So That's Life?

Twittermania came to television last night as Andy Bumatai (@Andy_Bumatai for Tweeters out there) broadcast a show dedicated to Twitter and social networking. Guests on the show included tech businessman Lincoln Jacobe, Internet marketing specialist Arleen Anderson (@AlohaArleen), and Twitter guru Deborah Micek (@CoachDeb).

What really surprised me was the audience turnout. Now I’m fairly new to Twitter and haven’t had the opportunity to meet many fellow Tweeters IRL (in real life). There were approximately 30 (I should have taken an actual count) who showed up to watch the taping and they filled every available seat. It was like a geek truckstop and it was quite a sight to see everyone sitting there with their mobile devices, tweeting and snapping pictures to post.

The taping went by very quickly because it is shot in real time. Commercial breaks allow for a pause but there are no re-takes and Andy really keeps things moving. Thirty minutes went by in a flash.

What struck me as being significant was how easy it was to move from online personalities to face to face interaction. I definitely didn’t know (follow in Twitterese) at least half of the people there, but it was second nature to introduce myself and my online persona, @avharris. Before the evening was over, I’d guess that I’d requested “follows” from nearly all of the attendees. Naturally, I’m hoping that they will reciprocate and follow me but it isn’t really that important in the scheme of things.

As it pertains to the theme of my blog, I was exposed to a widening world of online personalities. I heard stories of potential blockbuster online opportunities as well as vignettes of people who were surprised that an event in their life had become common knowledge. I saw that a personal connection can be made from the initial online ovetures. I also saw the power of celebrity and how a small community of Twitter users in Hawaii can potentially demonstrate the power of effective social networing to the public at large.