Thursday, April 4, 2013

Twitter is a Conversation

Here in the States we love to talk. As printers we love to talk even more. Recently #printchat has evolved on twitter as a place for Printers to get together every Wednesday afternoon ( 4:00 EST .)

To get a full story on #printchat You can find it at the Print Media Center Site over here #Printchat is hosted by PrintMediaCentr . The rest of us just participate. The point of this post is to try to show people that twitter can be used for a real conversation about an important subject.

I hope you enjoy it.

So  . .  Image three Print folks walk into a bar, ( pub for my UK friends.) It is me, Sandy Hubbard , loyal printchat participants and Deborah Corn from PrintMediaCentr who does the heavy lifting of managing a thriving conversation

The following conversation ensues:

@PrintMediaCentr @sandyhubbard So  tell me how you folks got to managing #printchat  @PrintPaddy
@toughLoveforx I was present at first #printchat ever - in early 2011. 


 By that point, @PrintMediaCentr and I were regular fixtures at #printchat - known for our industry knowledge & witty banter.

 The transition to having @PrintMediaCentr host #printchat was a natural.

 Deborah @PrintMediaCentr has a huge LinkedIn group and loyal audience for http://printmediacentr.com  - #printchat

Deborah makes hosting #printchat look easy, but she works hard to make it engaging, educational and fun. @PrintMediaCentr

It is big responsibility to bring relevance week after week to high profile Twitter chat like #printchat - @PrintMediaCentr

The complement of our backgrounds and expertise allows us to address wide variety of topics in #printchat - @PrintMediaCentr

 We draw a large repeat group of print industry participants at #printchat due to @PrintMediaCentr 's vision and stewardship.

 I can't speak for how long @PrintMediaCentr has been active on Twitter... #printchat

. .  but she and I are both early adopters and eager to test new ways to communicate. @PrintMediaCentr

 I already had a large print following on Twitter from my hashtag #HelpPrintThrive, which I started in the summer of 2010.

It was evident early on with #HelpPrintThrive that Twitter was the way to interact with a global print community. #printchat


@sandyhubbard Oh another Question have you met -> @PrintMediaCentr  in real life? Did you know her before Social Media?

@toughLoveforx I was aware of Deborah when she start her LinkedIn group. We met on the phone in early July 2011. @PrintMediaCentr

But I was already a big @PrintMediaCentr fan by that point. #printchat

@sandyhubbard You should know that I became a Sandy Hubbard fan a long time ago.. :-)  @PrintMediaCentr

@toughLoveforx I've participated in Twitter chats since 2009 in a variety of business, marketing, leadership, sales, etc. topics. #printchat

By the time Deborah and I were involved in #printchat we were both quite experienced at best practices for Twitter chats.

Twitter was a natural extension of my other social media platforms, and I liked the real time aspect of it. #printchat

 A Twitter chat is a conversation. You want to draw out quieter people. You want to make people feel welcome. 


@sandyhubbard Good points. "A Twitter chat is a conversation." I think it's just what a good salesman has always done.

@toughLoveforx Bringing people back week after week builds a strong community and a body of shared experience in a Twitter chat. #printchat

 In chats geared to industry, sometimes they devolve to complaining or same old issues. We try to avoid that in #printchat

 We strive to make #printchat a highlight of the week, a place to refresh the soul of the graphic communications professional.

 A conversation is a great way to learn about and appreciate one other - especially an ongoing conversation like #printchat

 The #printchat community attracts hard workers with great personalities who make time in their week to get together.

 It's amazing to see the caliber of graphic communications professionals who attend #printchat

 Pros from around the world attend #printchat. They get up early/stay up late to participate. Print is HUGE global industry.

@sandyhubbard I can't think any other way to have easy conversations from around the world.

 I think your and @PrintMediaCentr personalities are the secret sauce. Authentic voices that love Print. Think that's true?

RT @toughloveforx: Re secret sauce - @SandyHubbard comes from printing side - Im from customer side - makes for good knowledge mix

Aw RT @sandyhubbard: @toughLoveforx Deborah makes hosting #printchat look easy, but she works hard to make it engaging, educational & fun.

@toughLoveforx We know that #printchat is popular because of the support and input of loyal participants. @PrintMediaCentr

 Yes, printers and graphic communications professionals are a special breed, which makes #printchat worth it! 

@PrintMediaCentr and I have longtime hands-on experience in print, video, publishing, social media, cross media. #printchat 

Being good at managing projects and setting/respecting deadlines a strength @PrintMediaCentr brings as #printchat host. @toughLoveforx

RT @toughloveforx: Like anything, you get out of LI and Twitter what you put in, so I do my best to ALWAYS be engaging on some level.

I don't know WHY they are using it. To network - you have to WORK to create relationships. Less time means slower pace 4 that

 Im not about "convincing" people use social. Im about engaging with those who get it and creating lasting relationships