Twitter Chat: Do's and Don'ts

Every month in our PR writing class we are required to participate in a Twitter chat. Most of the time students groan about doing assignments for school, but I always find these chats to be interesting and a great opportunity to network with people from different walks of life around the globe.

This week’s discussion on the #socialchat discussion revolved around Tweet chat etiquette. This is something I never really thought about , but it is good to know what other people think is annoying during these networking opportunities. About 20 tweeple participated in this conversation and gave great feedback.

The top three topics discussed included:

1. Tangents = Bad
Everyone seemed to agree it is annoying when a Twitter chat about one thing turns into a random topic. Even though this might happen every day in other situations (especially in PR classes with only women), these chats usually only happen once a week for an hour, which is the time to focus on the specific topic being addressed.

Tweeple join these chats to learn from and network with people who have similar interests, so don’t ruin their experience by changing the subject. Use DMs or mentions without adding the chat hashtag.  

2. RT to the Rescue
Twitter chats can be overwhelming. I retract that previous statement; Twitter chats are overwhelming, especially when there are several participants tweeting at the same time. It can be hard to keep up with the conversation when everyone is giving input, but the consensus was that Retweeting helps if someone misses a previous tweet.

Some people find RTs to be annoying while others find them to be helpful. I think they can be a little bit of both. Don’t Retweet for the sake of Retweeting. Add your own thought to it which adds more value to the original tweet, and you might be helping a fellow tweeter keep up with the conversation.

3. Don’t Announce your Late Arrival
Twitter chats are basically virtual meetings. If you were late to a meeting you probably would quietly sneak in, figure out what the current discussion is about, and jump in with your thoughts. The same stands with Twitter chats.

The #socialchat tweeple found it to be annoying and rude to jump into a chat and announce you are late, especially if it is preceded with the question, “What did I miss?” The funny thing is during this chat several people apologized for being late to the discussion… #fail.

In a nutshell, stay on topic when you are involved in a chat, because others are there to learn and discuss a specific topic. Don’t go overboard on the Retweets because they can be annoying; instead use them to add to the conversation. Avoid announcing your tardiness, because let’s face it who really wants to admit when they are wrong?

For more helpful Twitter chat etiquette tips from the host of #socialchat, go to the James T. Dabbagian website.