Depending on how you view it, Twitter is a “lead generating” machine, a social media funnel or a friend finder.
No matter how you use it now, most of us joined twitter with the intention of meeting and connecting with new people.
This post is not about using the Search function, suggested follows, hashtags or any of the “usual suspects” people recommend.
Rather, this is a post about tweetchats; a way to meet and to engage with people on topics of interest to you.
This is not a “how to” tweetchat post; instead it is a “why to” tweetchat post.
To learn “how to” tweetchat, click to read about Tweetchat 101 by my friend, Pam Moore, The Marketing Nut.
Okay, before we get to “why to” tweetchat, let me define it for those who may not know what a tweetchat is and don’t have time to read Pam’s post right now.
A tweetchat is people coming together online, using their twitter ids, to connect with others on a certain topic at a specified time by tweeting.
Well, Janet, that’s sounds great but how do I find a chat? When you click on this Google doc you will see over 450 chats listed. Some are weekly chats while others occur monthly. Listed for your convenience you will find the topic, time/day, moderator(s), hashtag and more.
Read through this list to see what appeals to you and then join the chat(s) of your choice. My suggestion would be that you “lurk” a bit to get the feel of the chat before you start commenting.
Now, on to “why to” tweetchat. When you review the schedule, you will see that no matter your area of interest, there is a tweetchat for you. In fact, you may join some tweetchats for business while others are strictly about your non-work interests.
When you participate in a chat, you will get to know the “regulars” for that chat as well as the people who drop by occasionally. By being there consistently, you will develop a feel, understanding and appreciation for the other participants as you see how they respond to questions, comments and asides. To me, it is fascinating.
Many of the chats also feature guests who are experts, developers, founders or consultants who talk about and answer questions on their products or services. Recently I have participated in chats with the founders of Triberr, Empire Avenue, Argyle Social and Twylah.
By engaging in a tweetchat, you will be in a “conversation” with other participants for as long as you choose to stay. It is quite amazing how much can be said and how much you can learn, 140 characters at a time, when the conversation is continuous. In the chats, people listen, express their opinions, offer advice, give encouragement and everything else you would expect in a conversation with friends.
No doubt you will find some people in the chat become friends outside of the chats. While you may talk about chat related items, you will also find that “inside jokes” from the chat continue in the twitter stream. And, more importantly, you will see chat participants reach out or tweet out to connect with others to say “hi,” “good luck on the interview” or “how’s it going?”
To me, tweetchats are enchanting, entertaining and educational as well as one of the very best ways to build relationships. Since people do business with people they “know, like and trust,” why not spend some time in tweetchats making new friends and developing relationships?
Have you ever participated in a tweetchat?
Do you participate in tweetchats on a regular basis?
What tweetchats are your favorites?
What do you like best about tweetchats?
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janet@janetcallaway.com
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Hi Janet,
now I have learned something. I have never heard of Tweetchats so far, but I will definitely check them out because the WHYs you note are awesome. I can definitely see that they are a great way to build relationships.
Thanks for sharing your insights and teaching me something new.
Take care
Oliver
Oliver, aloha. So glad I was able to introduce you to something new. You will absolutely love them and, since you are such a night owl, some of them will work out for you time wise. The people you meet, the relationships you build and what you learn are fantastic. An hour of tweetchat is much a better use of your time than what we discussed in our private fb message. Through tweetchats, I have met some absolutely incredible people–some of whom blog and some do not.
One of the things I neglected to mention, Oliver, is that each week when you come together at the specified time, it is like a party because you are so happy to see both those you tweet throughout the week as well as those you only see on tweetchats. My preference for tweetchats is http://www.tweetchat.com You sign in by connecting it to your twitter account and then enter the name of the chat in the box at the top. All of the tweets for that chat run in a continuous stream. Depending on the length of the name of the chat, you can type 15+/- characters because the system automatically ends #(name of chat).
Oliver, I so look forward to hearing about your experiences with tweetchat. Aloha. Janet
I am a huge fan of tweetchats. I have around 10 set up in HootSuite tabs. But for the fast-moving ones, I use tweetchat.com. I learn something valuable and meet new friends in every chat I follow. My favorite is #blogchat. It’s fast and furious, but filled to the brim with helpful information. Just recently, I started participating in Margie Clayman’s #tweetdiner, a smaller chat with great conversations.
In my book, tweetchats are the hidden gems of Twitter. Thanks for sharing Janet.
Marianne, aloha. Though I am familiar with #blogchat and do occasionally watch it when I am on twitter at the same time, I have not participated. Knowing who runs it, I can well imagine the info.
Thx for letting me know Margie runs #tweetdiner. Since I absolutely love her blog, no doubt I would love her chat. Will have to check out what time it is.
Tweetchats are such an incredible way to network, to build relationships and to learn. WooHoo! Let’s hear it for tweetchats.
Thx so much for stopping by and letting me know yur favorites–I’m especially delighted to learn about Margie’s. Until next time, aloha. Janet
Janet aloha. Well this one topic I can’t comment a lot on Janet as like Oliver I had never heard of this.
It sounds like an awesome idea and I look forward to checking it all out. I can also see why they could be so beneficial although I imagine I will lurk for a while to get the hang of it.
Thanks for passing on all the resources to assist with the learning. Much appreciated.
~Marcus
Marcus, aloha. Delighted to introduce you to tweetchats. You will love them, Lurking for a while is an excellent idea. Since each chat is different in terms of the personalities who participate, unless I already know many of the participants, I always lurk a bit before jumping into the conversation.
Please do let me know of your experiences. Have fun.
Best wishes for a terrific weekend. Aloha. Janet
I’m with Oliver and Marcus, this is new to me too. As I’m sure there is plenty out there that I’ve still never heard of.
I can see where this could be a pretty great way to connect with people within a certain interest that you have. Instead of having to search for people to discuss a certain topic, besides in forums, these are people who are online at a certain time on a certain day discussing this topic. Now that’s pretty neat Janet.
Appreciate you bringing this to our attention. I might just have to check this out. Oh, when I can find some extra time!
Have a wonderful afternoon and a fabulous weekend.
Adrienne
Adrienne, aloha. Love our mutual sharing of new resources for each other today. Once you get the hang of it, Adrienne, you will love it. Lurking is good. Also, people may not stay for the whole chat; they drop in and out depending on what’s happening in their lives.
And, as in “regular” life, sometimes the chats are beyond fabulous and other times they are not as stimulating. What I can say, Adrienne, i that I have learned at least 1, if not a dozen+ valuable tidbits, in each chat I have attended. On more than one occasion, my perspective on a topic has shifted or expanded.
Wish I could help you manufacture the “extra time, however, no can do.
May you enjoy a glorious weekend. Aloha. Janet
Aloha Janet
I heard about tweetchats when i first
got on twitter but never really looked
into it before.
So it some thing i’ll have to start doing thanks
for the info and update on this.
Bonnie Squires
Bonnie, aloha. Knowing what a connector you are, you will love them.
Best wishes for terrific weekend. Aloha. Janet
Hey Janet,
Thanks for the awesome article! I retweeted it to my followers so hopefully they take a look. ( :
I have never participated in a tweetchat. I particpated in hashtag chats, but thats about it. I have learned that the way to be successful with twitter is by connecting with like-minded people. The key is to have as many like-minded followers as possible. Joining in on some Tweetchats sound interesting, but I hardely spend too much time on Twitter. I try to stay away from burning time, because I can easily loose track of time when i’m on there.
Just my 2 cents.
God bless,
William Veasley
William, aloha. Thx so much for stopping by, sharing your thoughts and tweeting to your followers; I appreciate it.
William, you are so right, it can be very easy to burn time. While I am sure that there are many more chats that would be of interest to me, I have my core group and the “regulars” on those chats have become friends that have migrated to other venues as well.
The most important thing, as you say, William, is connecting with like-minded people. The tweetchats are another avenue for people to use to make that connection.
Again, William, thx again for visiting. Best wishes for a terrific weekend. Aloha. Janet
Janet, I love the idea of a “why to” instead of a “how to”. Considering motivations is so important to achieving goals!
I still consider myself somewhat of a Twitter newbie and I haven’t yet participated in a tweetchat. Thank you for the resources so I can find a tweetchat that suits my interest.
I love that you consistently share such valuable resources in your articles and comments. Today I am grateful for you!
Chrysta
Chrysta, aloha. As you know, I love introducing people to new resources. Tweetchats are fantastic. Each has a different “flavor” because of the topics and people involved. Look forward to hearing your tweetchat experiences.
Thx so much, Chrysta, for your kind words; I appreciate them and you.
Because I know your beliefs, do come back to visit today’s post. Guaranteed the ideas will resonate with you and may inspire a post over on your blog.
Best wishes for a fantastic week. Aloha. Janet
Hi Janet!
I actually did some tweetchats in the past but I just didn’t know it has this particular label. I just called it chat.:)
I would have to agree with you that tweetchats are a great way to meet new people online after exchanging thoughts and feelings about a number of things. If I remember correctly, I think I started tweetchatting with someone about local politics and before I knew it, 3 others joined in the conversation! It was engaging and at 140 characters per tweet, I was really challenged to tweet concisely. There were some disagreements (it’s politics so it’s not a surprise!) but we ended up respecting each other’s opinions.
It’s a fun way to meet like-minded individuals and your basis for hooking up with them and tweetchatting is your interest in a particular topic. Very easy to do once you’re engaged in a lively conversation!
Elmar, aloha. Thx so much for sharing your story. It is the perfect example of what I wanted to explain in my post. You can make some terrific connections with the tweetchats. The 140 characters are a challenge–especially at first. As I was explaining to someone today, one of the things I appreciate about tweetchats is thinking faster and learning to say things in a more concise manner. It is excellent practice in saying your piece in a few words.
Have you ever participated in any of the tweetchats on the schedule I included in the post? If so, I would be curious to knwo which ones appealed to you. Also, of course, I now that in many instances the time of the chats would not work for you.
Elmar, I so appreciate the value you add to the comments section. Until next time, my friend. Aloha. Janet
Aloha Janet,
I have heard of Tweetchats before, but haven’t used them (yet). You are sharing compelling WHY’s here
Mahalo for sharing, Janet.
A hui hou,
Mavis
Mavis, aloha. You would love tweetchats. With your quick mind and deep knowledge base, you would be quite an asset to any tweetchat. What I do recommend is lurking for a while until you find one that seems to suit your interests and personality. Also, sometimes, for whatever reason, a tweetchat might not be as good as it usually is. In those instances, I either participate little or not at all. Do not write off a tweetchat after the first visit because it may just be off the day for whatever reason.
Please do keep posted if you do decide to particpate in some tweetchats. Aloha. Janet
Mahalo for the extra tips, Janet
Wishing you a fantastic day!
Mavis
Thanks, Janet, for putting this out there again. As I told my husband today–I am overwhelmed with the information on social media–I keep reading things to do and get lost trying to sort it all out. You are giving me one great piece of the puzzle. I will be using tweetchat.
Jan@chronichesitater.com
Jan, aloha. So glad you found that post helpful. Quite honestly, Jan, I cannot say enough good things about tweetchats. As a result of participating in them, I have met literally dozens of people who have become friends, learned a wealth of information AND know the sources to go to for help. What a great investment of time they area.
Don’t hesitate! Lurk in a chat or two this week.
Thx so much for stopping by and letting me know this post helped you. Best wishes for a Spectacular September. Until later, aloha. Janet
Hi Janet, thank you so much for sharing this link in the #toolschat yesterday. I have “listened in” on a few tweetchat streams and found them both fascinating and wonderfully educational! Yesterday was one of my first tweetchats to actually jump in and participate. So glad I did. And I will be looking forward to any “newbie chat” that may happen in the future!
–kk
Krista, aloha. Thx for reading the article and leaving a comment. Didn’t Pam Moore have some terrific info in the post I linked to with the Basics? As you could see in her post, Krista, it was not all that long ago that I was a “newbie” to the chat circuit.
Congratulations on successfully participating in the chat. No doubt you have figured out that each chat has a different feel and flow to it. While the moderator may set the tone, it is who the “chatters” are that make such a difference.
Most chats will set out the structure for the chat before it begins. On some, the moderator may ask a question and then everyone answers or, if there is a guest, the moderator may ask the guest questions for the first 30-45 minutes & then after that everyone else can ask. Of course, in the background you always have all the “greetings” “waving” “good to see you” going on because it does get to be a party with the regulars.
Krista, if I can answer any questions for you, please do not hesitate to ask. Look forward to tweeting with you in the chats.
Best wishes for a terrific weekend. Until we tweet again, aloha. Janet