It wasn't just student media staking out key locations around campus Friday. Twitter users were looking all around campus hours before Ball State alumnus David Letterman and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone's appearance at John R. Emens Auditorium on Friday night.
During the day, Twitter was buzzing with anticipation and mistaken sightings of Letterman. Stone was on campus earlier in the day for a forum with about 30 students to discuss how the social networking site began and how he expects it to become even more helpful for its users. Letterman didn't make it to campus until the show.
Students participated during the Emens event by live tweeting and posing questions to Letterman and Stone.
Senior entrepreneurship major Rochelle Waxton, who had the opportunity to attend the discussion with Stone in the afternoon, said she appreciates the easy communication that can take place on Twitter. Waxton said she found a valuable internship this summer, and her first dialogue with the company happened through Twitter.
"I just told [Stone] I was glad that he made Twitter because it made my life a lot easier as far as networking goes," Waxton said. "I talk to a lot of people on there, so for me it's a great tool to network because you don't have to go through so many people like you would anywhere else."
Sean Linehan, senior entrepreneurship major, said he was won over by what Stone had to say in the forum, and now he wants to create his own Twitter account.
"I think it's something I've never really explored just because I have a Facebook. But after watching Biz speak and hearing about it, it's something I'll probably look into," Linehan said. "Just the connections that you can make through social networking would definitely be a benefit."
Stone talked social media with Letterman in front of a packed Emens Auditorium. He also took time to talk about the value of mistakes and how some of his own were important in his road to success.
Viewers tweeted throughout the conversation, while some students tweeted that they were trying to piece together what they missed based on their Twitter feed. Letterman's borrowed socks was one of the most popular quotes being retweeted: "Before we leave, I just want to point out that I borrowed these socks from President Jo Ann Gora's husband," Letterman said.
Students flooded the stage after the event, imploring Letterman to sign their notebooks and tickets. Several even handed him their cell phones so family members could give a shout out to the "Late Night" celebrity.
Letterman and Stone's conversation ended around 9:30 p.m., but applause continued on the Twittersphere for hours after, such as this student tweet: "Definitely into the twitter thing more after tonight's talk with #BizDave. Thanks for coming to @BallState!"
Look for more coverage from our media partner Ball Bearings at: http://ballbearingsonline.com
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