Both the WriterUA conference and the STC Summit in 2009 have proved that you can attend a conference without being there. Don’t get me wrong…there is a lot of value from being involved in the discussions within the program sessions. However, Twitter and ScribbleLive provide several important ways for us to share ideas within our community, which includes members who cannot attend every event.

For example, while at WritersUA in Seattle, I presented a session about using wikis to deliver product documentation. During the discussion, I made the statement, “our job is to help our audience solve their business problems, not just to use our product.” Before I was finished the session, that statement had been tweeted and retweeted as far away as Europe and Austrailia. The world has definitely become a smaller place, and we now have many ways to share ideas and information in real-time.

Here are a few ideas for ways to get value from a conference without attending:

• Identify the twitter hash tag being used for the event. For example, WritersUA used #writersua and the STC Summit used #stc09. Some events even use a custom hash tag for each session at the event.
• Search/filter twitter for the hash tag you are interested in. If you are on a writing team, you could have a few members follow the discussions and put together a presentation for the rest of the team.
• If you attend a session in person, take notes using Twitter and the hash tag or ScribbleLive. Your notes can build on the notes of others.
• Participate in the discussions around these hash tags, even if you aren’t at the event. I was asked several questions during my session that were from Twitter, posted by people not at the event and asked by attendees in the audience who had the same question.

Are these virtual discussions bad for the conferences? I don’t think so. In fact, I have heard many people who didn’t attend these events this year, but based on the lively discussions they read, they won’t miss the event next year. These exchanges raise the awareness of quality events in various locations. Also, if there is a Tweetup (in person meeting of Twitter users) at an event you attend…don’t miss it. The Tweetup at the STC Summit was an incredible networking opportunity with others who enjoy sharing thoughts and ideas throughout the year.