Shortcut To The Giller Shortlist

I was quite pleased to have been invited to yesterday's press conference announcing the 2011 Shortlist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize which was held at The Four Seasons on Avenue Road in Toronto yesterday morning.

The press conference started at 10:30 AM and within the room there were various folks from across the industry. The room was filled with a buzz and excitement that I quite enjoyed. (C'mon, I'm a big book nerd - any time you get me into a room where there are people excited about books and writing, how could I not be excited)

As everybody took their seats and the introductions to the event began, I made the mistake of looking down at my Twitter feed. There were folks in the room "live Tweeting" the event. But then I discovered something that took a bit of the air out of the proceedings for me. The shortlist had already gone live and people were already starting to tweet about the books and authors on the shortlist before the official live announcement had taken place.

The 2011 ShortList Titles - Full Details are available on the Scotiabank/Giller website

I love social media, and I love the connectivity - particularly when you're there and watching something going down live and get an extra layer of commentary to go along with the live experience. It becomes a sort of augmented reality.

I'm just upset that I looked down and saw the list before it could be unveiled in front of me. I suppose it was kind of like knowing the present that is about to be unwrapped.

I'm not much for spoilers. I much prefer the anticipation, the surprise, the thrill.

How about you?