#HRTechConf: A Newbie’s Perspective

I joined Twitter in August 2010. My first tweet was a celebratory note to an editor who had selected one of my essays to include in her anthology. (Unfortunately my essay was eventually cut before the book was published – sniff, sniff – but that’s a story for another time.)

My next tweet was three months later. Fast forward four months, and you’ll see a few more tweets. In 2012 I had several spurts of Twitter activity. But it wasn’t until 2013 that I started gaining a little more momentum. I credit this momentum to the fact that I (finally) gave myself permission to stop obsessing about saying *just* the right thing in 140 characters or less.

And I began to witness the connections Twitter creates for people in the world of HR.

In October 2013 I was in front of my computer, watching the #HRTechConf feed on Twitter. While attempting to read and follow the flurry of tweets, I found myself hoping someday I might be able to attend the HR Tech Conference.

Hopes come true. This year I was one of the 8,000 people at the conference in Las Vegas. And, I’m here to report: the #HRTechConf is awesome. (As in causing feelings of awe and being extremely good.)

I went to the conference to support social media for one of my clients. We had a great plan going in and came away from the event feeling fabulous about our results. Add to that the professional benefit I found in attending the conference and I’m feeling pretty great.

As a newbie, there were moments when the #HRTechConf was overwhelming – there are a lot of people to meet, there’s a lot of information to grasp and there’s a 300-booth Expo Hall to walk.

What made the conference less overwhelming and more awesome? The connections I made. Connections with former colleagues and with new friends. Connections with inspiring individuals in the HR blogging space and connections with potential clients who are creating amazing technology solutions.

Now I’ve made 790 tweets and the #HRTechConf flurry I witnessed on Twitter a year ago makes sense.

At its core, the HR Tech Conference creates a space for connections. Those connections are what enable all us HR geeks (vendors, bloggers, HR practitioners) to leverage technology so we can focus on what matters most: the people.