Ever since Alexander Graham Bell patented his "apparatus for transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically" back in 1876, it seems people have been looking for as many different ways of communicating as possible. And with the digital revolution in full swing, we have more ways than ever of conversing with one another.
If you can't call someone on their mobile, you can always leave them a voicemail or send a text message. Failing that, you can knock-out an email or send a message on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or any number of other digital platforms designed to aid the exchange of information.
The latter of these examples is an interesting one. Twitter - a microblogging tool primarily used for disseminating bite-sized chunks of information - has emerged as an unlikely platform for groups to chat, debate and gather en-masse.
Twitter chats are generally arranged in advance, and there is normally a pre-agreed theme. The conversations are centralised thanks to the humble hashtag, without which it would be rather difficult for multiple people to follow the 'conversation'.
Using blur Group's Innovatrs as an example, we run a fortnightly Twitter chat for entrepreneurs, innovators and investors wanting to talk about early stage business issues. We essentially facilitate the chat, asking key questions and directing the conversation to a conclusion.
Twitter chats are a fantastic way of reaching out and engaging with people you know...and don't know. There are a few basic rules of thumb you should follow to ensure you get the most out of the conversation...and here they are:
1. Time, topic and tag
The basics of arranging any meet-up, whether it's online or offline: you have to decide what time and date your Twitter discussion is taking place on. And whilst a full agenda isn't necessary, you will have to provide a few broad topics to whet people's appetite.
The hashtag forms a crucial part of any Twitter conversation, and without it the conversation will pretty much be you vs. the world.
Don't choose a generic hashtag that's used by loads of people already, as this means your conversation could be infiltrated by unrelated tweets. So even if your discussion will be on the subject of 'Facebook', you don't want to use #Facebook, because Facebook is always a hot topic and is used a lot.
You can even have additional hashtags on standby to drop in to some of your tweets if relevant, which may help draw others in as the conversation evolves.
Also, keep the hashtag(s) as short as possible, as users only have 140 characters to play with. So if the topic is going to be 'Facebook advertising', you could perhaps use #FBADV which is short and, at the time of writing, isn't used at all.
2. Spread the word
Again, like a real-world meeting you need to tell people about your Twitter chat in plenty of time, and convey the key information from point 1.
Send a message 'round all your social contacts - on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn - anywhere you think is likely to gain interest. Do this a few times in the week leading up to the chat.
And even include it in this list of Twitter chats if it's a regular occurrence. It's a Google spreadsheet and can be easily updated if the details of your chat changes.
If you have connections with any high-profile people, it may be worth asking them to retweet your invite to their followers, or to otherwise publicise the Twitter chat.
3. Choose a format
A Twitter chat can take whatever format you choose, but pick a structure and stick to it. And as the facilitator, you need to ensure at least some order flows.
Your format could be:
Q & A: If you're an expert on a subject, invite people to ask you questions about a topic each week. Or, you can arrange for a different guest expert each week to answer questions for your customers/followers.
Single topic, with set questions: Choose a specific topic within a broader discipline (e.g. 'how to stop spam'), decide what questions you're going to ask participants and allocate a set amount of time to each question.
Single topic, no set questions: This can be a risky one, but by settling on a topic and letting the participants lead can produce good results. But you may still need to provide guidance and steer the conversation a certain way to ensure it remains 'on topic'.
Multiple topics: This can be run with set questions or with no questions. Essentially, you choose a broad discipline, such as 'Journalism on the Web' and choose multiple topics within this, allocating a set time to each topic.
4. Leave your PR hat at the door...
Okay, the ultimate end-goal of your Twitter chat will be to promote yourself or your brand. But remember that the conversation must be of benefit to the participants, so don't be overly promotional about products or services as this is likely to drive people away.
5. Develop and build
Having a structure in place is good, but be open to introducing new aspects to the chat to keep it fresh and relevant to participants.
If you're normally the facilitator, consider involving guest facilitators each week, perhaps people with a slightly different area of expertise to you. And consider integrating the Twitter chat with other media, so you can bring the conversation to life with video, bringing the people behind the Twitter-handle to the front.
Also, why not use other social media platforms to build a real sense of community among the participants? So you could create a Facebook page, or a LinkedIn Group, where the community can plan ahead for the next live Twitter chat, post comments or follow up on any questions raised during the previous conversation.
6. Engage, don't automate
Whether you're hosting a chat or not it's important to include a personal 'reactive' element to all your Tweets.
When someone Tweets, you should respond as if it was face to face. So don't churn out generic messages to people - they're the Twitter equivalent of an automated phone line, and we all know how annoying they are. Make it personal¸ make it real-time and make it relevant.
It can help to have sign-offs for all the people who Tweet for your business. This can be as simple as putting their initials at the end of the post, so if the conversation moves away from Twitter (e.g. to email, phone, or a face-to face-meeting) the customer knows who they were talking to.