Do you love to live-tweet? If so, you’re the reason I avoid opening Twitter and/or Facebook when I’m delayed from watching my favourite TV show. (And, man, am I glad I did for the Game of Thrones’ Rains of Castamere episode.) Nowadays, live-tweeting is encouraged so much that suggested hashtags are frequently watermarked over television screen corners.

One of my favourite examples of live-tweeting success is for the Pretty Little Liars TV franchise. The show is built around big reveals & Nancy Drew-esque mystery solving, which inherently generates a lot of online discussion about theories and shocking plot twists. By successfully connecting with millions of TV viewers (largely in part to promoted hashtags), the show has become the #1 most-tweeted about cable TV show. Indeed, television lends itself to live-tweeting – millions of viewers are being entertained by something simultaneously and want to share their thoughts. But, what about when your followers aren’t, or can’t be, engaged in a live event?



Have you ever opened up your Twitter feed to have it flooded with conference live-tweets? A whitescreen wash-out of 15+ tweets from one handle within an hour, filled with vague quotes and the title of someone’s Powerpoint. No matter how interested I typically am in a business’s tweets, this kind of performance often causes a Roman ruler “Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?” dilemma that leaves my cursor wavering over the “Unfollow” button. And, sometimes there is an interesting live-tweet – but wait – there’s no link to further information from the presentation. If I’m not at the conference, and there’s no additional information available to me online, then that tweet is of no interest to me.

But, this may not be a matter of “right or wrong”, but rather a matter of opinion. Ruth Burr over at Moz has a great blog on “How to Live-Tweet Like a Pro.” In it, she explains how live-tweeting a conference is the ultimate form of taking notes – the 140 character limit forces you to tweet only the best stuff, and connects you with with other attendees (hollah – networking!). But, she admits, doing so can lose you followers.

As usual, my rule of thumb is BE INTERESTING. Television shows gain from live-tweeting by uniting those who are engaged in a shared experience. If you’re reaching out to those who are not able to share the same experience as you, be mindful of how interesting that information will be to them. Conferences are not anomalies where Twitter best practices do not apply. If you are posting interesting information, or have some wickedly funny insight to share – you’re golden, Ponyboy. If not, you might be doing more harm than good.

When you do think it’s appropriate to live-tweet? Do you enjoy handles live-tweeting conferences? Leave a comment!