Brave New World of Tweeting at Conferences

04 September 2009

By Elizabeth Wilkinson

This will be my first conference where I can try and use Twitter in earnest, but I'm struggling with the practicalities of how to tweet and how to keep track of the Twitter #vitae09 conversation when I'm away from my desk PC.

I've managed to occasionally Tweet on the move from my phone - just browsed to the mobile Twitter website and tweeted from there. Luckily I'd sussed out that some mobile carriers (like mine) charge you international rates to send your tweet by SMS (might be worth telling others before horrified new Tweeters start sending their mobile phone bills to Vitae...).

However, if I want to send tweets and also keep track of searches (ie keep up with the #vitae09 conversation) what do those of you who are Twitter-savvy recommend as an application for a non i-Phone?

Alternatively, I might bring my new work netbook (promised for Monday!) but that means lugging it round all day.

Or will there be giant screens with the #vitae09 conversation displayed for all to read, 24:7? Or will we be microchipped (like cats) at registration and the data beamed directly into our consciousness? I think we should be told.

Or I could just put away all the toys after the opening plenary, and have lots of good old-fashioned face-to-face chats with all those friends I only meet once a year at the Vitae conference.