How to attend a Twitter Chat- the easy way

February 23, 2012 by Jean Layton

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Twitter can be a place to find new points of view, or to reconnect with friends from the past.

It can also be a force of change, like helping to move the information from government control to the people.

And sometimes it just feels way to confusing to follow a conversation.



Which is why some folks like to read blogs (thank you), follow subscriptions of conversationalists on Facebook, look over the images that attract other people on Pinterest and get their favorites in email.



When you want to learn more about a situation, attending a Twitter Chat is the way to get lots of information and have your particular questions answered in almost real time.



Now, What in the world is a Twitter Chat?





Simple, it is a conversation on Twitter that uses a particular hash tag to allow folks to follow the conversation.



No, not that kind of hash.











This kind of hash tag, #.

The pound symbol has been claimed by Twitter as a kind of short hand designation for a conversational topic.

What follows the # is the conversation.

Why am I telling you all this today?

Because at 1pm PST/4pm EST there will be a chat that is important to anyone who eats. #CertChat.

It is being coordinated by Good Guide, the folks who scientifically rank products and companies based on their environmental, health and social performances.

I plan on attending with lots of questions, and would love to hear from you too.

Technical details

You need to have an already existing Twitter handle to follow along. So if you don’t yet have one, go over and set one up. It only takes a minute. I’ll wait.

There, all done? Good.

Now, the way I follow all chats is to use this tool, HootSuite.

I love how I can set up columns to follow a particular hashtag, making a conversation like this truly simple. Just sign up for a free account, then set up a stream with #CertChat.

I hold the hashtag on my clipboard to drop it into each post. (Copy the hashtag and paste it in). Each time I respond, it goes into the feed of the conversation

See you there.



And once you are done, you can create a permanent record using Storify.

Just like this one

Storified by Fair Trade Certified
8 hours ago · 17 views
26
Fair Trade Certification Chat
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The Good Guide hosted a Twitter chat about the various eco-labels and what they mean. Here’s a recap of some of the Fair Trade questions and answers.

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Welcome to the #CertChat! Let’s try to get all your eco-label and certification confusion cleared up. Joining us is…
GoodGuideGoodGuide
a day ago
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@FairTradeUSA is the leading certifier of #FairTrade products in US, guarantees ethical working conditions & sustainable business #CertChat
GoodGuideGoodGuide
a day ago
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Welcome to #CertChat! We look forward to answering your questions about #FairTrade certification.
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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To get an overview of what #FairTrade means, bookmark this video to watch after the #CertChat: youtu.be/7K4G5-ydhS0
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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Did you know that all #FairTrade Certified products are Non-GMO? #CertChat
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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We did!! @FairTradeUSA Did you know that all #FairTrade Certified products are Non-GMO? #CertChat
Yarok Beauty KitchenYAROKnyc
a day ago
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#certchat How do you all keep your information up-to-date, when companies and products change so rapidly?
Nancy JuddRecycleRunway
a day ago
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@RecycleRunway We’re in constant communication w/ brands and farmer organizations about #FairTrade product offerings #CertChat
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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Coffee continues to be the leading #FairTrade product. Produce, sugar and tea are growing rapidly. #certchat
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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#CertChat Are there any certifications for foreign products?
GFDoctor-Jean LaytonGFDoctor
a day ago
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@GFDoctor All 11,000+ #FairTrade products are imported from 70 countries around the world #CertChat
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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Did you know that the income for #FairTrade mango farmers in Haiti is 4x higher than for conventional mango farmers? #CertChat
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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To see how #FairTrade certification helps protect the environment, watch this video after the #CertChat: youtu.be/pQ22SrbFemM
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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Is anyone drinking #FairTrade coffee or tea right now? What kind? #certchat
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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@FairTradeUSA I was earlier today! @EqExCoop fair trade certified coffee! #certchat
Because More Is Morebecausemore
a day ago
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@FairTradeUSA Dinking World Market® Guatemala Organic coffee from Cost Plus #certchat
r.reevesidogcow
a day ago
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Survey: If you had to pick, what do you think is the single most important environmental attribute a product can have, and why? #CertChat
GREENGUARDGREENGUARD
a day ago
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@GREENGUARD We believe that providing farmers w/ economic stability encourages environmental stewardship #CertChat
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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Is anyone currently tweeting from a #FairTrade town? Check here to see if you’re in one: bit.ly/A4j6kb #CertChat #FairTradeTowns
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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@FairTradeUSA Very cool! Bellingham is not listed yet, but we should fix that! Many towns here I have lived in or close to! #CertChat
Non-GMO ProjectNonGMOProject
a day ago
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@NonGMOProject Great! To get started with a campaign to make Bellingham a #FairTrade Town, see here: bit.ly/zLwFX8 #CertChat
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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@FairTradeUSA We do a lot of work with our local Co-op (Community Food Co-op)–will try to get their help with this! #CertChat
Non-GMO ProjectNonGMOProject
a day ago
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Thanks for the questions and great discussion! #CertChat @GoodGuide @GreenGuard @ClimateCounts @NonGMOProject @EcoLogo_Program
Fair Trade CertifiedFairTradeUSA
a day ago
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Big thanks to: @FairTradeUSA @GreenGuard @ClimateCounts @NonGMOProject @EcoLogo_Program @LeapingBunny @GreenPalmOil @ULEnvironment #CertChat
GoodGuideGoodGuide
a day ago
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I learned a lot today, I think my trips to the grocery store will be much longer now! Thanks everyone and @GoodGuide for hosting! #certchat
Nancy JuddRecycleRunway
a day ago
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so invigorated by the #CertChat that just happened! I wanna work in this industry! I wanna make a difference! #knowwhatyoueat
Ashley JohnsPeaceLoveTrees
a day ago
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