The popular complaint about Twitter is that it can be too much talking-to-yourself, and overwhelming to boot. Twitter chats, though, are another story. A page right out of the old chat rooms, only this time, everyone comes together for an hour or so. And unlike most Twitter feeds, these conversations actually revolve around a single topic - the foundation for what can be a pretty decent conversation.
They're everywhere, in fact, and cover a wide range of topics - some lighthearted (Disney, gardening), others more serious (finding a job, B2B marketing).
I've been participating in Twitter chats for about a year, and have never come out of one without a few new ideas, a few new people to follow and few following me. In short, here are my top 3 ROIs on adding Twitter chats to my already crowded social media plate.
- Learn something new. Chats can be intimidating at first; their fast pace can seem chaotic. But there's a huge benefit to that tremendous free flow of information. With sometimes hundreds of people participating in one chat, all that shared brainpower makes it easy to pick up some fresh ideas.
- Grow your followers. Participate in chats will up your follower count, if you care about things like that. It's a great way to showcase how interesting and smart you are, especially among like-minded souls.
Connect with people you'd like to find. Contributing to a Twitter chat gives you the chance to connect with a highly engaged audience on a specific topic. It's a great break from tweeting in a vacuum. Participants are interested in the subject at hand and looking to learn more from others in the industry, which makes it a perfect opportunity to be a thought leader.
Getting started? A few comprehensive lists of chats exist; a simple Google search for "Twitter chat" and the topic you're interested in can also find them.
By: Melissa Nazar
Twitter:@melnazar