Whether you’re a brand new entrepreneur or seasoned one, there’s always a learning curve to being a business owner. From HR and accounting to marketing and sales; small business owners need to know a little bit about a lot of things. Sometimes gathering that knowledge can be time consuming and a little overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start.

Enter Twitter. Or, more specifically, Twitter Chats. Twitter is a great resource for learning. Entrepreneurs, thought leaders, small business owners and industry insiders use Twitter to host scheduled “talks” around a specific subject. Consider them like attending a networking happy hour with an agenda. It’sis important for business owners to add Twitter Chats to their networking schedule for three reasons:

1. Twitter Chats are a great way to make new connections and engage (in real time) with others in your same field or who are at the same stage in business that you are.

2. They are a great way to compile a reading list. If someone shares a link to a post, you can Favorite (also called Liking) the Tweet to refer back to after the Chat.

3. Tweet Chats are hyper-focused. Most follow a standard Q & A format and generally last no more than an hour. They’re perfect for getting answers to specific questions with a minimal investment in your time.

If you’ve never participated in a Twitter Chat, we’ve outlined a few things you should know:

The talks are generally facilitated by one or two hosts and held on a set date and time (e.g. the third Thursday of the month at 9:00am).

There are hundreds of Twitter Chats covering a wide variety of topics. In addition to general Twitter Chat  etiquette, each Chat has it’s own format, rules and feel. Some hosts ask that attendees RSVP ahead of time using a special online form that display everyone’s Twitter handle. Attendees can go through the list prior to the Chat and get to know who else will be there.

Chats will have a specific hashtag. This makes the conversation easier to follow and searchable. If you’re considering attending a Chat you’ve not participated in before, going through the hashtag is a good way to get an overview of the content presented. 

Some hosts also set a specific agenda for each chat. For instance during the most recent #BrandChat hosted by Know, Like + Ignite, the topic centered on brand focused updates to the Twitter platform like deeper analytics and Twitter Moments.

Participating in a Chat is really easy. The hosts will generally start by introducing special guest hosts, reminding everyone of the topic and stating the hashtag or tags that the chat will use. Chats can move pretty fast so using a service like Nurph, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or TweetChat will make it easier to follow along and reply to the host or other participants.

If you’re ready to jump in and join (or start!) a Twitter chat, check out these great resources from Buffer,  Social Media Examiner and Inc Magazine.

If you participate in a Chat, let us know in the comments so we can join in!