Entries from TED Blog tagged with 'twitter'
27 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: RT @Twitter "tweeting the Twitter"
Today, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams' talk from TED2009 was posted and we all began to tweet, creating a labyrinth of self-reference. Here are a few choice selections from the day's activity:
Twitter State of the Union, courtesy of TED.com. Definitely an idea worth spreading. -- tapdraw
Watching @ev present at TED on video about Twitter and tweeting it. That is just inneresting. -- kwells2416
just saw a nice little TED talk on Twitter... made me excited for our times :) -- rcajias
TED talk on Twitter - quite interesting, lots I didn't know about it's development -- icepoet
twitter on TED been waiting for this one -- biyingw
Can't ... resist ... tweeting the twitter TED talk -- eulenherr
eating a turkey sandwich and watching a talk about twitter on Ted.com -- michaelbyers
Another little slice of life, via Twitter.
27 February 2009
How to talk while people are Twittering
Three weeks ago, while Evan Williams was onstage at TED2009 talking about Twitter, his audience became an army of #TED tweeters, hunched over their mobile devices, simultaneously listening and creating a written narrative of @Ev's 8 minutes onstage. Chris Anderson and Evan talked about this in their Q&A: the idea that while a speaker is onstage, there's a constant backchannel of reaction and communication that the speaker can access ("if you're brave enough," said Chris).
Evan made a joke about pulling his phone out during his TEDTalk to check his tweets -- but a provocative essay making the rounds this week suggests that presenters actually should. It's a well-thought-out piece on how to talk while people are Twittering -- and makes the case that, far from being terrifying, the Twitter backchannel is a good thing for 12 reasons. Here's one:
As a presenter, the idea of presenting while people are talking about you is disconcerting. But to balance that, there are huge benefits to the individual members of the audience and to the overall output of a conference or meeting.
1. It helps audience members focus
As a presenter, you might be worried that the backchannel will be distracting. The opposite seems to be true. Dean Shareski says:
The more I’m allowed to interact and play with the content the more engaged and ultimately the more learning happens. The more the presentation relies on the back channel, the more I focus. Knowing that my comments are going to be seen by the presenter or live participants, seems to make me pay more attention.
Rachel Happe adds:
Twitter allows me to add my perspective to what is being presented and that keeps me more engaged than just sitting and listening - even if no one reads it.
The full essay appears on Pistachio Consulting's blog, and comes from New Zealand-based speaker coach Olivia Mitchell.
What do you think, though? One much-loved aspect of TED and TEDTalks is the luxury of contemplation -- the idea of devoting your attention to one thing for 18 minutes and seeing what other thoughts and connections are stirred up. Does the Twitter backchannel enhance or destroy this? As Twitter and chat redefine the experience of watching and giving a TEDTalk, will we in the audience start to miss the experience of being physically present and absorbed in what's happening in front of our eyes?
06 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: Evan Williams speaks, and everyone Tweets
By far the most Twitter activity TED2009 has seen happened when Evan Williams, creator of Twitter, took the stage. Here's a look at the action:
talking right now about Twitter, at TED. Ahh, I'm trapped in a self-referential cycle! -- wilshipley
"sometimes when i consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, i realize all things are little." - on stage by @ev TED -- nilofer
"President Obama is our #1 Twitter user but he kind of lets us down a little recently" @ev -- loic
"it seems that when you give people easy tools to communicate, good things happen." by @ev -- whiteafrican
Chris Anderson tweeted his own comic relief, in a demonstration of Twitter's new search function:
Evan Williams is just DYING on stage here at #TED. Worst talk ever -- TEDchris
Not to be outdone, Evan Williams tweeted this during his TEDTalk:
Wow, it's bright up here, and lots of people are staring at me. (Giving my talk at #TED.) --ev
That's a TED and a Twitter first.
06 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: Nalini Nadkarni hugs trees and Chris Anderson
Nalini Nadkarni, researcher of and advocate for trees has caused quite a sensation at TED2009. Her passionate projects to save the canopy provoked energized responses from attendees, including a hug from Chris Anderson.
Nalini Nadkarni at TED2009, Photo: TED/Asa Mathat
Here's what people were saying via Twitter:
Tree Researcher Nalini Nadkarni says tree canopies foster biodiversity & keep our global climate stable. -- leighleighsf
Mosses that take 50 years to regenerate are being stripped from the Biome for florist baskets -- ashdonaldson
#TED They buy thrift store barbies, and dress them up and distribute them as "Tree Top Barbie". Genius. -- SdGeek
ecologist (ted speaker) nalini nadkarni recruited prisoners to grow moss successfully! lots of time. no sunlight. no sharp tools. -- jenny8lee
Science and sustainability programs in prisons. Prisons as green thinktanks.jasonsack
TED Live: Nalini Nadkarni "The world of academia is a rather inward-looking one. I'm trying to get researchers to look outward." -- brainpicker
TED Live: @TEDChris to Nalini Nadkarni: "In a totally appropriate way, I think I may be a little bit in love with you." Me too! -- brainpicker
With vision like hers, it's hard not to love Nalini.
05 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: Shai Agassi says electric cars or bust
Shai Agassi gave one of the most powerfully convincing talks at TED2009 on the necessity of the fully electric car. Here are choice attendees' highlights via Twitter:
Shai Agassi "Hybrids are like mermaids. When you want a woman, you get a fish; when you want a fish, you get a woman" -- ashdonaldson
Brilliant - Agassi is talking about separating battery of electric car from the car to lower cost. -- hamids
Agassi: Battery swap stations instead of plugging in. What a great idea for electric cars. -- ghbrett
Shai Agassi has a more convenient, more affordable electric car he wants you to drive. --
ragouri
Forget 20% by 2020. Think in two numbers: 0 and infinity: 0 footprint and scale to infinity - Shai Agassi -- AmyLeaman
Agassi gets a standing O. "If we don't change this, we'll lose our economy right after we lose our morality." -- pjk
Well Shai, you've won TED's support. Next step -- the world.
05 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: Hans Rosling, a perennial favorite
In a surprise appearance earlier today, Hans Rosling, who is counted among the 10 most popular TEDTalks, lit up TED2009 by clearly illustrating statistics on HIV/AIDS. His boundless energy and colorful graphics caused TEDsters to respond with equally enthusiastic tweets. Let's take a peek:
Here comes Hans Rosling, of course, almost everyone's favorite TED talks -- whiteafrican
Hans Rolsing holding a metal pole "I have solidified the beam of a laser" LOL! #TED --
ashdonaldson
TED sword swallower, statistician, professor, gapminder Hans Rosling is on -- afromusing
we have now reached a steady state for HIV, and if you don't believe him, hans rosling will beat you with his huge staff of power ted -- senatorgrant
TED Hans Rosling showing growth of aids epidemic on great interactive graph, shows global patterns and understand it in entirely new way. -- eveblossom
Hans Rosling: "50% of HIV-infected persons are in 4% of world population in Southern Africa." ted -- heartnsoul
Rosling: "Terrible simplification that there is one Africa. It's not respectful and it's not clever." -- HelenWalters
Hans managed -- yet again -- to teach us all that statistics are the world's greatest mythbusters.
05 February 2009
TED2009 minutes from Erik Hersman: Louise Fresco on the world's daily bread
Erik Hersman is continuing to liveblog TED2009 as Ethan Zuckerman accepts an award at another function. Here's a sample of his coverage on Louise Fresco, an expert on food and agriculture:
"The industrial revolution brought us many great advances. But it also created a world of supermarkets. We shouldn’t despise the Wonder bread, because it means that we have created a way to make bread available to all. Even though it is tasteless and has a lot of problems, it has changed the world."
Erik has brought us a tidy summary of Louise's thoughts on bread and the beginnings of true solutions to feeding the world.
Photo: TED / Asa Mathat
04 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: Reconnect brings powerful images to TED2009
First, film producer Jake Ebert and director Jacques Perrin wowed attendees with footage from their new documentary "Oceans." On the heels of that experience came Yann-Arthus Bertrand a photographer who has embarked on a project to connect us all.
Here's the reactions from TED2009 via Twitter:
Saw audience members brought to tears by footage of Oceans. Simply incredible - #TED amazing film -- austinhill
ted - French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, ecological photography, stunning views of a ravaged earth. -- jasonsack
TED Footage from "Oceans" gave me chills. Inspiring. Moving. This movie has just staggered me. -- SdGeek
As he exposes us to beautiful art and visual images he says "We don't to believe what we know" Yann A. Bertrand #TED -- Padmasree
"Oceans" gets a standing ovation at TED. -- pjk
Amazing,Yann Arthus-Bertrand is giving away his movie to TV, Film, & online for free, use it, share it, help educate the world, Jun 5th #TED -- austinhill
TED just been shown Oceans, a wonderful movie about our waterworld. I love the positive approach; Show the beauty, show what will be missed -- eternia
It seems that the TEDsters had no problem finding their connection to these images.
04 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: Cindy Gallop surprises TED2009 with a frank talk about pornography
Cindy Gallop took the stage at TED2009 to premiere her new website: makelovenotporn.com. In language not often heard at TED, this bold personality described her newest project.
Some real time reactions from Twitter:
In our culture, hard core porn has become a de-facto substitute for sex education: thus, unveiled at TED http://makelovenotporn.com -- timoreilly
TED Live: Cindy Gallop surprise appearance. Talks about the ridiculous notion that "teen abstinence would actually work." Right on. -- brainpicker
TED DIscussing Porn with Cindy Gallop. Probably the first time the words "Cum on my face" been used repeatedly at TED. -- sdgeek
TED Live: Cindy Gallop's site takes the myths of hardcore porn and balances them with reality. Not anti-porn. -- rainpicker
If this post made you blush a little, you aren't alone:
I love this talk, but cannot tweet it. -- missrogue
Never a dull moment at TED2009.
Photo: TED / Asa Mathat
04 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: Bill Gates -- an optimist and a comedian?
We certainly saw a peak of activity on Twitter as Bill Gates gave his TED2009 presentation.
There were two main impressions of the talk, both not typical of the technological giant's image. People came away deeply inspired and amused. Take a look:
Gates is such an inspiring change agent. I wish that more people in the world took action 2 make change. What a world it would b! #TED -- leighleighsf
Bill Gates a comedian! Talking about malaria. Pretended to loose mosquitoes from jar. "Not only poor people shd have the experience" -- helenwalters
Bill Gates: "I am an optimist. Every problem can be solved. And there some important ones out there." -- heartnsoul
Anderson opened an Apple computer in front of Gates as Gates was saying "there needs to be a diversity of ideas." Everyone laughs. -- laureltouby
Gates: I'm as engaged in the new job as I ever was in software; these are amazing issues ... it's magic in the same way software was. -- samwise
Gates seems to have found a winning combination -- hope and humor.
Photo: TED / James Duncan Davidson
04 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: P.W. Singer on robots of war
Chris Anderson managed to sum up the mood at TED2009, and on Twitter, when he described P.W. Singer's presentation on robots and war as "a bit frightening."
Here are some of your thoughts, as tweeted in recent minutes:
Scary presentation. Democratization of technologies of warfare will be accessible to all, fallacy to think only nation states will play -- glanceteel
PW Singer's lead off TED talk on military technology depressing, chilling and numbing. -- trib
PW Singer - There is serious competition between the US, other nations and private players for dominance. Think AlQaeda/Unibomber. TED2009 -- wanyama
Other tweets proved that TEDsters can see humor in all things:
Just realised that a robot is about to replace me ted --
joedawson
Thank you P.W. Singer for the nightmare of all those at home following along in their cubicles taking revenge on us TED folks -- faketed
Keep checking in for the latest Twitter roundups from TED2009.
Photo: TED / Asa Mathat
03 February 2009
Twitter Snapshot: Anticipation mounts
Here's a roundup of recent tweets on TED2009. Excitement is building with just one day left to go.
Just when I was wondering if it was all worth it, if life has lost all meaning, I remembered I'm going to TED this week! -- moltz
The Riviera sounds fabulous. Can't wait to hang where Frank and his boys did! --
sweetriot
Everyone should check out TED Fellows, a brand new & truly inspired extension of TED. Hey, why not even apply? -- brainpicker
We're ready, are you?
06 June 2007
Twittering TEDGlobal
Beat the crowds in the bloggers' lounge: blogger Soyapi Mumba is Twittering the conference.
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