Unexpected Learnings: BackNoise Can Be Toxic | New Media Atlanta - 0 views
-
The first speaker was quite good, but he kept referring to the “backnoise.” I didn’t know what this meant, but a quick check of Twitter and Facebook led me to the BackNoise website. From what I can determine, BackNoise is the equivalent of passing notes or whispering in the back of the classroom, except anyone who wants to participate or listen in can do so. Someone had set up a conversation area on BackNoise for New Media Atlanta, and people in the audience were typing in comments during the day that others could read in real time.
-
Ken Fuller on 16 Dec 11Just what is backchanneling?
-
-
One thing I learned yesterday was how the existence of BackNoise can change the direction of an event in real time. This sounds like a good thing, and it partly is.
-
after lunch, the lights in the auditorium were low and several people posted on BackNoise that they were falling asleep, so the organizers turned the lights back up. When a panel discussion and the keynote speaker got good reviews, they let those sessions run long (which meant the last session of the day didn’t happen, which would have upset me if I were that presenter, but it appears the audience got what they wanted). And there were enough gripes about the “no beverages in the room” policy that the organizers had a shipment of bottled water brought in and added a break in the afternoon. All good stuff!
-
Unfortunately, BackNoise, the backchannel service being used, allowed anonymous posts. In this case anonimity allowed the participants to take cheap shots at the presenters.
-
Getting feedback from the participants allowed the organizers to "cater" to the needs or interests of the participants. For example, improving the lighting, or being more flexible with restrictions, no beverages in the conference room.
-
Real-time gathering or dissemination of information can be good feedback for the presenters/organizers.
-
- ...21 more annotations...