Tweet chats and parties are regular hosted meet-ups that take place on Twitter in real time. There are chats about pretty much e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

I’ve seen topics as diverse as #journchat, #dogchat, #techchat, #careerchat, #kidlitchat…

…these are just a teeny selection.

The hashtags are used to make it easy for people to follow and take part in the conversations (because it groups all the tweets containing the hashtag in one place).

How they work

The chats are pre-organised by the host or chairperson who monitors and manages the debate. The host tweets a number of questions or topics and these are discussed by anyone who wants to take part.

Some chats flow organically into different tangents and ‘splinter’ chats, while others have more structure.

You don’t need to register and there is no charge – just show up on Twitter at the right time, follow the stream using the designated hashtag and get involved.

One downside is that because these chats are not an official Twitter feature they can be difficult to find. So check out the resources I’ve provided below.

Why get involved…

• They are a brilliant way of meeting like minds to connect and collaborate with, raising your profile as an expert (providing you add value and actually tweet!) and keeping up to date with what’s happening in your industry. Plus, they are a lot of fun.
• Getting involved in chats will stretch your marketing and communication muscles too. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy sharing knowledge? Too often we are engrossed IN our business when seeing other perspectives helps us grow and develop professionally and personally.
• Tweet chats (along with hashtags) are a user created feature of Twitter (Twitter users are a creative lot, often developing new ways of using the tool to communicate and deliver knowledge to others), which means anyone can start one – including you!
• What better way than to raise your profile in your industry, provide value to your prospects and build a strong networking community?

Useful resources to help you get started

Tweetchat is a really cool chat management tool. Use this dashboard when you chat so you can easily keep up with the debate in real time, and it adds the hashtag for you.

Tweet chat Wiki is a huge user-created list of chats.

Chat list is an open Google Doc spreadsheet that contains info on about 800 Twitter chats.

Note: These lists are created and managed by the users so I can’t guarantee how up to date the information is but it’s a great place to start!

Make it happen!

• Find a handful of tweet chats to get involved with using the resources above, or try searching in Google
• Think outside the box. Join chats where your prospects are hanging out (hint: if you’re a wedding photographer they probably won’t be following photography chats) or influencers in an area that can help you in your business
• Schedule the time in your diary and show up!
• Open a Tweetchat account and use this to monitor and take part
• Get involved or use the experience you gain to host your own chat

Do you have a Twitter chat or party experience? Let me know in the comments below. If you’re already a regular or have a story to share – let me know!