This past week I have had some friends ask me if I intend to liveblog or participate it tweeting General Conference this weekend. Some of you already know my thoughts on this, but I imagine there are some of you that don’t. (I am also open to the distinct possibility that there is a third group that couldn’t care less what I think about anything.)
So here goes…
Thanks, but I’ll pass. If you like it, that is fine with me. You do what you feel good about doing. Have at it. Enjoy! My personal choice is to go “dark” during the General Conference sessions. Just so you know, I have some really good friends that disagree with me, and we still love each other.
I have a few reasons, some trivial, some important, but these are merely my reasons – not yours.
1) When the brethren are speaking, I do not believe there is anything that I could communicate to the world that is more important than what is being communicated already.
2) I have tried it on Twitter, and Facebook. I got bored really fast. Elder Holland would say something profound, and 400 people would tweet “Don’t you just love Elder Holland?” Lots of tweets to read, precious little illumination.
3) In the MMM household, we tend to use the divinely-inspired Pause Button when watching Conference for questions, potty breaks and free refills. The whole Twitter thing falls apart if you are not tweeting in real time. It merely appears that you are slower than everyone else in coming up with snappy repartee.
4) My kids are watching and looking for a reason to get out their own electronics.
5) There are oodles of other people tweeting and live-blogging Conference. I can sleep at night knowing the Social Media Universe will do just fine without me for 10 hours.
(More important reason #6 coming up. But first, some narrative.)
I have always been a Conference note taker. I liked being able to look back and see summarizations of what was said – especially because long ago you would have to wait until the May or November Ensign to get a chance to re-read the talks.
Now, we have almost instant access to re-watch or re-read any of the addresses. As that access has improved, my note taking has gotten less detail obsessed. I still include summaries, but don’t worry so much about a detailed review. I focus on main points, great quotes, etc.
My habit has been to put a mark in the margin whenever something is mentioned that I need to do. As time passed, I would review the list and mark off the things I got done. Easy-peasy. Looks like this:
But then something weird started happening: I would take my notes and make my marks, like always. Later, when the talks came out on LDS.org, I would re-read the talks and compare them to my notes. And sometimes they wouldn’t match up. I would have written something to remember, or to do, and I could not find it anywhere in the printed talk. I was baffled. At first, I thought that what I had heard had been removed from the printed talk, but it kept happening.
I am not proud to say that it took me some far too long to realize that those “mystery quotes” were, in fact, personal thoughts that the Holy Ghost put into my head as I was listening to Conference.
This concept has been reenforced by many Church leaders. Here are a couple:
Discover more from Thus We See...
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Happened across this one again. Your use of the exclamation point clued me in to your true identity.
You’re Elder Nielsen! That’s why you were at the Conference Center!
Thank you for the wonderful note taking idea!!!
I plan to implement that technique for my scripture notes as well!!! PERFECT!
At one point in my life, I had the blessing of doing interpretations at the Conference center for General Conferences and other special events. There were times when I knew that what was being said was a variation of the written text, an impromptu inspiration or admonition, or simply put “unscripted.” I loved interpreting for Elder Haight, because his words came not from the page but straight from his heart. It was also interesting to note the last minute editorials that had occurred before the presentation of the talks and or the printing of the Ensign, which made the messages feel so alive. The point I wanted to make is this, MMM is correct, “connection” is the key – Connection with the Spirit. For even if you are 100% focused, have the script in hand, put away your electronics, but lack the Spirit, you have already lost 80% of the message easy. Well put MMM and well done.
Ha ha, well-said. I tried to tweet a little during conference this morning, mainly because I couldn’t hear half of what was being said (thank you kids!)…I wasn’t impressed with what was tweeted, HOWEVER, from time to time, tweeters clued me in to lines that I’d totally missed, because I couldn’t hear (thanks again, children!) So up-side and downsides there.
Very nicely put!
Waaaaaaay good post. Way.
I agree. I feel very “connected” when I watch conference live. We plan ahead so we can sit through each session without interruptions…unless one of the dogs begs to be let outside. I never understood the point of twitter anyway. It seems pointless to me.
Amen! Then we download it on the ipod that lives in the barn. It runs all the time (because it’s covered in plastic and too hard to turn off.) When we’re out milking and doing chores we get to listen and listen and listen some more. Just living our normal day to day routine and interacting with others we ‘hear’ pieces and parts of conference coming back to us. It’s wonderful to have the words of the prophets and other inspired speakers living in our heads. It also makes talks much easier to give, and it makes the scriptures come to life.
I have tried to “keep up” with conference at home while making breakfast for the fam, picking up, cleaning up and way too many other distractions. I also can’t sit still for more than 15 minutes at a time. Twenty minutes in the temple is a stretch for me. I now go to the church house and watch in the dark with no one to bother me. I find I can write quite well in the dark. And I say “way” all the time and I’m CA born. LUV ur stuff!!!
Thanks for the idea to create a “conference check-list.” I don’t think I’ve ever thought of it that way and I’ve certainly not frequently gone over my conference impressions. That is something to implement tomorrow.
yes to everything! though, I guess I never realized that people were ‘live’ when they were commenting on conference. However, I always thought their comments were rather pointless.
your note taking: kudos for making summaries. I skip the summary and have only written poignant sentences and inspiration. Occasionally, there is nothing written down at all. It is usually during a skipped session that I’m playing catch-up. You’re absolutely right about ‘catching lightning in a bottle.’
like.
I loved this post. After the birth of one of our babies, I was frustrated during general conference because I couldn’t take my ‘copious notes’ of conference. I could only write down the things/thoughts/impressions I had during conference because my hands were full of baby. It was the best conference because I got the most exclamation marks! Mine aren’t exclamations, I put big stars next to them, go back through and number them, and then check them off like you. It is so sad for me if I haven’t looked at the journal in a while and find several numbers have not been checked off. I have to stay on top of it 🙂 I don’t even have a twitter account…think I’ll keep it that way 🙂
#3 nails it for me. I hate not coming back with a snappy repartee.
And free refills.
The same is true for me.
Tweeting during conference reminds me of something some family members of mine do. They send their “conference commandments” list out to the entire family after conference. It is a compilation of the things they heard that they felt we all need to obey. While I appreciate their effort, I would rather listen for myself and get out of conference what is meant for me personally. I really don’t want someone reiterating everything I just heard for myself. But I’m ornery like that.
“I can always go back and re-read what is said, or re-watch the video, but I have found that when I do, I do not receive as much personal guidance when I am playing catch-up.That may just be my own issue, but it is a real one to me.”
It’s not just you. I notice a huge difference between when I’m watching conference live vs. watching the recording or reading it later. The inspiration comes about tenfold more frequently when watching it as it’s happening (or slightly delayed thanks to #3).
Thanks for the great post!
I love your note-taking system. I’ve used it since you shared it with us. I also love Ferris Bueller.
I agree. And I’ve also decided you live in Utah, because you said “And they were way better”. “Way” anything is so Utah.
Ha! But I don’t live in Utah. Saying “way” is just a product of my youth, and I’m keeping it. WhenI really want emphasis, I type “waaaaay.”
I’m from Michigan but live in Pennsylvania now. I always said “way” growing up. Maybe we’re sprinkled all over the U.S? 🙂
And I’m in California and grew up saying waaaay as well. Not sure it’s only a Utah thing.
Amen!
I feel really cool since I also have an exclamation mark notation for the same reason. Useful. I feel like each speaker is always asking me to *do* something, but if I’m not paying careful attention, I completely miss a lot of them.
I focus in on Conference during the sessions taking notes on paper and then spend 10 minutes after sessions writing a quick post hitting the highlights for me. It helps that our meals fall during each session so that’s taken care of. The kids are ready to get some wiggles out, so we head outside if the weather is warm enough as soon as they are ready and they’ve loaded the dishwasher. I know my blogging time is super limited this way. 🙂
I will have my mindless knitting* with me, to keep my hands busy and my body awake and my mind free. I will also have my journal and a pen with me. I like your use of the *!* For me it would be a heart or a star or maybe a sheep.
*Mindless knitting is that which does not require following a pattern or counting stitches. Ribbing. The body of a sock. A garter stitch washcloth.
I loved this post – especially #6 and the Ferris Bueller quote – so true with all of the avenues of communication we have now!
Thank you for blogging. Even when a post is light-hearted or I don’t completely agree, I appreciate your candour, your unapologetic honesty and commitment. It is wonderful. Thank you.
Last fall, I was praying for an answer to a specific question. My answers to prayers generally come quickly, so I was frustrated why this answer was eluding me. My 18 year old was taking copious notes with the added excitement of the lowering of the mission age. During the Sunday session, the Spirit told me, “take notes on what you feel from the Spirit. Not just what you hear from the speaker.” I paused Conference and got my journal. Just as I pushed play, Pres. Eyring was speaking and through the power of the Holy Ghost, my prayer that I had been praying for months was answered. I wrote the direction I received down in my journal. I’m grateful I wasn’t distracted by anything else…I would have missed something profound.
I like the idea of drawing a line down the middle of the paper. Any way you choose to take notes is helpful.
Yay for General Conference!!
my brother went to a training with Elder Bednar and he suggested that they draw a line down the middle of their paper they were taking notes and on one side they should record what the spirit whispers to them that they need to do…much like your experience… cool!
Amen!
I’ve felt the same way since seminary. I just don’t get as much out of it when I’m focused on anything else. And my notes never matched up with the talked when I looked back. I took it as a good sign.
I’m all about #3 and #4.