Getting the Most Out of the Fall Conference
In preparation for the conference, I scanned the event schedule a few times for the sessions most relevant to my involvement in the community foundation world. The conference has a breadth of participants, and technology is making it easier than ever to explore resources and connect with people who share an interest in civic engagement. To really dig in and get the most out of the experience, I decided to go all in on the various technology sessions the organizers had set up for this event. By now, most people have heard of that little thing called Facebook, but the richness of that communication method goes well beyond “liking” the Council on Foundations Facebook page.
First up, there’s a very cool way to use technology to follow what’s going on at sessions you can’t attend or connect with people you didn’t even realize were deeply involved in your area of community foundation work. It’s called Twitter. Before the idea of using still more social media turns you off, please give me a minute to convince you: This is way more than random old high school or college classmates posting about the latest episode of Two and a Half Men. Twitter is a way to receive, in short bursts, an incredible diversity of views and news without having to search the Internet. It’s also a way to engage in conversations about local politics, neighborhood issues, trends in the giving community, and much more.
Technically, you can also use it to find great restaurants or watering holes or fun shows in a new city, but for our purposes, I’ll try to stick to the professional uses.
What’s great is the good folks on Twitter do most of the work for you. When I signed up, Twitter asked me what areas I was interested in and then suggested some people I might like to follow. My favorite local news sources use Twitter heavily, so I followed a few of their writers. Then I followed a few of the people those writers followed. Next thing I knew, I had a robust source of news that takes a fraction of the time to gather compared to the old way of having bookmarks on my computer.
Three quick steps to start using Twitter at this conference:
- Go to twitter.com and set up an account. I tweet under @omarpassons, so you clearly do not need to be creative with your account name.
- When you get the option to “follow” people (which is how you read what other people write), search for @COF_ . (Don’t forget the underscore.) This will allow you to see what the conference organizers are talking about.
- Install a Twitter app on your mobile phone using your app store (where you downloaded Angry Birds or your banking app). Just search Tweetdeck and it will walk you through the steps.
For those who doubt the potential power of this medium, let me tell you that I’ve actively used Twitter already (I flew in a couple days early) to connect with the wonderful co-founder (and new deputy managing editor) of a local news outlet, learn that Mother’s is a phenomenal breakfast place for baked ham, step off the beaten path to the Piety Street Market in Bywater, and even participate in a Second Line. These aren’t all “work” uses, of course, but following people who care about the things you care about is a great way to tap into conversations you didn’t even know were happening.
Fortunately for us, the Fall Conference has taken things a step further this year and set up an app for the actual event. I’ve exceeded my word limit for the day, so that’ll have to be tomorrow’s post. Enjoy the conference.
Omar Passons is a San Diego construction attorney and community activist who sits on the leadership committee of the San Diego Foundation’s Center for Civic Engagement. You can follow him on Twitter @omarpassons.
