How Social Media Can Enhance Your Seminar Experience

During the month of September, we talked a lot about getting the most out of your seminar experience. This week, we will talk about how to use social media during a seminar and how it can improve your seminar experience.

For starters, social media has become a great way to share the notes you take during presentations. If you don’t have a twitter set up yet, take some time before attending the seminar to do so. Familiarize yourself with the site so that you are comfortable using it before the seminar begins.

Still on the fence about social media? Let’s take a look at why it’s so important for your seminar experience. Social media is also a good way to:

Participate. Did you like a particular comment that a presenter made? Tweet it. Maybe you took a picture with someone of interest: tweet that too. Share what you think of a particular speaker, the venue, the schedule, or a discussion panel. Did someone tweet out a tip that you’d never thought of? Retweet it.

Network. There isn’t a better way to find like-minded people who can help you learn about different topics that will better your understanding and therefore, your business. You will make connections, and even if the new friends you make live hundreds of miles away, you can still see what they are talking about and keep track of trends.

Ask questions. Some seminars don’t have Q&A sessions after a presentation, so many questions that attendees want to ask go unanswered. Most seminars have hashtags so that attendees can tweet their questions; this way, speakers, other attendees, and experts can weigh in on your questions.

Get the most out of your seminar. As much as you can try to plan out your seminar, as to who you will see present or what topics you want to learn about, chances are there will be multiple presentations at the same time that peak your interest. With social media, you can share your notes on a presentation and also see what others are saying about presentations you are unable to attend. You pick up information from sessions you couldn’t attend, and see what sparked discussions.

Remember, on October 6-8 a seminar will be held in Philadelphia for optimizing payroll in SAP. Keep up with us before, during, and after the seminar by following us on twitter: @MikeTimmSAP and @SAPinsiderHR. Also, search for the hashtag “payrollseminar” to see what others are saying about the seminar.

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photo credit: Ed Yourdon via photopin cc