Not too long ago, the sign of a bored audience was people playing with their phones under their desks, checking email and playing BrickBreaker.  They thought you couldn’t tell what they were doing if they held the phones in their laps — although from the stage it’s actually quite obvious.

I mention that because today, you see the same phenomena — people playing with their smart phones during the session.  But it’s actually turned into a compliment – they’re possibly tweeting how much they like the presentation, and offering hashtagged tips to those who aren’t in attendance.   See some examples below. 

Of course, some of them might still be checking email, but at least now there’s another possible explanation.

BTW, on Twitter I’m @rossfishman.  Please follow me!