chat

Live Events With Online Chat

leelefever — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:27:28 -0400

Iâ€™ve been to a few events this year that all had something in common: online chat during the presentations or discussions. Usually it was done with IRC, which allows anyone with an Internet connection and the technical ability to join in the chat. Iâ€™ve been thinking about my experiences lately and how it affects my attention.

I have mixed feelings overall. The chat creates a second place for me to spend my attention at the event and Iâ€™d say that if I split my attention between the chat and a presentation, Iâ€™d be able to devote 30-40% to each. Obviously, Iâ€™d be better off sticking to just one.

Sometimes the chat is on-topic, which maximizes both resources. As someone mentions an author (for instance), a chatter will post a link to the book or provide more info about the subject matter. I enjoy these additions to the presentation and often refer to the links.

The off-topic chat represents a unique problem for me. First, Iâ€™ve often found it more compelling than the live presentation. People may disagree or discuss something contentious that brings more people into the fray and my peaks my interest. I get sucked into watching the words scroll by. But, itâ€™s off topic, so I feel bad for missing out on the presentation. I donâ€™t want to be rude to the presenter and I would hate to know that it was happening during my presentation.

Something I found interesting last time was my ability to get to know people through the chat. I sat beside two people who were dedicated chatters. By the end of the event, I got to know them much, much more through the chat than I did sitting beside them. Itâ€™s a little sad, but true.

We talked about it at the event and I voiced my thoughts that the chat makes me divide my attention inefficiently. I quickly found out that others have a lot more bandwidth than me. I think Iâ€™m just wired differently. Tom Coates said he often chats on IRC, IMs multiple people, writes emails and keeps up with the presentation without skipping a beat. Not I, but I bet teenagers today are increasingly capable of this feat.

I saw a couple of examples of heavy chatters asking (in the IRC channel) â€œHas the presenter talked about XYZ?â€, which to me was an obvious example of presentation attention deficit.

I think the chat also created a digital divide in the room. People without computers were completely left out. Then there were people who couldnâ€™t connect with wi-fi or couldnâ€™t figure out how to get into IRC (I had this problem for a while). I was a little uncomfortable about the how this felt for the folks left out of the action.

So I have mixed feelings. I've only been in a few events with chat going and I'm sure there are a lot of other perspectives out there.

Live Events With Online Chat

leelefever — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:27:28 -0400

I saw a couple of examples of heavy chatters asking (in the IRC channel) â€œHas the presenter talked about XYZ?â€, which to me was an obvious example of presentation attention deficit.

So I have mixed feelings. I've only been in a few events with chat going and I'm sure there are a lot of other perspectives out there.

Live Events With Online Chat

leelefever — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:27:28 -0400

I saw a couple of examples of heavy chatters asking (in the IRC channel) â€œHas the presenter talked about XYZ?â€, which to me was an obvious example of presentation attention deficit.

So I have mixed feelings. I've only been in a few events with chat going and I'm sure there are a lot of other perspectives out there.

Chat Room Saves Florida Women

leelefever — Fri, 17 Oct 2003 16:14:30 -0400

local6.com - News - Internet Chat Room Saves Fla. Woman's Life

A Bradenton, Fla., woman who suffered a severe asthma attack and was unable to reach a phone was saved after someone in her online chat room responded to her plea for help, according to a Local 6 News report.

Curiously, they show a picture of the woman on the site talking on the phone. Whaaa? Why isn't she at a computer?

Chat Room Saves Florida Women

leelefever — Fri, 17 Oct 2003 16:14:30 -0400

local6.com - News - Internet Chat Room Saves Fla. Woman's Life

A Bradenton, Fla., woman who suffered a severe asthma attack and was unable to reach a phone was saved after someone in her online chat room responded to her plea for help, according to a Local 6 News report.

Curiously, they show a picture of the woman on the site talking on the phone. Whaaa? Why isn't she at a computer?

Chat Room Saves Florida Women

leelefever — Fri, 17 Oct 2003 16:14:30 -0400

local6.com - News - Internet Chat Room Saves Fla. Woman's Life

A Bradenton, Fla., woman who suffered a severe asthma attack and was unable to reach a phone was saved after someone in her online chat room responded to her plea for help, according to a Local 6 News report.

Curiously, they show a picture of the woman on the site talking on the phone. Whaaa? Why isn't she at a computer?

Jio Ito: Jobs and the Strength of Weak Ties

leelefever — Mon, 18 Aug 2003 22:34:07 -0400

In this entry Joi Ito describes how just hired two people from "IRC" a chat resources. Because they participated over time, he got to know them, became trustful of them and eventually hired them.

I recently hired two people who were IRC regulars. I felt very comfortable after "getting to know them" over the last few months on IRC. Of course face to face meetings and interviews were essential, but the time spent with them on IRC really added to my ability to judge their character.

His post is also about how social software can help people get jobs by allowing a larger and more specific group of people get to know them, regardless of geography.

What I would like to assert is that social software can help people with their self-esteem and can also help you find others who can find your assets and interests more valuable and place people in jobs where one can have "character".

This is something I have been trying to take advantage of for a while now. I originally planned to quit my job before Christmas of 2002. In preparation, I asked myself: "How can I get build a network while I'm still employed? How can I start to build a community around what I know and what I want to share? How can show people out there that I have something to offer before I ever quit my job?"

A weblog was the answer. So, in January of 2003, I started "Communication Culture" on LeeLeFever.com. Using this weblog, I could talk about all the stuff I was interested in, what I thought, what was happening in my life. All the while, I just had to be sure that it was perfectly "legal" according to my employer at the time. There was nothing they could do to prevent me from using the site.

Of course, my goal was to get noticed by people who are interested in online communication, because I thought they might be my first clients after I quit my job. May 16th was my last day and soon after I started CommonCraft.com to provide a very focused and professional weblog.

As it turns out, my very first client came to me because of this post on LeeLeFever.com.

So, I think the plan worked and I hope it continues to work...

Passing Virtual Notes in Class: Backchannels and Conference Presentations

leelefever — Wed, 30 Jul 2003 13:40:19 -0400

There has been some recent discussion about new ways people are interacting at conferences. The New York Times "In the Lecture Hall, A Geek Chorus" and Ross Mayfield got some of the discussion started and Clay Shirky followed up with some good points.

Here's a quick introduction from my perspective:

It's a little like passing notes in class- except via the Internet. Wireless Internet connections at conferences and lectures are allowing people to use laptops and other tools to communicate in real time during presentations. These communications occur in what is called the "backchannel" (which is a term I've used to mean communications with online community members outside of the community.)

In these backchannels, people use instant messaging, blog entries or text messages to talk about the presentation, refute points, share related web sites, etc. It's been occurring at high tech conferences recently, but is slowly becoming mainstream. Some like the idea, some dislike it.

There are two major points, in my mind:

1. Attention span- people can only take in so much. If they are more interested in what people are saying during the presentation, how can they devote attention to the presenter? Some say that it adds a new level of value to the presentation- but I can't see how splitting attention during the same time frame can lead to a more rich experience from either perspective.

2. Is it inevitable? As Clay writes:

We have seen only the barest hint of the disruption ubiquitous Wifi + automated discovery is going to bring about...It doesn't matter if the Wifi backchannel is a bad idea; it's not going away.

It is intresting to me to think that, in the future, we'll be wirelessly connected to the Internet almost continually- and this may disrupt the normal ways that we are used to paying attention to one another.

In almost any circumstance where a person is attracting or convening a crowd, there will be an opportunity for people to disrupt (or contribute to) their cause via the backchannel. It makes me wonder if speakers in the future will be forced to consider the backchannel in their presentations- perhaps providing quick references to sites and resources that ensure that the backchannel stays on task, or at least interested in the presentation versus each other.

Not Quite Face-to-Face, But Getting "There"

leelefever — Wed, 02 Jul 2003 16:39:39 -0400

Discover.com: A Chat Room Like No Other

I don't think there will ever be a replacement for good old fashioned face-to-face encounters, there are some online "worlds" out there that are getting closer and closer to the social queues that we depend on for really understanding each other in communication.

There.com is in beta testing now and it's supposed to take the interaction in virtual worlds to a new level.

When your on-screen representative frowns, his shoulders sag along with the corners of his mouth. The prototype version offers more than 100 different emotional states to choose fromâ€”everything from surprise to angerâ€”and Melcher says the plan is to release 10 new emotions per quarter.

Most of the time users convey emotion by typing short keystrokes, intensifying or dampening down their feelings depending on the situation. For example, typing angry with one apostrophe in front of the word gets you a scowl, while typing '''angry actually bares the incisors.

I read in Wired article in January that there is also a commercial aspect to There. Your character can spend real money on "Therebucks" that allow you to outfit yourself with designer clothes and accessories. For the organizers of there, this is like real money for no "real" goods- virtual retail.

People can buy clothes from partners like Nike, Levi Strauss and in auctions by other users with There's very own currency.
Some "Therebucks" will be included in the monthly fee expected to be about $10. Users also can purchase additional "Therebucks" with a credit card or earn them by creating activities.

The rates are expected to fluctuate as testing proceeds, though $1 now buys 1,787 Therebucks or about one-sixth of the price of a virtual dog, available in two breeds, or a buggy.

I've never been into virtual worlds like Everquest or Myst, but I'm really interested in what these virtual worlds can accomplish in terms of mimicking the emotions and non-verbal queues that are a fundamental problem of online communication.

Via: Tomalak's Realm

Chatting in Iraq: The DOD and Online Chat

leelefever — Fri, 27 Jun 2003 13:31:21 -0400

FCW.com: DOD chat use exploded in Iraq

The U.S. military, especially the Navy, relied heavily on chat rooms as a means of communication during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Although the technology performed admirably, it poses new challenges.

I think this is good for the progression of social software into businesses. Like so many innovations before them, online communication tools may need to pass the military test in order for conservative businesses to see them as something they can really use. Perhaps the militaryâ€™s successful implementation of these tools will spur business leaders to take a new look.

But, as the article relates, it wasn't 100% successful. The consolation is that it is new and relatively untested. I'd be willing to bet that it worked enough to figure out a way to make it work better in the future. Some of the problems in the article:

Sorber said coalition forces found that the simplest knowledge management tools, such as chat, worked best during the war, but they also have built-in limitations. These include:
* They are unable to effectively handle large amounts of information.
* They lack automation tools that can turn information into knowledge.
* The procedural controls delay the automation tools' capabilities.

Wired wrote a similar article that I commented on at leelefever.com.

A funny quote from that article:

"What's funny about using Microsoft Chat," he adds with a sly smile, "is that everybody has to choose an icon to represent themselves. Some of these guys haven't bothered, so the program assigns them one. We'll be in the middle of a battle and a bunch of field artillery colonels will come online in the form of these big-breasted blondes. We've got a few space aliens, too."

Via: Corante Many-to-Many