It’s no secret that Twitter can be seen in a few veins from a complete waste of time to a pulse of the world to a highly effective marketing tool. It all depends on your perspective and more importantly your goals for using the platform and social media channel. I will admit when I first started using Twitter back in October 2007 I gravitated to the idea of this short message bullhorn that allowed me to just share small messages to a big audience that wasn’t Facebook. I treated it differently too. Looking back, I’m not sure I really understood the best use of Twitter. That probably also explains when I took a multi-year hiatus from it. Turns out that was a mistake and now I’m playing catch up.
Catch up? Yes. See, when used effectively, Twitter in combination with other tools like Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin, and your own site/blog you can build a great personal brand. Now I’m playing catch up. I would also chalk that up to not having focus. I thought Twitter wasn’t worth my time. That’s because I was going about using Twitter the wrong way. Jumping back in the game earlier this year, I discovered the power of Twitter chats.
What’s a Twitter Chat?
For those not acquainted with what a Twitter Chat is. According to Ann Smartly on Social Media Examiner:
A Twitter chat is a public Twitter conversation around one unique hashtag. This hashtag allows you to follow the discussion and participate in it. Twitter chats are usually recurring and on specific topics to regularly connect people with these interests.
Twitter chats are great to converse, learn, contribute to a shared topic whether at a regular time or just on a common hashtag. I’ve connected with a ton of great people on some Twitter chats over the course of the last few months. I’ve been cited many of times in write-ups from the chats hosted by organizations such as Adobe as well. So what are some of my favorite Twitter chats? Here’s my list.
When are Twitter Chats?
There is practically a Twitter chat for any topic and happen pretty much every day of the week. Some are less frequent, but you can find plenty that occurs weekly. Need a list? Check out the list of Twitter chats at Tweetreports.com.
My Favorite Twitter Chats
Updated: September 2017
So what are some of my favorite Twitter chats? Here’s my list:
#BlogChat
Hosted by @MackCollier and @Blogchatnews on Sunday nights from 9-10pm EST. #BlogChat covers blogging topics for personal and professional use. What I like about Mack’s format is that sometimes he brings in great guests and other nights it is Open Mic night which lets anyone and everyone give advice and ask questions.
#AdobeChat
Hosted by @AdobeExpCloud and @Adobe this is my favorite chats of the week. I’ve been an Adobe Experience Cloud fan ever since I implemented part of it at a previous organization of mine as well as my current organization. #AdobeChat is on Wednesdays from 4-5pm EST and covers a variety of topics around customer experience. While it is hosted by @Adobe, it is not an Adobe fanboy/fangirl club. The topics are wide and far and while Adobe is referenced at times, it is not the premise or focus. You don’t have to be an Adobe user to gain a lot of insights and knowledge on this chat.
#TwitterSmarter
Hosted by @madalynsklar on Thursday afternoons from 1-2pm EST. Madalyn is one of the queen’s of Twitter and when it comes to running a Twitter Chat, she’s your best “go-to” source on how to do it effectively. Each week Madalyn has a guest that covers a variety fo topics on how to use Twitter more effectively. She has a great podcast that is associated with the chat as well. This one goes by fast as there are a lot of participants, so hold on…it’s a wild ride.
#CustServ
Hosted by @MarshaCollier on Tuesday nights from 9-10pm EST. #Custserv is the original Customer Service chat, on Twitter since 2009. Weekly discussion on the Customer Experience for professionals and enthusiasts. Always insightful and a great rotating set of topics and guests. The hashtag gets a lot of other traction during the week, but for that hour, it is all about the Twitter chat.
#CXChat
Hosted by @annettefranz and @SueDuris on Wednesday’s from 2-3pm EST. #CXChat covers topics around customer experience every week with a guest. But Sue and Annette have ties to the Customer Experience Professionals Association (@CXPA_Assoc). This is a relatively new chat, but so far have had great topics and great participation. Looking forward to more of these every week.
These are my favorite right now. There are plenty more that I could participate in if I had the time. I’ll update this list as I get more involved with others. Check these out, you won’t be disappointed.
