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What are Twitter Hours?
Twitter Hours or Tweet Chats are real-time discussions taking place on Twitter. They often revolve around a common theme or location. Taking part in a Twitter Chat is perhaps the easiest way to connect with compatible businesses and potential customers. All you need to get started is a Twitter account and a Tweet Chat to join.
Local Twitter hours are great for connecting with other local businesses and get your Tweets in front of more eyeballs. Like everything else “social media” local Twitter hours work best when you are actually social (shocking right?)
10 Top Tips for Local Twitter Hour Chats
1. Tweet chats can move very quickly – especially the large chats! Use a tool to help you follow the chat.
Tweet chats can move very quickly. Use a tool to help you follow the chatClick To Tweet I have a set column for each chat in TweetDeck. You can do the same in Hootsuite or try Tweetchat or Tchat (both automatically add the # to your tweet).2. Prepare! Some Twitter hours and chats have set topics and questions, check them out beforehand and have your tweets ready to take part.
3. Check out the rules of individual local Twitter chats before taking part. Some allow promo tweets, others don’t!
Check out the rules of individual local Twitter chats before taking partClick To Tweet4. In local Twitter hour chats, stay local with your Tweets – people really don’t care and it’s not relevant if you are UK or Worldwide
In #local Tweet chats be local with your Tweets - people really don't care if you are UK or WorldwideClick To Tweet.5. Tweet live – don’t just schedule your Tweets into a chat. There’s nothing more annoying than replying or asking a question and having no response.
6. Use the # tag in your conversation.
7. Say hi and have a natter – get to know your fellow local Tweeps. Just like regular networking, follow up!
8. Reply to 1-1 tweets! Use .@ (a “.” in front of @) so your tweet shows up in all feeds.
9. Re-Tweet and follow others taking part in the chat. You don’t need to RT every tweet or follow everyone. But remember, the more you put in the more you get out 🙂
10. Show rather than tell – even with promo tweets, showing your expertise is better than a straight ad
Show rather than tell - even with promo tweets, showing your expertise is better than a straight adClick To Tweet …and is more likely to be re-tweeted.Free Twitter Chat Tools
It can be very difficult following a Tweet Chat directly on Twitter. The larger the chat, the more confusing it can get! I know I go bog-eyed at the speed Tweet Chats move. Brandwatch have a great list of 10 Free Twitter Chat Tools. To get you started, here’s 4 Tweet Chat tools I recommend:
TweetDeck: https://tweetdeck.twitter.com
Hootsuite: https://hootsuite.com
TweetChat: http://tweetchat.com
Tchat: http://www.tchat.io
Most important of all…
Dive in and enjoy! Local Twitter Hour hosts are generally great (and patient!) people. They’re are happy to answer your questions, help you out and point you in the right direction 🙂
There are literally hundreds of Twitter hours and chats available. New local Tweet Chats pop up all the time and old ones die out – it’s impossible to keep up with them all.
I have not included Hours and Chats in this list with inactive hosts. Of course, I may have missed many UK Twitter hours that I am simply not aware of – do tweet me @jankearney if you love a UK local Tweet Chat that’s not listed here!
I’ve focused on UK Twitter hours and chats and you’ll find a range of regional chats and interests chats. Both are a great way to connect with people.
Without further ado – here’s the (almost) ultimate list of UK local Tweet Chats!
Updated February 2016. Now 112 regional UK Twitter hours, 67 topic/interests Twitter hours, 20 UK promo Twitter hashtags
Thanks to…
I originally started compiling a list to help clients who wanted to get more active on Twitter. It also came in handy when managing clients Twitter accounts too! While I no longer manage Twitter accounts (frankly, there are people who love social far more than I do – give Alex a buzz over at Swift VA who manages social accounts) Twitter Chats keep coming up in, well chat.
Recently, local Twitter Chats came up at a BizMums meeting. Since I am sat on my spreadsheet, I dug it out, dusted it off, culled a few chats that appear to have lost their hosts and published it with 10 Twitter tips as a PDF shared with the Cheshire BizMums Facebook group.
That PDF formed the basis of this post. I’ve updated the PDF in February 2016 and you can have a copy too, just pay with a Tweet (or share!) 🙂
A year has flown by since I asked, but many thanks to lovely members over on G+ UK Connect Community who let me know about their favourite chats.
Drew Patterson – #AVYourSay and Julies Picks
Donna Beckett
Mark Tillison – for a whole slew of ideas, he has a fab list over at Tillison Consulting
Michelle Masters – hostess of #CumbriaHour
Julia at Elite Cleaning
Kerry Field
Kaelia Preston
Join me on Twitter
I’m the host of my local area Twitter hour, #HaltonHour. It runs on Thursdays at 8pm. If you do business in and around Widnes and Runcorn, I’d love to see you there!
Over to you…
Do you have a favourite UK local Twitter Chat that’s not on the list? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @jankearney
The (Almost) Ultimate List of UK Local Twitter Hours Hashtags by Jan Kearney
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Great list Jan. I have been looking for this for a while now.
Esther recently posted…Interview Tips: 11 Things You Must NEVER Do
Glad you found it useful Esther 🙂 Which are your favourite Twitter hours?
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