Kathy Sierra Trumps Everything
Kathy Sierra: Face-to-Face Trumps Twitter, Blogs, etc.
She asks the rhetorical question (I paraphrase), “Why do we still go to conferences when there are so many media to bring them to us.”
Here’s my list of reasons:
- One-on one in crowds. Why is it more fun to see a movie with someone else? Because, even if you’re too polite to talk to each other loudly, you still hear, see, sense each other reacting, in real time. Your companion’s reaction shapes and informs yours, and enriches the whole experience. You’re seeing a different movie when you see it with someone else.
- One-on-a-few in crowds. Even the best video-conferencing tools can’t capture this. The few people sitting near you provide (decreasingly with increased distance) the same thing your one companion provides. We are made to do things in groups, and we are made to read each other.
- Giving what you get. What companions give us, we give them, and we get a kick out of it.
All in all, I think giving is the most important thing, even when it’s on the very subtle level. Here’s an example:
My friend Lee Hopkins is one of the most skilled appreciators I know. One of the many persons he appreciates is Kathy Sierra. Why would he want to be in the audience rather than sitting at home seeing live video of her speech? Because, even if he’s sitting 13 rows back, she just might see him, hanging on every word, contributing his wee mite to what a good audience does for a good speaker.
I admit this list is partial, and admit further that Kathy’s probably right that no list is likely to cover all the reasons face time matters. It’s just my wee mite.