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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.
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Here’s How To Start Running As A Beginner, According To An Expert
As the summer heats up, so does the desire to participate in outdoor activities that keep you moving and connected to others. Among these extracurriculars, running checks all the boxes.
If you look anywhere on TikTok, you might think that just about everyone is running these days. It only takes a few scrolls before you stumble across someone taking their viewers along for 10-mile runs or trading dating apps for run clubs.
Running is beginner-friendly, requires little investment, and offers a number of mental and physical health benefits, so it’s clear why the sport has become the hottest new hobby to participate in. And if you’re one of the countless individuals inspired to lace up your shoes and hit the pavement, you might be looking for a few practical tips to start your own running journey.
"The most important thing you can do for yourself as a runner or someone who's interested in starting to run is being consistent," Ashlee Green, co-founder of RUNGRL, a digital-first community for Black women distance runners, tells xoNecole.
When Green first began her running journey, she recalls never quite seeing herself as a runner “and certainly not an athlete.” It wasn’t until she moved to Chicago and worked for the city’s Nike store that her views on the sport began to expand. “I had a friend who ran, I had access to shoes, I had access to the Lakefront,” which eventually became her personal track.
A move to Washington, D.C., led to her joining a local running club, District Running Collective, which not only solidified running as a core part of her wellness practice but a cornerstone to building community.
“Community is absolutely what helped me to feel like I was an athlete and an actual runner,” she says. “It was through the opportunity to both show up as a community member and, over time, as a community leader, that deepened my commitment to the sport for myself and the impact that it would have on other people.”
Through RUNGRL, Green has since created a supportive environment along with her co-founder that encourages beginners to start where they are, grow in their journey alongside like-minded women, and “ultimately inspire more Black women to get and stay moving.”
To help get your running journey off on the right foot, Green spoke with xoNecole to provide the best tips for building stamina, finding a run club that fits your needs, and becoming the runner you desire to be.
Consistency Is Key.
“I feel like there's this sort of general, societal understanding that running must be easy, but it's not,” she says. “What does help it become easier is when you're consistent and committed to showing up for yourself and the miles on a consistent basis.”
“That doesn't mean you need to be running six or seven days a week. But what it does mean is that you’re committed to twice a week, three times a week, or whatever works for you and your schedule,” she adds. “Move your body and find ways to build up the stamina and the endurance you’re seeking because everybody's journey is different.”
Find an Accountability Partner.
“Having your ‘gworls’ with you makes it a lot easier,” Green says. “Somebody who can go through the experience with you, talk about how you're feeling, and tell you that your hair still looks great even though you're out there sweating. Having friends along the way, I have found, has made the journey better. Everything is better with your girls.”
Set a Personal Goal.
Green tells us, “Signing up for a race or just having an end goal and something to work towards makes it easier to build a plan or establish consistency because you’re working towards something specific.”
“Whether you want to run a mile by a certain day or sign up for this 5k, setting those types of goals helps you to have something to look forward to and work towards.”
Comparison Is the Thief of Joy.
“A lot of the times on the internet, we see success stories and people crossing the finish line, but running hardly ever looks like that all the time,” she says. “Most of the time, it sucks. I don't always physically enjoy the act of running, but what I do enjoy and appreciate, is what it brings and will continue to bring to my life: movement, wellness, community, accountability, and representation.”
“You don't have to compare yourself to the next person — you don't know what they're going through off of Instagram. One foot in front of the other is all that you can control, and that's all that you should feel beholden to in your process.”
Choosing the Best Run Club for You.
Green advises, “Seek out the groups, the clubs, and the crews that are into running for community, accountability, and creating safe spaces for people like us. This particular boom is really interesting, and it's trending around dating and things like that, which, in my opinion, takes away the feelings of safety and showing up because I want to be well and better myself.”
“So seek out groups that are in it for the right reasons as you are in search of your best self,” she adds.
Adopt a Healthy Mindset.
“One of the things that I often tell myself is, ‘You can do hard things.” Another one that RunGurl says all the time, “If you run a mile, you can do anything,” Green says. “One thing that I find myself saying when I’m actively running is, “No matter where you are on the run, you can do anything for 10 minutes. You can do anything for five minutes. You can do anything for however much longer you have to go. It's only a set amount of time left, but I can do it, I can show up for myself, and I will get through it.”
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