Thursday, November 4, 2010

Talkies & Drinkies....

So last week, just like so many I headed out to Blissdom Canada for their first Talkie North of the boarder. It was also my first Social Media Talkie...
( Talkie = Conference)...

As s former member of the sales & marketing world, I have attended enough Talkies to choke a horse...My former employers Coke & Mars loved to hoard all their employees into a dull, badly decorated hotel ball room and melt our minds with powerpoint after powerpoint. Feed us stale sandwiches and force us to be inspired. The when we were good and numb we'd roll into a local pub for the Drinkies, and that's when the real work would begin.

So these events for me are broken down into two sections...Talkies & Drinkies... I know, I know...I am linguistically gifted...

So on my way down to Blissdom my fabulous travel mate Tricia ( @mumby) kept correcting me on the Talkies and informing me they are called Sessions... By Friday night she was throwing the word Talkies around like her wig...1 Convert...now to take over the world...

As this was my first Social Media Talkie experience I was not quite sure what to expect, there was an "Agenda" afterall...I had been to a day Talkie the week before and was
seriously disappointed, UN-inspired and frankly...pissed off when I left...Was this going to be the same thing for a WHOLE 3 days ??? Oh pass the Drinkies...

I missed the talkies on the Thursday as I was getting ready to rock it old school style at MabelBliss with the fab gang from Mabels Labels (@mabelhood) ...I heard the Talkies were great...but I KNOW the Drinkies were Deevine...

So on Friday morning I stumbled into a Talkie, no clue what is what about...But this Eric Alper guy
( @ThatEricAlper) was a presenter and I had seen him on Twitter and heard he was a dude and worth a listen...So I did...I mean I DID..I actually listened...and paid attention, and understood stuff. All of a sudden there was a tingly feeling in my special place...Was this the feeling of INSPIRATION ?? YES...I was enjoying a Talkie...The other Talkers ( or as Mumby calls them, Panelists)
were also Fabulous.. Catherine Connors
( @herbadmother), Janice Croze
( @5minutesformom)..she talks REALLY fast so stay alert! Barbara Jones ( @barbarajones) a.k.a. Grand Master Flash a'la Swiss Miss ... and Duri Alajrami ( @duriajrami)...not sure what he was really saying...I was mesmerized by the sultry sounds of is voice...

Now the only negative about these Talkies ...Are the CLICKERS ... I had never really seen anything like it. People were face deep into their laptops typing every
last word the Talkers were saying. It was like their fingers were dipped magic typing dust and they couldn't stop...Every last word had to be transcribed to Twitter or posted to a blog IMMEDIATELY! ...I HAVE TO BE THE FIRST TO TELL THE WORLD!!!...Yes...this was annoying as shit...It wasn't just the clicking and clacking that annoyed me. I felt a li
ttle sad that even tho they were catching every word in print, there faces were glued to their monitors and they were actually missing "It"...The "It" being the real connection to the Talker, their fabulous energy coming through in those words...That is where the real Inspiration lies...

So go ahead Clickers leave your comments...It's all about "Transparency"... (see ...I was paying attention..)

As the day was wrapping up the conversation turned to the Drinkies...There was a party that night, a costume and Karaoke party in the poorly decorated hotel ball room...And the Fabulous ladies of Blissdom Canada rock'ed it out OLD SCHOOL STYLE...It was such a fun and fierce night. Everyone dressed in their Halloween best and was there to enjoy the moment. It was a Deevine Drinkie!





HUGE Cheers to all the Fabulous women I had the pleasure of chatting, drinking and Rockin with...you were all the best Inspiration...










I have a theory when it comes to Talkies and Events in Social Media... Especially those chatted about on twitter...

They are like SEX...

Some are BAD sex, there is lot's of hype and hashtags leading up to them (foreplay) , A decent but not record breaking amount during ( bad sex part) and as soon as the event is over...there is none. Not a hash tag to be found... ( no cuddling). Immediately the attention is turned onto the next upcoming event.

Some are GOOD sex, lot's of hashtag hype before hand, streams and streams of hashtags during, possibly even trending!! ( blow your mind, toe curling sex) ... The tons of hashtag love after...( cuddling, cooing and spooning)

Dear Blissdom Canada...you are getting cuddle to death...You were a FABULOUS lay...Well Done!

Cheers





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25 comments:

Avitable said...

I think I might adopt the use of "Talkie" now, too.

What about those of us who were nose deep on our iPhones instead - are we Clickers?

It was nice meeting you, and you make a sexy Bret Michaels.

Unknown said...

Only you, Dee, can cover Blissdom, drinking and sex in one post! Well done! And every word you wrote is so true.

I found my self at the beginning doing some clicking. But I stopped. I needed to listen, to absorb, to experience. All my notes are in a book and written in ink...the words that will continue to inspire me.

And for the record, you were awesome at the Mabel party. So much fun!

Her Bad Mother said...

I love the word TALKIE. More reminiscent of parley/parlez/parlor - which is MUCH cooler than CONFERENCE.

YOU WIN.

Beth Christie... said...

Thanks for your POV Dee. Love your candid style. I missed Blissdom but was trying to keep up on Twitter when I had the chance and was wondering why or how everyone was updating by the minute (literally) when they were at these sessions. Made me question whether I was missing anything by not attending but then everyone was raving about the content. Hoping to attend next year and will not be not be clicking away on my computer or my BB - unless on a break.

@barbarajones said...

I used to be a clicker b/c I wanted to share with those who weren't there and who could attend vicariously via #hashtag stream but I realized that I was trying so hard to pull out tweetable moments that I missed being present. I guess that's what it's like to be a journalist at a press conference or something. I've kind of stopped the whole clicker thing myself but I have to say that for those that do a good job of it, if you can't attend, it IS kind of fun to follow along the way some probably did sitting by the radio listening to 'play by play' at the big fight or something in the '30's. Anyhoo, thanks for being a part of the first BlissDom Canada - honestly, it wouldn't have been the same without you.
xoxo from your sistah from another mistah,
Barbara
P.S. yeah, the ballroom decorations blew...will u help next year?

CocktailDeeva said...

Barbara the Badly decorated ballroom is in every hotel room..it's NOT the "decorations" you added, it's the room itself..I am sure there is school just for Hotel Ball Room designers...Yours were fab and the party was so damn good...no one cared !!! If your room looks fab and your party is ass...then you have a fail...

Cheers

Anonymous said...

I didn't understand the clickers. I spent a lot of money and effort to get to Blissdom to be inspired and to learn. I can play on the Internet at home. I missed meeting many people because they didn't look up from their phone or laptop. But to each their own.

Julie Cole said...

As a "talker", if I don't see some "clickers" I think that what I'm saying is not considered tweet worthy. I like seeing the clickers! LOL!

Yukari said...

Oh I enjoyed this post Dee...you are seriously funny. Never thought of the sex analogy before but once you mention it, it's so true! Blissdom definitely was like a good sex, I'm still thinking about it,almost daydreaming....just like I do after a good sex. There I said it. ;)

Ally F. said...

Haaaaaaa! The boring-yet-utterly-crucial conference was a big part of my old life too -- yawwwwn. By my third year at one particular big annual one I was skipping straight to the booze ;)

I loved Blissdom. So THIS is what it is like to be ACTUALLY personally invested in what these people are saying, to nod your head in agreement every 6 seconds and even CRY along with them (Group Weep people you know who you are).

Decided to leave my computer at home as it was uncharged and my non-smartphone cell is a drag to tweet on so I ended up avoiding being a Clicky. And it was actually a good decision since it made me more present in the moment, so thanks to your post I'm going to pretend I did it to make a statement and not because I am lazy :D

Kathryn said...

Love your honesty - it's just so refreshing!!

melissa said...

Given the subject of the conference, a little bit of clicky (or tappy if you're an iPhone user) can go a long way. But I don't know how people can click and tap and type throughout an entire session and still get anything out of it though.

When the subject matter is truly compelling, I'd rather listen than broadcast a play-by-play.

I like tweeting the occasional thought that I think is worth sharing in the moment, but I find if I do it too much, I miss the next sentence, and the next one. Then it takes me a minute to get back in the groove.

Michelle said...

Frig, you're funny.

I love how you do it up your way ALL THE TIME.

That's why everyone loves ya!

Cheers, Dee!
Michelle

Nolie said...

Love your recap. Yes the sex with Blissdom Canada was amazing.

I was a clicker in a sense. I tweeted the odd thing. Retweeted a lot because that was way easier to share with my followers than having to type out stuff myself. When trying to tweet I was missing what was being said. However I clicked away like a mad man on my netbook in notepad and am so thankful. Tons of notes that make no sense to anyone but me. I am glad I have them.

I did put away the netbook for the round tables and enjoyed the multi way discussions at the tables.

JackiYo said...

I got tinglies from your postie. I like to think of it as caressing and fondling my iPhone.

And how much do you love Eric Alper?! Almost as awesome as you.

KelliDaisy said...

I'll 'talkie' and 'drinkie' with you anyday of the week! Great wrap up Dee, and I almost had more fun being you than being me:)) Almost!

Sharon said...

I feel the same way about life in general, that we're so busy trying to capture the moment that we aren't living in the moment. I've *gasp and horrors* NOT taped my kids holiday concert and have even forgotten to take pictures when we went on an outing. Because I'd rather be in the moment with them instead of reliving it with a computer later.

And the drinkies? Those need to be enjoyed right then and there.

Eric Alper said...

The endstory to any conference, to me, is always more interesting than the main event. Even with Blissdom's panels making the most progrssive, thrilling ideas and statements I've ever heard in my 20 years of doing these, it's the aftermath that does it for me.
Unsurprisingly, it's people like you that will make me never forget Blissdom. You embody the spirit of the counterculture and speak the emotional truth. You are essential to the wellness of new media and blogging and ideas around here - and never, ever forget it.
And you make a VERY fine Bret Michaels.

Eric Alper said...

And I'm blushing at Jackie's comment :)

CocktailDeeva said...

Thank you for all the comments...They are amazing and I am thrilled everyone got something so fabulous from their experience...Especially if it was a Deevine Cocktail...
Eric I am so touched by your kind words...Looking forward to having more Blissful events with you...

JackiYo said...

And I must say, it still freaks me the fark out every time I see a Bret Michaels picture... You were a very, very close likeness to the man. It makes me uncomfortable and turns me on all at the same time. ;)

And I'm blushing that Eric's blushing.

BeachMama said...

Fabulous post Dee! Since I am behind a lens most of the time, I can see how people are reacting to the "talkies" while clicking. I can say there were the ones in tune, sitting up straight, reacting while clicking. Then there were the ones who really weren't paying attention, they were slouching and updating their sites. It is the latter that need to change what they are doing, it's alright to click along as long as you are actually paying attention for both you and the others in the room.

So lovely to meet you and participate in some partying with you, I do believe we would have really rocked the bar together had we had the chance years ago, I miss serving some days...

Cdnmortgage said...

Dee, What an awesome post.
I applaud all the awesome women who were tweeting live and were able to keep up, they did a great job- I tried but I too found that I was missing alot. So next year I won't even try to be a clicker.
Yes, like great sex this Blissdom conference has left me wanting more! But only you could have brought that up.
It was such a pleasure meeting you, you are insanely funny. I love it!
Hope we catch up soon.

Janice (5 Minutes for Mom) said...

You are a freakin riot!!!!!! That was the most unique conference wrap up I have ever read.

I like me some clickers and some non-clickers while I am speaking. Some to read their faces and some hopefully tweeting good things about me. (But I am also worried they are tweeting that I suck!LOL)

And girl -- not only can u rock Bret Michaels, but you have PIPES! Thoroughly impressive! Thoroughly!

Tricia Mumby said...

awe - good summary!!! I'm a clicker.. but I like to click. so get off my back! :o) What a great event. Glad you made it to a few Talkies... I know it was a tough choice - totally worth it though! I go to a lot of conferences and can report that the sessions were FAR above average. YAY Blissdom Canada!