If you have been on Twitter for any amount of time you may have noticed at certain points throughout the week some of your twitter friends are tweeting a lot, and not just a lot, but their tweets kind of look strange, almost as if they are answering questions. They might start out their tweet with: A1. T2. Q3. etc. followed by some form of a response. More than likely they were involved in what are called Tweet Chats.
Tweet chats are quite popular and a good way to meet new people, network and get some great advice and tips in whatever area you are looking for.
According to Forbes.com “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.”
There are many tweet chats out there and one could spend their entire week just chatting it up on twitter. Because of this, I decided to find some of the best ones for those working in Church Communications. In fact, two of the five are specifically designated for Church Communicators. Why include other chats outside church communications? Well because there is much to learn from all areas of the digital and social media industry. Sometimes we get solely focused on church-based information when there is great knowledge in other areas.
So here are 5 Tweet Chats to check out that can increase your digital and social media knowledge.
1. #ChSocM
When: Tuesday evenings at 9pm EST.
Hosted by: Meredith Gould The hosts of the chat do change from time to time.
Content: Most content and conversations discuss social media for churches and faith. The conversation during the chats are always fruitful and very insightful. I have yet to leave a #ChSocM chat without something I can practically apply. This chat also gives great opportunity to share knowledge with others. If you miss a week there is a chat transcript where you can catch up on all the content shared. If you work in the church doing any kind of social media you will want to check this tweet chat out.
2. #CMSChat
When: Thursday evenings at 9pm EST.
Hosted by: Steven Fogg and other guests hosts.
Content: A very broad range of topics that include (but not limited to): writing, graphic design, photography, public relations, branding, marketing, social media, etc. The most recent #cmschat discussed how churches could effectively use Pokemon Go. The topics change weekly and the content is always great. The #cmschat does differ from the #ChSocM chat so you will want to try and catch both when you can. If you miss a week they do have a chat transcript, as well as an email subscription you can receive as well keeping you updated on the conversations. You will not be disappointed.
3. #HootChat
When: Thursdays at 12pm PST
Hosted by: Hootsuite
Content: Geared towards all those working in Social Media. If you want to increase social media knowledge and strategies the #HootChat will provide great tips and ideas that will help. There are many tweets during the hour, on average over 2000. Because of this Hootsuite provides some suggestions for filtering the content by using, you guessed it, Hootsuite. You can check out the chat and some of their suggestions here. This is a great chat to be part of and you will not go away empty handed.
4. #SproutChat
When: Wednesdays at 2pm CST
Hosted by: Sarah Nagel part of the Sprout Social team.
Content: Focuses on many aspects of social media marketing, strategy, design, etc. Relevant topics are discussed as well as challenge that social media and community managers face. This chat is an excellent opportunity to gain knowledge and insights from many people within the industry. A chat recap can be found here if you miss a week.
5. #BufferChat
When: Wednesdays at 12pm EST.
Hosted by: Buffer, other guest hosts and on occasion the Buffer community of Bufferchatters
Content: This tweet chat is for anyone interested in a variety of topics around digital and social media. Some of the more recent chat topics have included: Instagram Marketing, Building communities on Slack, Creating events on Social Media, Working Styles, Developing Habits, etc. If you have missed a week there is a recap available here. Great chat with many top-notch industry voices in the mix.
These are just five of many tweet chats out there.
Paul Steinbrueck says
I’ve been a part of #ChSocM chats for several years and just recently started participating in #CMSchat. Both are very insightful and provide a great opportunity to connect with others involved in church communications.
Meghan says
I agree. They both are incredibly helpful with great topics each week.
Corey Jones says
Thank you for sharing, especially those useful hashtags!
Meghan says
No problem. Even after the chats using the hashtags provide good resources too.