A great way to connect with others in the tech community is by means of joining in on a Twitter Chat. So what's a Twitter chat?
"A tweet chat is a live Twitter event, usually moderated and focused around a general topic. To filter all the chatter on Twitter into a single conversation a hashtag is used. A set time is also established so that the moderator, guest or host is available to engage in the conversation." -- Forbes
Ok, so here's the Twitter Chat basics:
- Find out the start day and time (i.e. every Wednesday at 9pm EST)
- Use the chat's hashtag in all tweets (i.e. #CodeNewbie)
- I use Tweetdeck to follow the conversation (just create a column with the desired hashtag)
- Wait for the Moderator to announce the question (i.e. Q1: What did you learn this week? #CodeNewbie)
- Respond with "A" and then the answer number (i.e. A1: I learned about JUnit Rules #CodeNewbie)
- Interact with other's tweets that you find interesting (favorite, retweet, respond, etc.)
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Some of the benefits:
- Meet people who are interested in a similar topic
- Expand your network of tech professionals
- Help encourage others who are just getting started
- Learn new strategies for dealing with the unique challenges in the tech sector
- And do it all from the comfort of your own computer 😉
Another benefit of participating in a Twitter chat is that often times the chat is captured via Storify and you can continue to have others engaging with you and your tweets long after the chat has ended.
What's your favorite Twitter chat? Please share in the comments!