1. Objectives: During the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, in addition to the conference blog with official bloggers, there was an active Twitter stream using the hashtag #mla2010. Lorcan Dempsey (2007) has coined the term “amplified conference” to refer to conferences which employ social media and networking tools (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc.) to communicate conference content. This poster presents an overview of the #mla2010 Tweets as a social and intellectual history of the meeting. Methods: Content analysis and survey. Those posts which were marked with the official conference hashtag were collected using TwapperKeeper software. Posts were grouped into themes and categories in order to make conclusions about the effects an amplified MLA conference has on the conference attendee experience, and to inform recommendations for future utilization of social media at our annual meetings. A survey of active participants in the MLA 2010 Twitter stream will provide additional data about the experience and value of participation in an amplified MLA conference. Overall Conclusion: For those who choose to utilize it, Twitter provides a way to enrich the annual meeting experience. It also offers a more informal, real-time record of events that can complement official conference proceedings. Research Conclusion: Our coding scheme was too complicated for task at hand, given data was from only one meeting. A more nuanced scheme would likely be necessary for several years worth of data. Good correspondence between how we coded tweets and how people self-reported their use of Twitter. Further research ideas: To track changes in Twitter usage at MLA meetings over time. To determine if there is a difference in types of tweets during major events (plenaries, NLM Update, etc.) and individual paper sessions MLA Amplified: Content Analysis and Tweeter Tales Marcus Banks, Director, Library/Academic & Instructional Innovation, Samuel Merritt University, Oakland, CA; Marie T. Ascher, AHIP, Associate Director, USER Services, Health Sciences Library, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY Phone rang during lightning rnd- "living on a prayer" - lol turn it on vibrate people! #mla2010 #mlalr -- @maxlibris Results: The survey received 188 responses, 56.4% (n=106) of whom had attended MLA 2010. A sizeable minority of MLA 2010 attendees made use of the Twitter stream, either as readers, Tweeters, or both. Using an adapted coding scheme to analyze the #mla2010 Tweets, we found that Twitter was used mostly to broadcast conference content, set up social events, discuss ideas, and for general conversation around the meeting. In addition, the Twitter stream allowed for people unable to attend a meeting in person to follow the events. The results from the analysis of the Tweets matched self-reported behaviors by those who used Twitter. Those who abstained cited many reasons including a dislike of Twitter, a preference for face to face interactions, and lack of online access during the meeting. Is an online service which archives Tweets. You can create an archive based on keyword, #hashtag or @person. The survey asked “What is your most memorable experience of using Twitter during MLA 2010?”: Broadcasting session content: To see what people's comments were about certain events that I may have missed Posting during the NLM Update about the forthcoming author disambiguation tool and getting a lot of retweets on that. Seeing twitter comments on the screen at the Tech Forum Following the Tech Forum, because I had to moderate another (less popular!) session at the same time. After sessions I would check to see what I'd missed in the backchannel. There was too much to read every time I tried. Also, resembled an echo chamber at times. I attended the UpToDate presentation and (think) I was the only person in the room using Twitter. I got A LOT of feedback from colleagues not at the presentation. It's always nice to see comments on your posters/presentations/etc--good feedback channel. Social: It was fun to see & meet people in person at the beginning of the conference, some that I had met beforehand, and others I'd gotten to know via Twitter. Using it to connect with people who I have only met via Twitter We had a fun Tweet up at the Opening Reception. When Max asked if anyone had hairspray. Hearing about a meet up of alums from library school Connectivity issues: I didn't really use it very much as I could not get a signal to my phone in the bowels of the Washington Hilton. I used only my phone, a Verizon Blackberry, and had great connectivity throughout the meeting. Most memorable might be that it was hard to use due to the lack of wifi (!!!) and poor cellphone reception in meeting rooms. Other: I used Twitter to read the MLA blog. I couldn't find my meeting room at one point and someone helped me through Twitter. My utter pit of despair wireless fail as Twitter jockey during Tech Trends? :) I had a some new followers by the end of the meeting! @krafty "blogging is dead" !!!! #mlattt #mla2010 -- @mascher Are we supposed to tweet the drunken parties? #mla2010 -- @ChrisTheCat Our Coding Scheme for Tweets Q1: Asking questions CS1: Broadcasting meeting content CS2: Referrals to information sources CS3: RTs R1: Responding to questions R2: Discussing ideas A1: Setting up social events A2: Meeting related logistics C: General conversation N: Non-conference news Most popular in bold; 80% of coded tweets in these categories Coding scheme adapted from Dann, 2010. References Dann, S. (2010, December 6). Twitter content classification. First Monday, 15(12). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2745 http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2745 Dempsey, L. (2007, July 25). The amplified conference. Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog. Retrieved from http://orweblog.oclc.org/archives/001404.html http://orweblog.oclc.org/archives/001404.html Kelly, B. (2008, August 28). Defining an ‘amplified conference.’ UK Web Focus. Retrieved from http://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/defining-an-amplified-conference/ http://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/defining-an-amplified-conference/ Other survey findings: 47% of regular Twitter-using MLA members not in attendance at MLA reported reading the MLA 2010 Twitter stream primarily for referrals to information sources, broadcasts of meeting content, discussing ideas and general conversation. Seven respondents reported Tweeting over 50 times during the meeting; three of those reported Tweeting over 100 times each. Those in attendance who didn’t Tweet didn’t mostly because they never/rarely Tweet (78%) but connectivity and computer access was also an issue. 79% of those who did Tweet during MLA 2010 looked at it at least several times a day. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association (#mlanet11), May 15, 2011. Minneapolis, MN.