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If you’re looking for a way to enhance your Twitter experience or connect with others on a more personal level, consider joining a Twitter chat. If you only think of Twitter as a random stream of 140 character tweets, you may be delighted to discover Twitter chats, a focused flow of tweets on a particular topic.
What Is a Twitter Chat
Twitter chats are a group of people carrying on a real-time conversation on a topic on Twitter. The topic of the chat is mentioned in every tweet with a hashtag #.
Twitter chats can be weekly gatherings on a topic or may follow live events such as the #GoldenGlobes earlier this week or #NFL playoff games. Sometimes companies sponsor Twitter chats as a marketing tool and offer prizes to participants.
Twitter chats can help you learn about topics, commiserate with fellow fans and connect with others. You may find new people to follow on Twitter and gain new followers yourself.
Different Types of Twitter Chats
Not all Twitter chats are alike. Twitter chats are generally run by one person who leads the conversation by asking questions and following up with responses. Sometimes featured guests are invited to a Twitter chat to answer questions or promote a new product, book, etc.
Twitter chats tend to have their own personalities, often reflecting the leader of the chat. Some chats have a set of rules to follow, while others are more relaxed. Weekly chats may have loyal participants who show up each week and help the chat leader by welcoming new people, spreading the word about the chat and responding to comments.
Finding Chats
Weekly chats can be about all kinds of topics. You may be able to find a book club or a group of parents chatting on a topic of interest. You may find Twitter chats on your area of business, perhaps with some job or customer leads. Search for hashtags with your area of interest and chat, such as:
- #blogchat
- #BizForum
- #PRChat
- #HBRChat (Harvard Business Review)
- #muckedup (journalism)
Check out PeepWise, a guide to help find Twitter chats for you to join. You can search chats by topic or by what’s going on now. PeepWise not only lists chats, but also rates chats according to Best Flow, Best Interaction and Best Overall. You can rate chats and leave reviews to help other discover great chats.
You can also search for a topic and “Twitter Chat” at your favorite search engine. Check out 20 Game Changing Twitter Chats and the comments to that article for ideas of other Twitter chats to join. If you want to learn more about marketing, find Twitter chats on the topic through Ultimate List of Marketing Twitter Chats.
Getting Started
If you’ve found a chat ahead of time, contact the leader to introduce yourself and say that you’ll be joining the chat. Confirm the date and time, and remember time differences because the stated time of the chat may be in a different time zone than where you are located. Ask if there are any rules to the chat. If the chat has a featured guest, find out if you can ask your question directly to the guest during the chat, this may be a unique opportunity to get insights from an expert. Help spread the word by tweeting the information about the chat to your followers.
When you join a chat, introduce yourself with a tweet and welcome others who are introducing themselves. Respond to the leader’s questions as well as tweets from others in the group. Join in the conversation and have fun!
[important]Always include the hashtag for chat with every tweet to make sure your tweets will be included in the conversation.[/important]
How to Chat and Not Lose Twitter Followers
People often are afraid of losing Twitter followers if they actively participate in a chat. They fear that if their Twitter stream is filled with their tweets about the chat, their followers will become annoyed and un-follow them.
The good news is that this doesn’t seem to happen. Twitter chats only last a limited time and people generally understand that the constant stream of tweets from you on the topic is only temporary.
Invite your followers to join in the chat. Tweet: “Join us at #KidChat tonight at 9ET/6PT for a discussion on Why Rattlesnakes Make Lousy Pets for Toddlers!”
#DadChat
To find out about Twitter Chats from a leader’s perspective, I chatted with Bruce Sallan, founder of #DadChat. Bruce’s chats are on Thursday evenings and have grown tremendously from when they first started on April 20, 2011, having over half a billion impressions last year.
Untrue to its name, #DadChat is not just for dads, but for anyone who is a parent or was a child. #DadChat is a lively conversation each week, often having featured guests and giveaways. Guests have included award-winning photographer Anne Geddes and best-selling author Guy Kawasaki. #DadChat has raised money for charities such as Shot@Life and has been sponsored by Ford.
Bruce compared Twitter chats to television shows. He said the chats that are event-focused are more like TV specials. Bruce called them Twitter parties, single events where people get together for a particular event or product launch.
Bruce compared regularly scheduled chats to watching your favorite TV show every week. He said these weekly chats are similar to a talk show where topics are discussed by the host and featured guests.
I asked Bruce about how a person new to Twitter chats could get started. Bruce advised that people should just jump in and join the conversation. He was then inspired to publish How to Participate in #DadChat or ANY Tweet Chat at his blog, A Dad’s Point of View.
This week’s #DadChat tomorrow night, 9 ET/6PT, is about Divorce, featuring Adryenn Ashley (@Adryenn).
Bottom Line
Twitter chats can help you make connections, get social and learn new information while having fun! Check out a Twitter chat and join the conversation.
Have you ever participated in a Twitter chat? What are some of your favorite Twitter chats? Let us know in the Comments section below!
*Twitter Chat birds image by Alan Coogan (edited)
Informative indeed Carolyn!
I wish I really had that kind of time to sit through these lovely chats, most of which I really can’t because of the different time zone. I feel bad for not being able to attend Bruce’s also, though I would sit through the night once and attend one of them for sure.
The first time I ever attended a Tweet Chat was as a guest that I was called to by Joanne of #Inspirechat – and what a community she has! It was a pleasure to meet so many new people and get new followers too. Not to mention the questions each one of them had to ask me, and being my first ever chat – it took me time to get the hang of it initially, but it was fun nonetheless.
Thanks for sharing how we can do better in this aspect through the other wonderful information shared here. 🙂
Hi Harleena, I’m so glad you have been able to participate in a Twitter Chat you enjoyed. Time zones can be challenging, no matter what Bruce says! When I lived in the UK I took an online writing class with Gotham Writers Workshop that had chats on Monday evenings but I could never participate because I was in the British Time Zone.
I think you would be a great guest at #InspireChat because both you and your blog are so inspirational, Harleena! (*)
HI Carolyn
A great share!
I think we all are looking for more visibilty and this can help us in getting that rather quickly. I’m totally new to concept and need to explore this further.
Thanks for sharing this.
Sapna
Hi Sapna, Yes, if you become a regular at these chats you will most likely gain friends and Twitter followers. You may also drive more traffic to your magnificent blog. Those are definitely benefits in addition to the joy of attending a Twitter chat!
Hi Carolyn,
Lot of information about Twitter chat here 🙂
I’ve learnt about Twitter chats from a friend and got invites to two chats after that. Not remember all of ’em but #blogchat is one of ’em. I’ve enjoyed there but was not easy to catch up all as it was the first time of mine.
Lately I was got to know how to keep up with chatting and tips to be actively engage in Twitter chats too. But never been there again as the time was not comfortable for me that time and I’ve been busy with my work on my blog and studies dear.
Sometimes I just search for terms and see if there are chats going on but probably monitor few minutes and get back to my work though. Hope to be in there again when I able to take more time for ’em and obviously it helps build connections and learn new stuff from everyone engage there. Even listening to a Twitter chat is a great way to learn 🙂
Have a SUPER DUPER week there Carolyn 🙂
Cheers…
Hi Mayura, Yes, the speed of the chats can get intense with the most successful chats. It’s easy to get overwhelmed if the flow is too fast. You are wise to sit back and observe until you feel more comfortable adding your own tweets to the conversation.
Excellent point, you can learn a lot from Twitter chats even if you don’t actively participate. But to make connections, you probably need to jump in at some point.
Thanks so much for jumping in here and adding to the conversation, Mayura! :-bd
A few years ago I participated in a Twitter chat called #sbbuzz – it was great fun, friendly, and highly informative. The main topic was small business. Sadly, it went away.
I tried some others, but none were as memorable. Since that was a while back, I should use some of your links to find new ones – thank you, Carolyn.
Hi Leora, That’s great that you enjoyed the Twitter chat you joined. It sounds as if it was a good fit for you. Bruce Sallan warned me that sometimes the life span of Twitter chats can be quite short. I attended a Twitter chat on #Kindle books on Fridays but that is no longer active.
You could always start a Twitter chat yourself, Leora, if you were so inclined. I’m sure Bruce would be delighted to give you some pointers! 🙂
I like the sound of Twitter Chats Carolyn.
I’m always going on about being more social on Twitter and this seems a great way to do it! It also means that you can plan time on social media and make it productive rather than getting lost in Twitter or Facebook.
I like the sound of #DadChat, although I’ll need to check on timings though as it may not be a time I can make it in the UK!
Tim – we have regulars who participate from ALL over the world AND in the U.K. It’s late for you, without a doubt, but I hope you can join us some time!
Hi Tim, Yes, #DadChat would be quite late for you. Bruce is in California so the time difference is significant. When I lived in the UK, I took a writing class online with the Gotham Writers Workshops that had chats at 9 pm ET on Monday nights. I didn’t make it to those chats except I did once when the UK switched to Summer Time and the US hadn’t yet. The difference was only 4 hours so I stayed up late to join in on the chat.
I’m hoping you are able to find a chat that works for your schedule. If not, you could always start one!
Hi Carolyn,
I’ve seen these before. They seem a good idea. I got a little involved in one run by a newspaper once. I only sent one tweet, but it was funny so they re-tweeted it! 🙂
Hi Mike, Yes, a quality tweet can be worth a lot more than loads of boring tweets. Good job jumping in and showing them how it’s done! :-bd
Gee, Caroyln…what kind of journalist are you? You interviewed me and got everything right and then some! You quoted me exactly or better than I spoke and you represented #DadChat perfectly. Yipes, now I’m all embarrassed!
Seriously, thank you so much for the FAIR representation of #DadChat. It is MY BABY. I work at it very hard and I treasure our community of dads AND moms!
Hi Bruce, Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me about #DadChat and for publishing your helpful article to get people started with Twitter chats. #DadChat is such a fantastic resource for people, whether they are parents or have ever been a child.
I look forward to “seeing” you tomorrow night at #DadChat, Bruce! (*)
C\’mon Harleena – sleep if over-rated! You’ll have a great time…do join us – one tip: COFFEE
Missed the coffee it seems Bruce 🙂 Wish you could make a shift in the time zone a little – sometime – so that more of us can join in (of course if it’s possible!).
Harleena, it’s impossible to find a time that suits everyone for the “Live” #DadChat. There is always a transcript and I’m working on doing G+ Hangouts which would be available 24/7 – the recording. I want to make #DadChat a community – also – that is 24/7. There are at least 200 tweets EVERY DAY that use the #DadChat hashtag. That is already a 24/7 community…
I can understand that Bruce. A transcript or a recording would be great to catch up. Thanks for letting me know more about #Dadchat, would try and follow up. 🙂
I wish I really had that kind of time to sit through these lovely chats, most of which I really can’t because of the different time zone. I feel bad for not being able to attend Bruce’s also, though I would sit through the night once and attend one of them for sure.
Hi Shubh, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, If you were able to take the time to check in on #DadChat, you would probably enjoy it very much. The rapid responses would probably keep you awake no matter what time of the day or night is is where you are!
Great info about #DadChat – I have been thinking of joining that chat lately. Just last week I became active in Twitter chats again and it really is a great way to discover people with the same interest. What keeps me from joining some chats is my timezone. I had to give up one because I needed to stay up until 4:00 AM which is really not acceptable every week.
Hi Marck, I’m glad you’ve had such a positive experience with Twitter chats. Yes, the time zone issue is a pesky one. I hope you are able to find useful chats for you that work for your time zone!
I really enjoy participating in Twitter Chats! It is always cool to discover new people and share ideas. I wish I had more time to participate in them more often. Great article, thanks for sharing.
Hi Katie, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, if the chat isn’t very active, you may be able to multi-task, keeping a window open with the Twitter chat live. But with very active chats, such as #DadChat, the tweets come so rapidly that the chat will require your full attention!
Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts here, Kate!
Never expected that I can chat on Twitter too!
I`d like to thank Twitter for this and specially Carolyn for letting me know about this awesome way to chat with my friends.
I love this blog, in last 1 week I came to know more interesting things about tech & apps.
Gonna help me in my next project on Smart phones. 🙂
~@Khajamoin1
Hi Khaja, I’m so glad you found this post helpful. Yes, I try to let readers know about fun and useful tech to help you in your daily life. Twitter chats can be both fun and useful, but many people didn’t know about them.
I hope you find some great Twitter chats for you, Khaja. If not, then you could start one yourself!
I’m happy to help you with your smartphone decision, Khaja. 🙂
People get annoyed w/ me just from my Triberr tweet stream……….
I have tried a couple of chats w/ mixed results. It is a great way to meet some new people though.
Good info.
Hi Bill, I can’t imagine people are upset with your wonderful tweets. You always inject a personal touch and humor when you share content on Twitter.
You’re right, Twitter chats are a great way to meet new people, for those who haven’t met everyone on the Internet quite yet. 😉
Thanks so much for stopping by today, Bill. 🙂
I’ve only been on one Twitter chat Carolyn. Oh wait, maybe two.
I found it a little hard to keep up with because some people you couldn’t respond to their tweet so you’re just waiting to see what others will say.
Maybe I wasn’t in the right one because I was invited to participate and it wasn’t exactly a topic I could relate to. Now it’s just finding the extra time.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, I remember when I first joined AOL chats back in the ’90’s, I found it difficult to keep up with some of the chats. With Twitter chats that are especially active, it can be even tougher. If you do feel as if you make a connection with someone, you could take the conversation out of the chat by replying to them directly without the chat hashtag.
I hope someday you are able to find a chat that works well for you someday, Adrienne. You would greatly enhance any chat group!
Carolyn,
As you are well aware I have participated in #dadchat numerous times (especially since I have spoken to you more than once on #dadchat)! I also enjoy participating in #blogchat upon occasion!
One of the benefits of participating in the chats is meeting new people. I have met some wonderful bloggers that have given me advice and led me to information I was looking for. I also find it exciting when you make a comment and your comment is “very” pertinent to the discussion at hand and you receive a ton of re-tweets (you know that something you have said strikes a nerve or a common theme of the discussion)
I can’t recall anyone ever unfollowing me for participating in a tweet chat. In fact, I would venture to say it has the opposite effect and people will note the stream of tweets and want to learn more (I have had people tweet me to ask about them)! The worse thing about chats is finding the time to participate (at least for myself…I am still a stay-at-home dad first)!
So, in conclusion I would tell anyone with a twitter account to jump in and at least give a chat a whirl! You can find you have a lot in common with other people and make some great friends!
Aaron
Hi Aaron, Excellent points. Yes, it does feel great to get re-tweeted a lot in a Twitter chat. You feel as if you struck a chord with people who are right there with you.
Yes, I always am glad when I see you at #DadChat because then I feel like I’m there with a friend!
I should try #blogchat sometime, I’ve never tried that one.
You’re right, though, finding the time can be challenging. I will be all set to attend #DadChat and the next thing I know, one of my kids needs help with their homework and then the hour is gone!
Hope you have a great weekend, Aaron!
Carolyn,
Thanks for introducing me to Peepwise. I would normally look and look for tweet chats I could participate in and now I can just head over there to find them. There was a Google docs list for a while but last time I checked it, it was blank. Too bad.
I love tweetchats, they are fun and informational.
I am a huge SF Giants fan. And during baseball season I will use #sfgiants a lot, especially during games. I was so worried people would start to unfollow me. But like you said, it is for such a short time that they didn’t. And I think the people that knew me as a mom and blogger got to see a side of me they normally don’t–the crazy Giants fan obsessed with baseball. Hee hee!
~Allie
Hi Allie, I’m so glad you found PeepWise to be useful. Bruce told me about it, which was very handy because that Google Docs list is blank now and another alternative I found wasn’t nearly as useful as PeepWise.
I’m also glad you have had fun with Twitter chats. You can definitely enjoy sports more if you’re commiserating and celebrating with fellow fans! :-bd
I love Twitter chats Carolyn. I used to do blogchat every Sunday night but it got to be late for me, I really enjoyed it, wish it started an hour earlier 🙂 I’ve done others and they are usually very good, and a great way to connect with some new people in your niche too. I love your birds btw.
I hadn’t heard of peepwise so I’ll have to check it out.
Hi Lisa, I hope PeepWise leads you to some fun Twitter Chats at times that work for you. My best time is during the day when kids are at school, but not many chats happen then, Eastern time.
I haven’t tried #blogchat yet, but I really, really should. Maybe tomorrow night as my girls don’t have school on Monday so I can sleep in a bit.
Its simple Connect with new people, Share your expertise, Expand your knowledge Increase the visibility of your content, Attract more Twitter followers & Don’t make the mistake of talking about irrelevant things on the hashtag.
Hi Bryon, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Great advice!
Hi Carolyn
I really love a good Twitter chat. Last year I was participating in some #Blogengage twitter chat. It was a great way to meet and chat with people I already knew, but also with some new people I had not meet before. The #Blogengage chat was each Thursday at 9 pm. local time. Great post once again Carolyn 🙂
Hi Thomas, #blogengage sounds like a great chat. What a wonderful way to meet up with fellow bloggers. I will have to look for that one as 9 pm your local time would be during the day for me!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and kind words, Thomas! 🙂
I love chatting with my Twitter buddies. I’ve watched a lot of Cincinnati Reds games with Twitter folks I don’t know. In fact, some of my Twitter buddies came from watching #Reds games. Now, if there is a major sporting event, I almost always devote a column to the appropriate hashtag.
This is a good post for all the people that didn’t realize they were missing out on some serious fun.
Hi Brian, That’s so cool that you have met fellow #Reds fans through Twitter chats! The popularity is rising of the “second screen,” being engaged in apps and/or social media while watching TV. Of course, I’m assuming you’re tweeting while watching TV, but maybe you’re doing it when you’re at the baseball stadium! 😕
I used to join the kidlit twitter chat each week; however, I got busy and out of the habit. Maybe I need to revisit it.
Hi Joyce, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, sometimes revisiting Twitter chats can be like getting together with old friends again: familiar fun. I hope you enjoy your Twitter chats again, Joyce!
I never participated in a Twitter chat but after reading this i think i am going to give it a shot and lets see how will it work or me because i am new in this arena…
Hi Jawad, I hope you find a Twitter chat that is a good fit for you in time and topic! 🙂
Carolyn – I have known about these twitter chats using the hashtags, but never really cared enough to participate. Now that I read this article, I think I should take it more seriously, let me start with the #DadChat and see how that goes for me.
Hi Praveen, #DadChat is a good chat to start with because Bruce is an excellent host and the chat members are very supportive there. The topics are interesting and #DadChat often has interesting guests and often prizes!
I hope to see you there sometime, Praveen!
Hi Carolyn, thanks for clarifying twitter chats for me. I am about to take my first plunge into a twitter chat with, coincidently, is a #DadChat on winter sports. Right up my ally as I love winter sports. Question – when I join in the chat, how do I introduce myself? Would it be .. #DadChat – Hi all, Carol here … or something like that? And do I always start out my tweet in the chat with #DadChat? Or just make sure it is somewhere within my tweet?
And, if I understand this correctly, is it like having a conversation, albeit a 140 character conversation, with everyone in the chat stream?
Lastly, how’d the chat go on rattlesnakes? lol
Wish me luck in my first ever twitter chat.
Hi Carol, That’s great that you want to join in on #DadChat! Just introduce yourself something like, “Hi, Carol here. First time on #DadChat, first time on a #TwitterChat.” Be prepared for virtual hugs!
Just put the chat hashtag somewhere in the message, it doesn’t have to be first. (See above)
Yes, it’s like having a group discussion. You don’t have to reply to everyone, just when you have something to say or you can retweet people with their tweets.
Everyone was in agreement that rattlesnakes do, in fact, make great gifts for toddlers. As long as the rattlesnake is a stuffed animal! 😉
Great Post and I never thought about trying to hold a Twitter Chat! Just still learning Twitter. I dug into it more this last weekend and I’m finding really interesting people on it. Its a great platform for posting quick updates too with out a whole blog post! 😉
Hi Claire, Yes, you probably want to understand Twitter pretty well before starting a Twitter chat yourself. But you’re right, chats can be a very effective way of spreading the word about a cause, product or sentiment throughout the Twitterverse!