Can Not Attend a Conference? Here is How to Track it Online
Regardless of your field you probably want to stay on top of your game and attend all the conferences, seminars and other events where people gather and exchange ideas. We all know that's not always possible as time, money, distance and other constraints might stand in the way of your curiosity. Even if you attend a conference, you will often find that the program is so packed with panels, lectures and events, that you can't possibly attend all of them. Luckily, there are a few tricks to keep track of your favorite conferences at a distance.
Initially, even the founders of Twitter were likely unaware that their social media would soon be used for much more than micro blogging. Tracking conferences in real time is one of Twitter's indispensable applications. Naturally, the first thing to do is find and follow the hashtag for the conference you want to track. Even if you are physically present at a conference, Twitter can help you squeeze the most out of it. Sometimes unofficial networking opportunities arise and you can quickly find out about them on Twitter. Other times you get a quick update on any changes of the program or information about the next speaker.
That being said, here are a few tips on how to better engage in conference conversations. While some tweet just a few times per event, others provide a live minute-by-minute feed, so you can choose which kind to follow and engage with. Using a tool such as HooteSuite will make your life easier. Otherwise you risk being overwhelmed with unfiltered tweets from just about everyone. If you stumble upon a particularly interesting one, you could re-tweet it and let the person know. Of course, re-tweeting tweet after tweet will simply bore people, so make sure you add something to the discussion. And finally, even after the conference is over, you can keep the talk going. You never know when a brilliant idea will pop up. Or perhaps you can meet your next business partner.
Lanyrd
Lanyrd* is a social conference directory, launched in 2010, that helps you make the most of conferences from all parts of the world. The website can show you photos, videos, presentations, notes and a lot more for a conference of your choice. You can search through various conferences using certain topics as criteria. But Lanyard is much more than a place you can go to if you missed a conference. It tries to act as a social network, using Twitter as a main platform. Attendees (and virtual attendees) can interact in real time. You can check which of your friends are going to a certain conference and get suggestions on the conferences you should visit next. If you are a willing contributor, you will be glad to know Lanyrd supports various third-party sources of uploading content YouTube, SlideShare, Prezi, Vimeo and Scribd, to name a few. Lanyrd is also available as an iOS application and an Android one is in the making. A very similar tool (still in beta version) you might want to try is called Conferize.
*Lanyrd was acquired by Eventbrite in late 2013
The World Wide Web
Twitter and conference aggregators are great, but you shouldn't limit yourself to them. All other social media and their event pages will provide you with valuable info and, at times, a live feed as well. Sometimes a thorough Google search might dig out something you couldn't find through Lanyrd. And finally, if you are still not using Storify, it's high time you started. It's a great tool for mashable content, which you can use before, during and after an event. Using Storify, conference attendees can summarize conversation (by embedding posts from all popular social media) around a certain topic or event and make a story out of it. A story like that can then be embedded in a website and turned into a great source of information.
Now you know enough to give online conference tracking a try. But remember, conferences are packed with events and conversations, so don't beat yourself up if you can't follow absolutely everything.
For conference organizers, we suggest bulk flash drives for your conference attendees. By putting keynote and other presentations on a lanyard USB drive, the information shared will continue to live on and be shared long after the event is over.
