What Is A Twitter Party? Tweet Chat 101

A hashtag chat, sometimes called a tweet chat or Twitter party, refers to the collective use of a specific hashtag within a specified time, mostly with the goal to promote an event or move a cause forward. A hashtag chat doesn't just happen at one time. Usually, it happens weekly or every two weeks, as agreed by all users involved. By using one hashtag as a group, the proponents are able to create a trending topic and spread the message at a faster rate to a much, much wider audience. Sometimes, the tweet chat doesn't really have a short-term goal in mind, if not to just share interests with like-minded people, as with #CabernetDay in September 2012 or #SmallBizChat for users interested in getting into micro-entrepreneurship. To find hashtag chats, check out the chat schedules HERE. To join, simply click on the hashtag on a tweet to see all of the most recent tweets around it and then follow it on your own timeline by using it yourself. Be forewarned, though, that if it's a particularly huge chat, you can get lost in the mountain of topics. Of course, because it's a party, don't forget your Twitter etiquette. Have fun!