Tweetchats, Part Two: How to Get Started
Want to know more about Tweetchats? I’ve been writing a longish guide, with part one below.
When Hosting Tweetchats, A Shorter Name is Better
Now you’re ready to pick a name for your tweetchat! Here’s where brainstorming comes in. Remember that every character you use takes away from the 280 characters that you have as your basic real estate. And don’t forget your user name also eats up some of those characters. And so does your hashtag!
Register Your Hashtag
Register Your Tweetchat’s Hashtag
Before you decide on a name for your tweetchat, do a search on Twitter. Ensure that no one else is using the name, in particular for something unsavory. Once you’ve picked a name, you can register your hashtag on Twubs or hashtag.org. Here is a complete guide to creating a hashtag. As you can see, the hashtag for my tweetchat, #Digiblogchat, has already been registered (by me!). Although this doesn’t have any legal weight, it does add legitimacy to your hashtag.
Decide If You Want a Partner or Partners
It’s much easier to have a tweetchat if you have a partner or two. If you go on vacation they can fill in. If you have a holiday, they can help out. And if you’re sick, that’s another reason to have a partner to help out. My partner, Larry (@lazblazter on Twitter), is in the U.K., and his holiday schedule isn’t the same as ours in the U.S. So occasionally he’ll lead the chat while I’m on vacation and vice-versa. If you choose a partner, make sure they have the same interests as you. For instance, on #Digiblogchat, we talk about all things digital, blogging, plus a host of other topics that are crowdsourced. Does your partner have the same agenda as you? Also, your partner will probably have different followers on Twitter and can promote the chat in different timezones with varying people, too. I highly recommend having a partner.
Pick a Time and Day
This can be a little tricky if your partner is far away. You want a time that’s convenient but doesn’t interfere with work schedules. Mondays and Fridays are often rolled into holidays for three-day weekends, so for #Digiblogchat we chose Tuesday. Besides, Tuesday is the best day of the work week! It’s not Monday (Ugh! Monday!) and it’s not Friday (is work over yet?). That’s just me, though. You may have your own reasons for scheduling your chat on a Monday or a Friday.
Another tricky thing is the time change. Twice a year Pacific Time is out of sync with BST, and that can mean a headache. Our 1:00 pm Pacific Time slot is good because I can get a bunch of work done in the morning, and it’s after Larry’s job is done, since it’s after dinner in the U.K.
Social Media Examiner suggests that you “Use a tool like Followerwonk to figure out when your followers are most active, so you’ll know the best time to host your chat.” Here are their other suggestions: How to Create a Twitter Chat: 4 Suggestions.
More Parts Planned
If there’s something specific you’d like to see addressed, let me know! For now, though, I’m planning the following:
- Part Three: Promoting Your Tweetchat
- Part Four: Weekly Chores
- Part Five Measuring Your Success
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