On Monday, our social media-savvy state took yet another step forward, hosting Iowa's first-ever 140 Characters Conference. The 140 Characters Conference is a nationwide series of talks dedicated to "exploring the state of now," with a day of diverse speakers who address some aspect of real-time technology for a max of 10 minutes. (15, if you're lucky enough to be a "featured" presenter.)

Nathan Wright from Lava Row and Deb Brown were responsible for bringing this unique event to Des Moines. Speakers came from all over the country to speak on a single topic, a singular passion. The event is known for its fast-paced, random format, and the 140 Characters Conference Des Moines was no exception. Topics ran the gamut — travel, motherhood, museums, education, politics, finding jobs, finding internships, ethics, journalism and more.

In true 140conf fashion, here's a rapid-fire recap of some of the day's takeaways:

• Power in politics has shifted and has been distributed to individuals who can make a difference - to compete, you need micro-targeted messaging, an increased sense of accountability and efficient use of your time/attentions.
• Connectivity means you can work at home - in Iowa, where the corn is high and the rent is cheap - for anyone in the world, without having to put on those nasty things called pants. ("We all love the Internet, so that probably means we all hate pants." ~@lyzl)
• Latham Hi-Tech Seeds uses social media to reflect their "hi-tech" brand - blogging regularly, even if it falls outside traditional agribusiness subject matter.
• Van Meter school district (total enrollment K-12: 630 students) is living out the Cisco commercials, connecting with classes in Philadelphia and Detroit and Skype-ing in nationally recognized authors and scientists.
• Iowa is home to the only educator to win a Shorty Award this year, Shannon Miller.
• Social media is like Mexican food: burritos, quesadillas, tacos all have the same basic ingredients, but it's all in how you present it and add your own sauce.
• Twitter can represent the power of trusting in strangers. It's "our chance to be in the world we deserve." ~@angelamaiers
• In 2014, 50% of our workforce will be Gen Y, and familiar with social media. How will you respond?
• 25,000 people at Nationwide Insurance are on Yammer.
• Business SM tools like LinkedIn, YouTube and blogs can help you "get beyond the gatekeeper," especially in terms of product demos.
• Rebecca Grunewald may be the Chelsea Handler of Internet-based political and social commentary.
• WHO Radio uses Twitter as a headline service, and can even scoop stories with the use of eyewitness tweets and Twitpics (a fact which makes respectable newsman Jim Boyd jump).
• Today's mobile/social technologies are making old-school print relevant in new ways, from QR codes on posters and table tents to Zappo's catalogs.
• Kreg Tool uses social media to enhance the post-purchase experience, building an empire of tens of thousands of followers on Facebook, YouTube and their own Ning network for woodworkers.

One of the recurring themes throughout the day was finding a new way to describe social media. It's become a dirty word in some circles, and "social media experts" have popped up like dandelions. (Check your Twitter followers if you don't believe us.) A form of "social networking," "social capital" and just plain "media" were all mentioned as replacements.

Chatter about the 140 Conference Characters Des Moines also helped propel the hashtag #140confDM as the #3 trending topic in the U.S. for a brief period. Ultimately, the conference helped continue to prove that Central Iowa is serving as a hotbed for real-time tech — appropriately enough — in the here and now.