I made a decision not to sign up for Friday’s New Media Atlanta conference at the Georgia Tech Research Institute because I didn’t think I could give up the whole day. I was pleasantly surprised to discover Friday morning that I could watch it — for free — via live streaming while getting some work done.

The workshop was mostly what I expected. There were some very good presenters — and others less so — and an excellent talk by Chris Brogan, the prominent author/blogger/tweeter who served as the main speaker of the conference. There’s no way to put on a session as large as this one and please everyone, especially when having to appeal to so many people with different levels of social media experience.

However, there were two big surprises. First, someone decided to open up a conversation about the conference on BackNoise, a site which enables people to hold a running conversation and remain anonymous (the only identity being the IP address of the moment.) BackNoise advertises itself as being in “version 2.0, now with more snark…”

Unlike Twitter, which at least provides the accountability of a name and possible photo, BackNoise encourages snarking. And a cadre of folks pushed it past the limit. Some incredibly derogatory (and personal) comments were made about some of the presenters. And the pack turned on one of its own, attacking by name one woman well-known in Atlanta social media circles for her cutting, but always clever, remarks. Then others came to her defense.

The presenters were all following this sideshow circus and I felt sorry for many of them. Then came the second surprise. Brogan, when it came time for him to speak, put up BackNoise on the screen, with live commentary following his every word. He occasionally turned to read a funny comment from a snarker. And what happened? The tone decidedly changed. The sniping sometimes turned into real discussion behind his back.

Why? Well, Brogan is everything an effective marketer should be. He’s genuine, from his blue jeans to the profanity he can use when making a point. He’s funny. He’s passionate about what he does.

More important, though, he’s open and listens to people. Even the snarkers. I doubt there are too many professional speakers with the nerve to give the snarkers a seat at the table.

I thoroughly enjoyed Brogan’s presentation, even though he didn’t cover any ground he hadn’t covered before. What I enjoyed more, though, was seeing someone in action who practices what he preaches on social media — openness, engagement, caring and, most important, listening. That’s how to survive a snark attack.