Thanks for commenting. Yep, it is hard. We try our best to leave our phones in the car when we can.

By the way…you should get some kind of surprise for being the first to leave a comment since I added the CommentLuv commenting system last night But I don’t have any good prizes.
.-= Rhett Smith´s last blog ..Are You Able To Be FULLY Present To Others? =-.

I totally agree with you. I hate the noise sometimes.

Great post. Well said. It’s hard, though.
.-= Sarah Markley´s last blog ..Manna =-.

Hey, that made me laugh out loud…funny. I agree, if you can focus on that person and not on the others streams than I think one can be fully present.

Katie,

Yeah, sometimes I wonder if what I’m used to (handling lots of noise and various streams) is good for me or if I’m sacrificing something and losing out on what may be important.

Rhett

John: Very nice…how long did it take you to come up with that.

John L: Thanks for your thoughts. I like the idea of adding to a “generative conversation” as you put it. There seems to be a lot of value in that for everyone involved. Takes a lot more thought as well to post and contribute than to fire a tweet off….

Tyler: I will definitely check out your post…would love to hear more about what you learned on your 9 days off.

Katie: Thanks for posting. I appreciate your thoughts. First of all, let me say, I totally love online community, and this post isn’t aimed at online community, but more the ability to be fully present with people, whether they are online or not online. I probably didn’t make that very clear, especially as my examples involve the way we allow technology to interrupt our ability to be fully present with people. But I have had the privilege to do some online ministry with LifeChurch.tv and Tony Steward, and I’m a big fan and believe in it.

I also know that many people don’t care if others Twitter while they are talking to someone. I often don’t care as well…it depends on the conversation for me. But the more and more I read, and the more I have been able to hang out with John Dyer (www.donteatthefruit.com) I am really starting to learn that there is a trade off. Sure we can twitter while we talk to others, text, talk on the phone…but what are we losing out on? It’s not good or bad, but we sacrifice something. So we have to ask ourselves what are we losing out on. I did a presentation with John Dyer and Lars Rood the other night for parents on teens and technology and I’m aware that technology has always existed for many age groups. That’s what they know….but we still sacrifice things. Something to think about.

I like what you are saying about ECHO. I was there as well, and I’m also new to Dallas (been here a year). Some of my best relationships are with people that I met online via Twitter, my blog, or Facebook…..I think what you are referring to and getting at is what others refer to “ambient intimacy” or “ambient awareness.” (http://rhettsmith.com/2009/06/29/creating-relational-intimacy-through-the-sharing-of-minor-details-in-life/) And I think that’s the real value we get in online communication.

So setting boundaries is really the key I think. I love online community and want to see it thrive.

I believe that one can be fully present to someone online, as well as being fully present offline. So the issue is not that, but rather we are losing our capacity to focus and do that because we are so used to all the technologies, distractions, multi-tasking, etc. All of my examples were about people missing out on those people right there in front of them.

Agree…it’s about balance…..about being able to shut it down and use boundaries when need be. And about being okay with what we are losing out on. If we aren’t, then we have to re-assess.

I really like your thoughts…thx for sharing them.

Rhett

Also, being from a somewhat younger generation, I am not at all offended when people twitter or what not while carrying on a face to face conversation with me as long as I feel they are paying attention to me as well. Some people excel at that while others need a bit of practice.

The Echo Conference in Dallas earlier this year was a great example of the power of online community and conversation for me. I felt that people were entirely present in the here and now real world of the conference but there was also another awesome level of interactivity and communication that took place on twitter. Many of those conversations were taken offline and melded “online noise” with “real life noise” in a phenomenal way. I don’t think the two always have to compete. I think they can be complements to each other. Perhaps your thoughts about setting boundaries get people to that point.

And as for me, in online interactions I’ve had with people whether via twitter, facebook or email others have been able to make me feel like they’re communicating with the most important person in the world.

I think ultimately it’s all about balance and not letting one overtake the other.