TEDxTokyo in 140 characters

Don't bother us, we're tweeting

I helped out with the blogging and social media at TEDxTokyo this year. Highlights of the event included getting spritzed with a taste of chemically engineered "sudden anger," riding in an elevator much bigger than several apartments I've lived in and overhearing a few jaw-droppingly self-important conversations. I'm sorry. I get a kick out of that, though. Maybe I'll tell you who said what next time I see you.

For real, though, the most important part for me was working with the team I was part of. The people I worked with directly are a model for how small, dedicated groups of people can accomplish hairy tasks. I learned a lot from working with them, and I know (okay, I hope) I'll be better at future projects for seeing how they did what they do.

Live tweeting an event, as silly as it sounds (and I will always think it sounds silly) is harder than it looks. To do a good job, that is. I think we did a pretty good job. It felt like being back at the wire service, shooting quotes from the UN Security Council stakeout to the bureau. Except this time, the sound bites were about the endurance of Japanese lacquer-ware and the language of jazz instead of the latest North Korean hijinks. Because of the division of labor, I only saw about a quarter of the speeches live. I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the TEDxTokyo 2013 videos in English. Check them out! I'd be curious to know what you think.
These animated volunteer profiles, for better or for worse, were my innovation.