Twitter Chats: A Guide To Networking On Social Media
I believe social media isn’t all about taking selfies, posting pictures of your food, embarrassing friends on Thursdays with a good ole' #TBT, or posting pictures for likes.
A key component of social media is about connecting, collaborating, and networking with others - you should be able to do all of this and be a selfie queen.
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As Creatively Flawless owner Meagan Ashley Ward once said, "Digital actions are liking statuses, liking photos, commenting, engaging in conversation, adding/following/requesting friends, and sharing information." If you fail to socialize digitally, you will miss out on opportunities and on connecting with valuable people.
As a professional in this day in age, knowing how to network digitally is very important. Now I know sliding in someone's DMs isn't the easiest thing to do when you want to connect with someone on a professional level - I get it, you don't want to appear creepy. However, there are other things that you can do to network digitally.
My favorite way to connect with others online is through Twitter. Through Twitter, you can connect with people from all over the world by simply using a hashtag or through a mutual follower. My new favorite way to meet like-minded people, build relationships, and get new followers is through Twitter chats.
[Tweet "Twitter chats allow you to connect with others and learn more."]
What are Twitter chats?
Twitter chats are platforms that allow you to participate in real-time conversations with groups of people.
Is there a Twitter chat for my industry and interests?
The best things about Twitter chats it is for everyone. There are all type of Twitter chats that discuss every imaginable industry and topic.
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What happens during a Twitter chat?
During a Twitter chat, groups of people meet online on Twitter at a pre-determined time to discuss a specific topic, and a designated hashtag is used by each participant. In any Twitter chat, there is a host or moderator that will pose questions (some will post them ahead of time on a blog so keep an eye out), and the participants answer the questions and interact with others that are engaging in the Twitter chat. Since each participant is using the same hashtag, it becomes easy to see who is all participating in the chat.
Why should I participate in Twitter chats?
In these chats, you are able to network with others and learn a ton. In each Twitter chat that I participate in, I am able to meet awesome people, and learn useful tools and tips that are relatable to my job industry and skills. I even participate in a few Twitter chats that are not in my current job field just to increase my knowledge and meet new people. In addition, Twitter chats can improve your brand visibility and can help you position yourself better online. When you participate in a Twitter chat, it is likely that your tweet will be liked or retweeted, or that your tweet will lead people into following you - and just like that, your Twitter visibility and following will increase!
Are there any do's or dont's in Twitter chats?
Think of a Twitter chat like you would a regular networking event. It is everything that a physical networking event is, minus the dress code and stiff drinks. Just like you would at a normal networking event, you would have courtesy and respect for others, and you would be social with others.
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How long are Twitter chats?
Twitter chats typically last for about an hour.
How often should I participate in a chat?
I highly recommend that you participate in at least two Twitter chats each week. Regardless of your busy schedule, there are so many Twitter chats that occur every day. Be intentional and mark each Twitter chat that you are interested in on your calendar. There are some Twitter chats that occur during the day, so unfortunately as a working professional, I don't have the leisure time to tweet when I want. However, there are a few that I follow that occur during lunch time, so while I'm chomping down a sandwich or my meal prep meal, I am tweeting away, connecting with others (and learning).
Can I host my own Twitter chat?
If you want to create and moderate your own Twitter chat, you can definitely do so (you don't have to go through Twitter for permission). However, please keep in mind that you would need to effectively market your Twitter chat so that others will know about it and will participate.
How can I find a list of Twitter chats?
I recently discovered Twubs, a website that has a simplistic listing of chats. If one day you decide to create your own Twitter chat, you can register it through this same site so that others can find it. Also, Tweet Reports has an extensive list of chats, too. You can also use Twitter’s search function to keep track of the conversation by searching for tweets that include the official hashtag.
If you want a simpler interface, you can use TweetChat to follow the conversation instead. You’ll be able to compose tweets of your own in the same place.
When I first heard of Twitter chats, it was through one of my favorite bloggers. I saw her on Twitter tweeting away using the same hashtag repeatedly. I clicked on the specific hashtag that she was using consistently and I saw other people participating in the same conversation that she was in. Moral of the story, find industry influencers, connect with them, and pay attention to their Twitter feed. If they use Twitter heavily and to their advantage, nine times out of 10 they participate in Twitter chats that you can join in on.
Now that you are schooled on Twitter chats, here are my favorite Twitter chats and some that I plan on participating in soon. All Twitter chat times below are listed in the Eastern Time zone (ET). I hope to see you all on a Twitter chat!
#CreativeSmartGirl - Wednesdays at 8pm
#MillennialTalk - Tuesdays at 8pm
#Hootchat - Thursdays at 3pm
#SideHustlerChat - Tuesdays at 8pm
#BizChats - Every other Wednesday at 2pm
#LinkedinChat - Tuesdays at 8pm
#SMBiz - Tuesdays at 8pm
#Peepchat - Thursdays at 2pm
#CoChat - Thursdays at 4pm
#BrandChat - Wednesdays at 11am
#HBRogue - Thursdays at 1pm
#BlogChat - Sundays at 9pm
If you know of any other Twitter chats, spread the knowledge and love by commenting below!
Brittani Hunter is a proud PVAMU alumni and the founder of The Mogul Millennial, a business and career platform for Black Millennials. Meet Brittani on Twitter and on the Gram at @BrittaniLHunter and @mogulmillennial.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables," she said. "And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
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How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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