All about Twitter chats for communications professionals, from a webinar for the AWC (Association for Women in Communications.) Finding chats, participating in chats and starting one of your own. Includes recommended chats for communicators. My team and I do online and in-person training in social media for tourism and hospitality at Tourism Currents - http://www.tourismcurrents.com

1. Best Hour of Learning?
Twitter Chats!
Sheila Scarborough
AWC National Board of Directors
Founder, #awcchat & @SheilaS on Twitter
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

2. What We'll Cover
● What IS a chat? A few Twitter basics
● Finding Twitter chats for
communications professionals
● How to participate in a chat
● Starting a Twitter chat yourself
● Q & A at the end
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

3. Twitter ….
Not about
what you had
for lunch
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

4. Let's review
some Twitter
terminology
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

5. @SheilaS
@AWCchat
@

6. @ = A Twitter name, or
Twitter handle
@AWCchat
@SheilaS
@AWCconnect
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

7. @SheilaS
@AWCchat

8. @SheilaS
@AWCchat
#

9. # = hashtags for Twitter chats,
or a hashtagged word on Twitter
#awcchat
#assnchat
#tourismchat
#agchat
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

10. @SheilaS
@AWCchat

11. Interest-based hashtags may or
may not also be a chat.
#eventprofs ( demo later at
http://is.gd/r43kTR )
#TBEX
#FriFotos
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

12. @SheilaS
@AWCchat

13. Twitter Chat
How-To
Basics
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

14. Twitter Chat Basics
● Most chats last one hour (goes by fast!)
● Consistent time & day
● Most have a series of discussion items:
host tweets have Q1, Q2, etc.
● Answer tweets usually have A1, A2, etc.
● Host has associated chat blog, Facebook
Page or website
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

15. Finding
a chat
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

16. Finding relevant chats
● Do a search string
● "Gardening + chat OR hashtag"
● "Birding Twitter chat"
● "Muscle car chat on Twitter"
● There used to be a big Google Doc
with chat info, but appears defunct
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

17. @SheilaS
@AWCchat

18. Some chats for communicators
● #journchat – journalism – follow @journchat
● Mondays, 8 – 9 pm EST
● #wjchat – web journalists – follow @wjchat
● Wednesdays, 5 – 6 pm PST
● #commschat – communications – follow
@CommsChat
● Mondays, 8 – 9 pm GMT (UK-based chat)
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

19. Some chats for communicators
● #PR20chat – modern PR – follow @pr20chat
● Tuesdays, 8 – 9 pm EST
● #SoloPR – solo PR folks – follow @SoloPR
● Wednesdays, 1 – 2 pm EST
● #brandchat – brand managers – follow
@brandchat
● Wednesdays, 11am – 12pm EST
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

20. Some chats for communicators
● #blogchat – bloggers – follow @MackCollier
● Sundays, 8 – 9 pm CST
● #nptalk – nonprofits – follow @NPtalk
●
1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 2 – 3 pm CST
● #designchat – creatives – follow @designchat
● Wednesdays, 8 – 9 pm CST
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

21. Participating in
a Twitter chat
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

22. Show
@SheilaS
@AWCchat
up!

23. Getting Started on Twitter
● Open a Twitter account
● Thoroughly fill out your profile/bio
● Do link to your
website/blog/something
● Have a photo – no one trusts the
Egg People!
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

24. @SheilaS
@AWCchat

25. @SheilaS
@AWCchat

26. Chat Etiquette
● Lurking is fine at first
● Contributions & participation are MUCH
appreciated by chat hosts
● Stay on topic
● Don't be all about you & your links
● Help bring people to the chat & later, to
the transcript
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

27. @SheilaS
@AWCchat

28. Twitter Chat Tools
● Twitter Search: search.twitter.com
● Dashboards like TweetDeck &
HootSuite
● TweetChat: tweetchat.com/@TweetChat
● Twitter smartphone apps
● Transcript tools like Chirpstory (demo
later of AWCchat's channel)
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

29. Starting Your Own Chat
● Thought leadership
● It's crowded out there!
● Give it a home (website, blog like
awcchat.wordpress.com, Facebook
Page)
● Pick a time that works for you
● Pick topics for at least 8 – 10 chats
● Participation can be tough nut
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

30. Photo Credits
● What's for lunch ● Two-rocket launch
(JohnSeb Flickr) (jurvetson Flickr)
● Chats on anything ● Tools
(Colorful pencils via (InvernoDreaming
Rilind Hoxha Flickr) Flickr)
● Sheila & phone
(courtesy Hawaii Social
Media Summit & Justin
R. Dotson on Facebook)
@SheilaS
@AWCchat

31. Thanks @SheilaS
@AWCchat
Very
Much!
Demo
&
Q&A
@SheilaS
@AWCchat