I recently attended a conference where I was sitting in a local theatre watching live video of speakers who were presenting their talks at an event hosted in another city. It’s a great concept because it’s like being at the event without the cost of travel and the organizers in this case got an additional 125,000 paid “attendees” from countries around the globe.

When we pay to attend events like a concert or speaker and we appreciate what we are hearing and seeing we let the person or group on the stage know we like them by applauding. By clapping we are sending a message of thanks. They hear it and in turn appreciate our appreciation.

It was the strangest thing to me when most of the people in attendance at the one way remote video conference applauded for each speaker at the end of each of their talks. I wonder why? The only audience each speaker could see and hear was the live one attending the host event. They certainly could not see or hear us. I didn’t clap but that did not mean I did not enjoy what I had just heard. I just chose to be quietly appreciative.