amazing to have instant access to our Facebook friends, our Twitter stream and virtually all of the information on the Internet in the palms of our hands, we too often "tune out" to tune in to our phones.  In the end, we should make sure our constant access to "real time" information doesn't ruin our "real time" engaging with the people around us.  What do you think?

Here is my short presentation, and thanks again to Jeff for welcoming me as a character at 140conf LA.

The Twitter Economy is booming. With thousands of apps, hundreds of books, dozens of conferences and seemingly billions of self-proclaimed experts and gurus there is no shortage of information flowing about the particulars of Twitter and the inherent value of so called "micro-blogging" and "real-time communications."

Getting Real

One of the personalities at the forefront of exploring real-time and the "state of now" is my friend Jeff Pulver, among other things, the founder of the groundbreaking "140Conf" which has for many, changed the way business conferences can be approached.  With a wide range of speakers (more than 100 in two days) a tremendous variety of expertise, points of view and topics will be covered, all tied together with the underlying theme of how Twitter, Real Time Communications and Social Media have created a "state of Now" that is changing the world of media, information, advertising, entertainment, charity (and perhaps more).  In his own words, Jeff likens the mood and energy of 140Conf as a concert-like event:

... the #140conf event series really represents what can be best characterized as “Tech Concerts”, especially since the people who are speaking are the rock stars of their respective industry segments and in some cases really are Rock stars. The #140conf events are taking place in venues where concerts happen on a regular basis. And at the end of the day as the event creator, co-host and producer, I am trying my best to provide great days of end-to-end entertainment and engaging discussions.

I was honored to be a part of the "original" 140Conf this summer in NY and I am looking forward to being a "Character" again at the first Los Angeles 140Conf this Tuesday and Wednesday at the famed Kodak Theater. 

EnVIZualize The Event!

If you want a quick, colorful and brilliantly executed look at the original #140Conf, the talented Jonny Goldstein has just published a free eBook of his delightful visualizations of the speakers and panels from the NY 140conf.  The picture above is Jonny's rendition of my own presentation, "Everything I Know About Twitter I Learned In Grade School."  Jonny has a real talent for capturing the essence of a discussion in single, creative image, and his eBook of 140Conf is filled with the entertaining and thought provoking highlights of the inaugural 140Conf event.  You can download Jonny's book here (and I strongly encourage you to do so!).  His pictures are worth way more than 140 characters or even 1,000 words, and we are fortunate he is making it so easy to share them.

If you will be at 140Conf in LA I hope to say hello.  You can get more information about attending here.

Disclosure: As mentioned, Jeff Pulver is a friend, so I am biased and delighted to enthusiastically support everything he sets out to do!  I am attending 140Conf LA as a "Character" and guest.