Twitter chats for new grads and students

black square with a yellow hashtag symbol in the middle

Update: I’ve added another Twitter chat to the list and will keep adding them as I find them.

Have you ever joined a Twitter chat? Not sure what they are or what the point is? (And if you’re wondering why Twitter? Read this by Ruth).

To the uninitiated, Twitter chats use a dedicated hashtag, usually have a facilitator (some may describe this role as gauntlet runner), run at the same time every week/month and some have a set of questions that are available beforehand for those who like to do a bit of prep.

These chats are fast and furious and really really fun. If you’re new to Twitter or just starting to move from lurking to engaging, try a chat. You will be so busy writing tweets and replies that the nerves will just melt away.

Twitter Chat Top Tips

  • Always use the hashtag in your tweets.
  • Hootsuite or Tweetdeck make it easy to keep track of the discussion and your replies.
  • Ask questions, share your opinion, get involved!

Tweets for book lovers and library & information people

#picbookbc is for lovers of picture books and is on the first Thursday of the month at 8 pm (AEST). The June chat was about animals in picture books, which was a lot of fun. I got nostalgic about animal books my children loved and learnt what a pangolin is! (Thanks Evan!)

#auslibchat is run by ALIA’s New Generation Advisory Committee (NGAC) and is on the first Tuesday of every month at 9 pm (AEST). These chats are fast and furious so you will need a steady hand and a comfy chair. Questions are available beforehand so follow @aliangac to stay up to date. The committee uses Storify to capture each chat which is a great resource if you missed a night or want to go back and read the discussion.

#YARoomChat run by The YA Room is a Melbourne based Young Adult book chat. The next chat is on Monday 24 July at 7.30 pm AEST. If you love Young Adult literature, this is the chat for you. Their Twitter community is full of energy and enthusiasm which is very infectious.

#rwpchat (@readwatchplay) is a global twitter chat by NSW Readers’ Advisory group & partners. They have a great blog that discusses reading, watching and playing, with a monthly Twitter chat where everyone is encouraged to share what they are reading. There’s also a theme every month so you can read a book from that theme and then discuss.

And a great hashtag to dip in and out of for book recommendations is:

#LoveOzYA is all about Australian Young Adult literature. They have a strong focus on diversity and an excellent set of community built resources for promoting YA literature in the community (think reading guides, posters and podcasts).

Newsflash!

Christian Lauersen has started compiling a Library Twitter Chats Calendar so send Christian a tweet (@clauersen) if you have any chats to add and follow his Twitter and blog for updates.

Do you participate in any Twitter chats? Share them in the comments 🙂

One thought on “Twitter chats for new grads and students”

  1. I love #rwpchat, held on the last Tuesday of each month. It’s a monthly reading group hosted by the NSW Readers Advisory Working Group – but it’s fine to just jump in on the night. It’s a great source of recommendations for reading (and more), based on monthly themes. I love it for sharing and discovering reading inspiration. More info at https://readwatchplay.wordpress.com/

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