5 Twitter Chats You Shouldn't Miss

By: Mallorie Rosenbluth

If I had to choose my favorite social network, I would go with Twitter. I’m not sure when I joined the 140 character crew, but I abandoned my die-hard love of Facebook, replaced it with Twitter and haven’t found a network that kept my attention (and affection) enough to replace Twitter as my #1 site.

But like any relationship, you need to find new and exciting ways to keep your interest and keep things exciting. Enter: Twitter chats. If you haven’t taken part in a Twitter chat before, the short description is this: Twitter users gather together to answer questions and give opinions on certain topics and categories. Users follow the chat by hashtag, by moderator re-tweeting comments and questions, and usually with the aid of a great chat tool (my favorite is TweetChat). There are dozens upon dozens of chats out there, so I thought I would make it a little easier for you to get on your chat game with 5 Twitter chats you shouldn’t miss.

Chat Title: #cmgrchat
Day/ Time: Wednesdays, 2pm ET
What’s Covered: The Community Manager is more than just a job title, it’s also a growing Twitter chat. The chat was started in September of 2010 by Jenn Pedde and Kelly Lux with the goal of creating a community and conversation for people working in social media. This chat is an amazing resource whether your job title is Community Manager, CMO or college student. Learn from industry peers about how to handle the challenges and day-to-day tasks of managing communities in the social space.

Chat Title: #u30pro
Day/ Time: Thursdays, 8pm ET
What’s Covered: u30pro is an Twitter chat hosted by the folks over at u30pro, described as a “community for the ambitious young professional”. This Twitter chat, started by David Spinks and Lauren Fernandez 2 1/2 years ago, has grown into a community that now includes a weekly digest, popular blog and conversation-packed Facebook group. This chat covers all the questions and struggles young professionals face in their careers – from getting fired to what is appropriate to wear in the workplace.  This chat is a can’t miss, whether or not you’re under 30.

Chat Title: #blogchat
Day/ Time: Sundays, 9pm ET
What’s Covered: Have a blog? Want to start a blog? Read a blog? Then this is the chat for you. Mack Collier started up this Sunday night chat a little over two years ago and it quickly became one of the most popular chats on the site. Each week hundreds of tweeters discuss blog best practices. Seem broad? It is, but that’s what makes it so great. This chat looks at everything from how to design your blog, to how to promote your blog, to who should be writing your company blog. Whether you blog for a personal or professional site, or you’re just interested in the world of blogging, you should tune in to this chat.

Chat Title: #mmchat
Day/ Time: Mondays, 8pm
What’s Covered: A chat for marketers! This chat, founded almost a year ago by Jeff Ashcroft and The Social CMO is the chat for marketers in the space and looks at how marketers (traditional or other) can and should be using social media within their companies. My favorite part of this chat? The way it combines issues that all CMOs and marketing execs face but with an emphasis on new media (including social and other digital technologies). The chat looks at emerging trends and challenges and features a guest chatter each week.

Chat Title: #smmanners
Day/ Time: Tuesdays, 10pm ET
What’s Covered: Likeable CEO Dave Kerpen often describes social media as the wild, wild west. And he’s right. Because the space is still so new, you often find people who aren’t doing it right and are, in fact, doing it all wrong. #smmanners (social media manners) takes a look at different topics related to social media and how you can leverage trends and practices in the best possible way. Founder Dabney Porte covers everything from hashtag use to group etiquette. It’s a great chat on an often overlooked, but extremely popular social media topic.

BONUS!
Chat Title: #LikeableChat
Day/ Time: Sundays/ 10pm ET
What’s Covered: Our Likeable Media team, led by moderator (and resident Marketing Operations Manager) Michele Weisman, is just 3 weeks old. The Sunday night chat does a deep dive into Likeable Media’s core values of Passion, Thought Leadership, Transparency, Drive and being Likeable. The chat also looks at people and brands doing social media right as well as trends in the industry.

This is just a short sampling of some of the great chats Twitter has to offer. Do you participate in Twitter chats?  If so, what are your favorites? Let us know in the comments and hope to see you under some of these amazing hashtags!

For a complete list of all the Twitter chats out there, check out this public Google spreadsheet here