Using Twitter #chats for networking

As you may have read previously, I'm decidedly unsocial and have been working towards being more active on Twitter @MeredithAtDell. It's still a work in progress and I regularly forget to tweet for a few days at a time, but I've found some pleasantly surprising ways to use Twitter for virtual networking that also work with my unsocial-ness.

My real-life friend, @SparkerWorks, introduced me to the world of Twitter #chats which have proven to be a great source of industry information and networking opportunities. You can participate in as few or as many as your schedule allows and get the chance to share your knowledge and connect with other professionals online.

Interested? Here's what you should do to get started:

Search for #chats

Finding chats about industries you're in or topics you're interested in can be a great way to connect with like-minded professionals who have great insight to share. I was introduced to #brandchat and through its participants discovered a few more to follow. Questions are usually shared centrally ahead of time and can be referenced when chatting. #Chats usually only take an hour of time and are scheduled on a regular cadence - some weekly, some monthly.

I block my calendar for a weekly #brandchat hosted on @nurph with rotating topics and facilitators all dealing with branding. One of the most entertaining chat topics was pets and brands which devolved into several BRANDidos (#brandchat participants) swapping photos of their cats (I may or may not have been one of them). I've also recently participated in the newly established #ebchat which occurs monthly and is specific to employment branding efforts. Within this chat, I can share what we're doing on our team and swap tips with other subject matter experts. Even if I'm multitasking, I know I can review the discussion later on.

Also, consider updating your profile picture before you get started. The professionals you meet in Twitter chats could mean your next job opportunity!

Interact with people you met

Developing professional connections through #chats is a great way to find out who your colleagues are across various businesses. After interacting with #chat participants, we'll often swap LinkedIn profiles which is a great way to grow your professional network with people in your industry of choice. If you're not ready to get that personal with #chat participants, you can choose to simply follow a handful of people who shared thoughtful questions, ideas or information during the chat with your Twitter profile.

It's helpful to compile Twitter lists of previous #chat participants. The diversity of backgrounds, companies and employer brand strategies means that they are constantly sharing interesting links, thoughts and news about employment branding on one stream. With this, you can create a neat little newsfeed from people you trust as industry SMEs.

You never know when #chats will pay off!

One of my favorite new connections is @TheCarrieCorbin. I met her at the first #ebchat and started following her on Twitter. Along with having an impressive professional resume, her commentary about her daughter or the latest conference she attended break up her business-related tweets in an entertaining way.

Fun story: I was fortunate to be able to attend Universum's employer branding roadshow when they were in Houston and got to meet Carrie in person! It was really cool to meet a successful professional in my industry and already have an established connection.

Do you participate in Twitter #chats? Which ones are your favorites?