How to effectively take part in Twitter hours

I’m going to start with the acknowledgement that I’m not a blanket fan of Twitter hours. Some work, some don’t – the ones that do are the ones that everyone’s doing it for the right reason – to help each other.

A Twitter hour that has the same ‘old’ people, supporting the same ‘old’ people, is like a networking group that has…..the same ‘old’ people. The danger is that it becomes a clique and this makes it hard for new businesses to join us – I’ve seen some Twitter hours go this way.

That said, the premise behind it can be a force for good, so I wanted to take some time to explain to those of you who may be new to it, how to get the most out of it.

What is a Twitter hour?

A Twitter hour is a set period of time (usually 60 minutes) where participating Tweeters will add a unified hashtag (#hashtag) to their Tweets in order to combine all of the Tweets into one conversation.

This means that Tweeters can both contribute and participate in the dialogue between those taking part.

What do you do during a Twitter hour?

1. Tweet during the set time period and include the designated hashtag in your Tweet somewhere (it doesn’t matter where)
   

   Are you coming to #Northumberlaunch? June 13th at @ellinghamhall – this is for #Northumberland businesses who are looking to grow – myself and @NicolaJSparkles will be delivering some amazing training to those who grab their FREE place at https://t.co/SehVnAYtRx #NlandNet pic.twitter.com/74dYRZFNe1

   — James Lane 🤓🎓 (@JamesLaneMe) May 30, 2018

2. Scan the Tweets being sent by your fellow community members by searching for the designated hashtag on Twitter (Here’s an example of #NLandNet – a Twitter hour for Northumberland businesses). You could either keep that link open like a Twitter notification window, or I prefer to use a tool like Hootsuite to monitor the hashtag.
   
3. ReTweet the Tweets that you think your followers would be interested in. Ok, so here’s the thing – there’s no point in RTing everything – you have to remember that your followers follow you for who and what you are – if you start filling their timeline with ‘random’ stuff from someone else, you may lose them – always think about the experience you’re giving your followers.
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4. Remember that anyone who RTs you if sharing your content with their followers – be appreciative and respectful of this. Maybe take the time to say thanks (this is more Twitterquette than the ‘rules’ per se).
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5. Be creative with it. This may be the first (heck, it be the last) time you will be in front of someone – be clear with what it is you do, think about that narrative – what story do you want to tell to these folk? Boring Tweets are not going to get ReTweeted.
   

   Thanks for all the support, #NLandNet folks! I’m looking forward to seeing so many of you on the 13th! If you’d like to invite anyone else (#Northumberland businesses), just point them to https://t.co/SehVnAYtRx to grab their free #Northumberlaunch place! https://t.co/i2RJdo6rI4 pic.twitter.com/1UwWxwWls0

   — James Lane 🤓🎓 (@JamesLaneMe) May 30, 2018

Twitter Hours for the North East of England

Let us know if you take part in an hour and want it included here –

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Do you participate in Twitter hours – which are your favourite? What are your top tips? Leave a comment and let me know…