Twitterquette: Getting the Most Out of Participating in a Twitter Chat

A Twitter chat is a real-time discussion to exchange ideas, opinions, advice and resources. Many Twitter chats are open to the public, and participants can add their comments through tweets that include a chat-specific hashtag. This discussion format has become increasingly popular and offers a number of benefits: The chance to connect with a larger community around a common interest, network with new colleagues and meet leaders in the field who serve as guest hosts.

Here are some general rules of etiquette to help you get the most out of attending a Twitter chat.

Get connected

The first thing to do is establish a Twitter account if you don’t already have one. Make sure you add a photo and Twitter bio; it encourages more people to engage with you on Twitter.

Review materials beforehand

If the moderator makes any Twitter chat materials available before the event — or if the host has a website — take the time to browse and familiarize yourself with the topic. Twitter chats are time-limited; prepare in advance so you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions or post your opinion.

Join in

You can view the chat’s live feed on Twitter.com by searching for the chat’s hashtag — or view it on the mobile app — but dashboard tools like Twitter Chat and TweetGrid offer a more readable display and automatically include the Twitter chat’s hashtag when you tweet your replies.

Whichever platform you choose, join the chat by clicking the link provided by the host in the original invite or use the site’s search tool to find the chat-specific hashtag.

Play nice

Be open to meeting new people and chatting with them. Introduce yourself when you join. Take a moment before it starts to let your own followers know that you might be flooding your regular Twitter stream for the next 30 minutes or so.

With typical time limitations on a Twitter chat, moderators have to keep the conversation moving along so that they cover all the materials. Don’t be dismayed if you can’t reply before the conversation moves on to the next question. Feel free to make a note of it and follow up with the moderators later with a tweet or email.

At the same time, if you have to leave the chat for any reason, thank the moderator and drop off. Twitter chats are informal, so it’s perfectly alright to leave if you have another appointment or find the discussion is no longer of interest to you.

Don’t be antagonistic. Yes, the Twitter chat is meant to be an open dialog among like-minded people, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but don’t allow your exchanges to become rude or personal.

Share, reply and engage

The nature of a Twitter chat is to engage and exchange, so reply to the moderator and fellow participants any time you have something to ask or contribute.

Your followers might want to know what you’re up to — maybe even participate themselves — so share your Twitter chat experience with them. Retweet chat questions and any answers you find compelling.

Remember that your tweets will become public domain, so if you don’t want something to live online forever, don’t tweet it.

Use the chat’s hashtag

This might be the number one rule when you participate in a Twitter chat. Including the chat-specific hashtag allows your tweets to be part of the Twitter chat. It also makes tweets searchable so that others — even those who don’t follow you — can find the discussion.

Twitter chats are just one of the ways social media is changing how agents find and exchange ideas, and are ideal for discussing hot topics in real estate. Offline, after a chat, taking the opportunity to further connect with your new community can lead to referrals and resources to help nurture your business. As Twitter chats are designed to be weekly or monthly events, always keep an eye out for upcoming discussions that are of interest to you. Preparing to take part in a Twitter chat beforehand and being an active, thoughtful contributor can help you maximize the benefit of attending one.