how to tweet chat

A tweet chat is a live and hosted Twitter discussion held at a set time, focused on a prearranged topic & with a # to bind together the conversation…

Tweet chats are a fast and interactive way to share knowledge and experience, and learn from other people – physiotherapists, allied health professionals, nurses, doctors and patient leaders.  

Regular healthcare tweet chats also include #WeNurses; #WeParamedics, #WePharmacists, #OTalk, #nhssm and #patientleaders.

Here are some tips for taking part in a physiotalk (or other) tweet chat:

Before:

1. Join Twitter if you haven’t already! There’s also lots of useful information from the Twitter support centre.
2. Look out for chats being publicised on Twitter and our Facebook page, or follow our blog for updates into you inbox
3. Read through the pre-chat information and think about anything you would like to ask or share, including links to useful websites or documents.

During:

1. You can take part in a tweet chat from a phone, tablet or computer, but sometimes phones and mobile connections can be too slow so computers often work best, especially if you are planning to get involved in the discussion
2. Join the chat by searching for and clicking on #physiotalk or the agreed chat. The # for the chat is what ‘binds’ it together and filters out other Twitter conversation at the time – it enables everyone taking part to follow the conversation – so use the agreed #  in all your tweets during the discussion
3. You don’t have to tweet,  you can just follow the conversation, especially if you are still getting used to tweet chats.  You might like to introduce yourself, using the #, and mention that you’ll be there watching and listening
4. The chat will be hosted and the host will ask questions along the way to stimulate discussion and sharing of ideas
5. Some tweet chats can be fast moving so don’t worry if you can’t keep up, and you can use the # to read through the conversation at your own pace afterwards and we TweetDeck is useful to keep track of the discussions – click here for our page on using TweetDeck to keep up with chats
6. Remember- tweet with professionalism during the chat, for example guidance on social media from the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).

After:

1. You can look through the post chat information afterwards for a summary of what was discussed and any additional links, and this can also be useful if you missed the chat.  The post-chat information will normally be available the same day.
2. You can also reflect on the chat and what you learned or need to find out more about as part of your CPD (see PhysioTalk and your CPD).