Making The Most Of A Twitter Chat
Huddle, huddle, roil and muddle
I remember the first Twitter chat I attended. It was #journchat, one of the first, if not the first, Twitter chats created.
Image: Maria Johnson via Flickr, CC 2.0
It drove me nuts.
The stream moved so quickly, it was really hard to keep up with what was going on. And if there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s being able to keep up with several things at once or, as the jargonites would put it, “multi-task.”
And if I’m being honest, some of the tweets people shared seemed so puerile, I said to myself, “Do they really work in public relations?”
Hey I can pull a Simon Cowell with the best of ‘em, though I try – for the most part – not to. And I suspect you can too.
As I started participating in more chats such as #pr20chat, #soloPR and then starting my own (#measurePR), I’ve come to learn a few things about how to make the most of a Twitter chat.
And that puerile is as puerile does.
So, especially if you are new to Twitter chats, I hope this will be helpful.
No barriers to participation
The beauty of Twitter is its democratic nature. Press conferences are held for the media. Professional development conferences are held for professionals in their fields.
But a Twitter chat? It’s there. It’s open. Anyone can participate if they jump on to the hashtag, regardless of whether they specialize in that particular field or not.
As a result, you have the potential for all sorts of comments – from seasoned professionals in the field, to curious onlookers or folks who dabble in the biz.
So no, all tweets will not be equal.
But I think that’s a great thing, since it gives us an opportunity to hear from many different voices… some of whom might become clients, if you’re nice to them.
What you can do: be willing to share (or re-share) information that might help explain the topic at hand to them, and point them to additional resources if they are interested in learning more.
I do this by keeping links to the introductory #measurePR post, as well as to the MeasurePR category on my blog handy. Then, when someone asks, “What is #measurePR?” I can give them a much better answer than I would be able to in 140 characters and the moment.
Resource bingo
Alex Talbott put it best:
Echoing Alex’s thought, Jodi Gersh said on Facebook:
And John Friedman:
This is one of the best things about Twitter chats.
When you go back and look at the transcripts, you’ll find people share a wealth of resources… blog posts, websites, and most of all, their own thoughts, often artfully captured in a perfect sound bite.
Most of the Twitter chats I’m aware of take place for an hour or so. But the great thing about them is that that hour is jam-packed with so much additional information, you could pretty much download all the additional resources shared during the chat and make it your own little handbook.
What you should expect: that the chat moderator(s) will provide a recap of the chat. All that I know do.
If they don’t, go to the WTHashtag page for the chat, like this #measurePR WTHashtag page, and pull a transcript for the chat. Save it as a .PDF file, and you’re good to go.
Bonus tip: sometimes WTHashtag acts funky and doesn’t catch all the tweets, especially if you let a couple of days go by before pulling the transcript. So try to do it as soon as the chat ends.
The other thing you can do is to go to Twitter Search, plug in the hashtag, and save all the tweets that were generated during the time of the chat.
This is a PITA, and I’m not talking bread, but it gives you a record of what was said.
Props to Kellye Crane for reminding me of this during the most recent #measurePR with Don Bartholomew.
The other thing that’s smart to do is, when the transcript is generated, look for any URLs that have been shared during the chat. If they’re resources you will find useful, bookmark them (I use Delicious or Evernote) for future reference.
Rules of engagement
This is an easy one.
What you should expect: anything and everything.
Like I said before, it’s Twitter. Anyone can jump in, jump out, and pretty soon you have the hopscotch and Hokey Pokey rolled into one.
Image: Philippa Willitts via Flickr, CC 2.0
All together now: you put your right foot in, put your right foot out, put your right…
This is actually a lot of fun, if you’re prepared to deal with it.
What you can do: make sure that you’re including the relevant hashtag with your tweets. A good way to do this is to participate in the chat using Tweetgrid or Tweetchat, which automatically include the hashtag with your tweets.
This way, you’ll see interesting tweets from Twitter users you might not be following, but who are also using the hashtag to participate in the chat.
By doing so, you can engage with them, continue your conversation outside of the chat, and the next thing you know, you’re on a plane to Alaska.
Bonus tip: most chat moderators will number the questions, e.g. Q1, Q2, and so on.
When responding to specific questions, start off by saying, “Re Q1,” or “A1,” etc.
You will help the moderator out immensely by doing both these.
First, because unless you include the hashtag with your tweets, they won’t be indexed in the transcript/search.
Second, numbering your answers helps others understand what specifically you’re responding to, as well as the moderator, which will help her (ok, “or him”) point you to previous answers that may help you get up to speed (if you’re asking a follow up question), as well as additional resources that help you out.
This is some of what I’ve learned by participating in, and moderating, Twitter chats. I’m sure there’s much, much more, because I’m not Simon Cowell, and I don’t know everything.
What have you learned about making your Twitter chat participation more effective and useful? Do share!
Filed under How To, Social Media, Twitter | Tags: #measurepr, #pr20chat, alex talbott, jodi gersh, john friedman, kellye crane, solopr, twitterchat | Comment (0)
Social Media ROI v. Impact: Don’t Confuse The Two
What exactly is ROI?
What is social media ROI?
Image: Mark Smiciklas via Flickr, CC 2.0
Is ROI or “impact” more important? Or are they equally important?
Should companies starting out in social media be concerned about ROI?
These were the questions we discussed on yesterday’s #measurePR chat with Don Bartholomew, aka @donbart.
It was terrific.
As Sean Williams said,
Don is a refreshing blend of theory and practicality when it comes to demystifying what seems to remain one of the most puzzling questions in the social media and measurement worlds.
At least, Sean said something to that effect, but I can’t find his exact tweet, so let’s assume I’m not misquoting him… too much.
Here are some of the tweets from yesterday’s session:
That’s meant to be “think,” by the way.
The key point that Don, Sean, and a few others were trying to drive home is that ROI is ROI is ROI.
It is not “value,” and it is not “impact.”
Update at 11:42 am: Don just corrected me, saying, “… one could argue ROI is a form of Impact, but Impact is not ROI.”
He’s right, and that’s what I meant, and should have said.
Back to your regular programming.
When we start trying to redefine “ROI,” we are opening a can of worms. Because the C-suite understands ROI as something very specific.
If we’re then going to try to change that definition, it can’t end well.
Focusing on Impact, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense, because here you’re starting out with measurable objectives (tired of that phrase yet?!).
Once you do that, you’re going to track your program(s) to see if they result in those measurable objectives… which should be created with some kind of impact on the business/organization in mind.
Do have a read through the transcript of the #measurePR chat with Don; there are some real nuggets in there.
The conversation was so interesting, that Don agreed to come back for Round 2 of the SM ROI discussion.
So save the date: Sept. 14, 12-1 pm ET.
If it makes life easier for you, you can RSVP for #measurePR with Don, Round 2, on Facebook.
It would be great to get some questions from you, so that we don’t have to repeat everything we discussed yesterday.
Will you send them along, either by leaving a comment below, or by shooting me an email or DM?
Don and I hope to see you there!
Filed under MeasurePR, Measurement, Public Relations, Social Media | Tags: #measurepr, don bartholomew, sean williams, twitterchat | Comments (2)Taking A Bow On BNET
Exactly a week ago, something really really really good happened to/for me.
Even though I couldn’t officially spill the beans, I had to tell my friends (of course).
They were equally happy for me and, I suspect, a little frustrated that it would take me a week to come clean. This was my Facebook post that day:
A week hence
Now, that day has come, and I can officially tell you…
Today marks my debut as a BNET blogger.
Woo hoo!
In case – just in case – you’re not familiar with it, BNET is “the hub of the CBS Interactive Business Network, which
” … provides working professionals with the advice and insights they need to get ahead in today’s workplace. It isn’t a site for those who merely punch the clock: It’s for business leaders—of today and the future–who believe in the meaning of work and who know that nurturing excellence in their staff and their organization is the true measure of success.”
A lot of media properties make similar claims, but having been a regular BNET reader for a while, my personal opinion (and you can decide whether it’s humble or not) is that BNET provides real value for those in, and who care about, business.
So I’m absolutely THRILLED to bits about this!
Image: Ross Hall via Flickr, CC 2.0
My first post ran today: Are you listening to – or shouting at – your customers online?
Those of you who interact with me on various social networks know that this is a pet peeve of mine; when organizations don’t understand what a “two-way street means,” and instead opt for what I call the Billy Mays approach.
Do have a read, and if you like it, please share it, Facebook “like” it, Stumble it…
In other words, do pass it around to those you think would enjoy it, much as we share crudités at parties. They’re just enough to whet our appetite for more without making us feel engorged and sated.
Dude. Let’s make this the broccoli of crudités!
Because if you do, then I have a real chance at staying on as a blogger for BNET for a run of more than a few weeks.
And who wouldn’t want that?!
So. Please read, share, and let me know what you think – good or bad. If you have ideas for more posts (I’ll be posting once a week for the next few weeks, primarily on PR and social media), please let me know.
My crudités and I will thank you!
Filed under Business, Career, Personal, Social Media
| Tags: blogging, bnet, crudites, Social Media |
Comments (4)
