Q & A about #scrapchat

Thanks to everyone who entered the $10 on the 10th giveaway by commenting on the #scrapchat post. The winner is Jennifer Evangelista, who wrote:

Fun! I don’t twitter much, but I love to chat. And I already see several “familiar faces”. Looking forward to it. Thanks for setting it up.

I’m not planning to talk about #scrapchat and Twitter all the time, but I do want to take a moment to answer some of the common questions I’ve received. We’ll also spend the first few minutes of the chat tonight in a Twitter bootcamp, making sure everyone knows how to participate. #scrapchat is welcoming to everyone!

In the future, you’ll see this little reminder box pop up, but I won’t invade whole posts! Please note that I’ve added our first sponsor, Trixie Scraps!

Next #scrapchat:
Monday, April 12, 2010
9pm central time
Topic: Finding time to scrap
Sponsor: Trixie Scraps

I don’t really “get” Twitter, isn’t it just status updates?
Yes, Twitter allows you to post brief (140 character) updates about anything, but its more than that. Twitter is a different kind of way to have a conversation, to be part of a group, to participate and engage. I know that sounds fluffy and abstract, but its true. You can learn, discussion, promote, share, inspire and be inspired.

I don’t have many followers, how will anyone see what I tweet?
The awesomeness of a Twitter party is that you don’t have to be following someone to see what they tweet in a Twitter party. By seeking out the #scrapchat hashtag (via the methods below), you can see anyone who is participating. (I do recommend following each other, though!)

How do I find the #scrapchat if its not in a chat room?
There are a variety of ways to monitor or participate in the hashtag chat:

• TweetChat – This is my recommendation as it provides an experience most like a traditional chat room.
• TweetGrid – For advanced users, TweetGrid allows you to monitor a hashtag as well as your @ messages.
• Twitter Search – Twitter’s own search functionality is always an easy way to see what’s going on.
• A Twitter Client – Many people use TweetDeck, HootSuite or other programs to manage their Twitter interactions. You can create a column to follow #scrapchat, but these clients tend to be less real-time than TweetChat or TweetGrid.

How do I participate in the #scrapchat?
There are several ways to participate in the discussion:

• If I ask a discussion question, you can simply type your response and make sure you include #scrapchat at the end of your response. If you’re in the TweetChat chat room, then the #scrapchat hashtag will be added automatically.
• If someone says something that you agree with or totally love, you can “retweet” that person using the “retweet” button in TweetChat or any Twitter client. It’s nice to add your own little message too! A “retweet” (RT for short) is a compliment.
• If you want to talk directly with someone in the #scrapchat, you can send them an “@” message. For example, if you want to talk to me, you can hit the reply button or send me a message typing @jenniferswilson before your text. It’s fun to get into sidebar discussions with other chatters.

Here’s a helpful diagram of the TweetChat chat room:

Is there more I need to know?
My best advice is to try it out and watch how others interact, but here are some general Twitter pointers:

• TweetChat and TweetGrid both allow you customize the refresh rate.
• Try to be valuable with your tweets and avoid being overly promotional.
• 140 chrctrs is not mch spc, so smtms u will wnt 2 use shrtcd. U r gr8!
• Follow people who have similar interests to you and talk to them!

If you have more questions, just ask them here! Also, if you’re totally stuck, but really want to participate, I’ll be in the Simple Scrapper chat room for 30 minutes prior to #scrapchat to provide one-on-one help.