Cool Twitter Conference: October 20, 2009 – Brooklyn, New York

Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to speak with fellow geeks and nerds about using social media to promote ideas, businesses, and brands at the Cool Twitter Conference in Brooklyn, New York. (The geeks shall rule the world!)

I was invited to speak by the conference organizers Bob Fine (@bobfine) and author/activist, Kevin Powell (@kevin_powell).  One notable presenter was Jamilah Lemieux (@sistertoldja) creator of the provocative and culturally relevant blog Me, Myself, An Eye. If you don’t know already about this sister, follow her on Twitter and subscribe to her blog now.  Do whatever you have do to be enlightenment by the insightful words of this powerfully-minded young woman of color.

I had presented before at major conferences about the importance of social/new media:

Media Justice and Feminist Futures (SUNY – Albany 2007)

Facing Race (Applied Research Center) - Oakland 2008)

Yesterday’s Cool Twitter Conference was certainly another opportunity for me to learn from others and share my ideas of how best to use virtual platforms for personal & professional development.  I also had the opportunity to publicly coin a new phrase. (Go me!) I’ve written about ’snew’ media before (just look at my ‘About Tara’ bio) and hopefully folks will see this term show up in print next month.  I’ll keep you posted!

Snew media represents the space in which I exist; at the intersection of social and new media.  At the beginning of my presentation I talked about my experiences as a volunteer during hurricane Katrina in 2005, and how that moment was probably the first time I became fascinated with digital media (new media). I video documented my journey and later turned it into a mini-video documentary A Region of Survivors.  I also talked about how in graduate school I created a short video docupoem about the Jena Six controversy, which would end up serving as part of my MA thesis.

During the time I became intrigued with new media technology, I also started blogging on Myspace and Blogger.  Social networking was then incorporated into my personal and academic life.  Later, I was able to parlay my personal fascination with all-things social + new (or ’snew’) media into a profession.

But enough about me

I posted my presentation below for anyone interested learning about ‘Twitter Society’ (<–another coinable phrase – ha!) or, if anyone’s just interested in seeing how a geeks brain works.

Promulgating Ideas in Twitter Society: Our Purpose in Community and Conversations

Presentation description:

The following presentation was given at the 2009 Cool Twitter Conference in Brooklyn, New York on October 20, 2009. Tara L. Conley discusses building community and engaging in conversations in ‘Twitter Society’ as a means to promote and disseminate ideas. She introduces the term ’snew media’ to describe a space where social media and new media intersect. Tara L. Conley is a writer, blogger, and snew media consultant in New York City.

Presentation with speaker notes:

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