Chat topics, dates and times for October 2012

We’re excited to start our eleventh month of #AWCchat:  a one-hour, weekly online chat on Twitter where we discuss a variety of communications-related topics.

Nope, you do not have to be an AWC (Association for Women in Communications) member or a woman to participate.

The chat is held weekly, for one hour, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CST (Central Standard Time) on Thursdays. There will usually be a transcript on our Chirpstory channel if you can’t make it.

Here is a helpful post on how to participate in a Twitter chat, by Lisa Barone. Here’s the plan:

Schedule/Topics October 2012

• Thursday, October 4  -  Taking care of yourself so you can take care of business
• Thursday, October 11  -  Boost your search engine skills – the best researcher wins at work
• Thursday, October 18  -  No chat, taking a break
  
• Thursday, October 25  -  What’s new on LinkedIn, aka the “Serious Social Media” site

Please follow @AWCchat on Twitter, and tweet us any other topic ideas you have. We look forward to seeing you at one or all of the chat sessions.

Thanks very much for your support of the AWC – where we “get” communications integration thanks to our diverse and talented membership!

Summary transcript for 17 May 2012 #AWCchat: SEO basics

Thanks to everyone who participated in our twenty-first #AWCChat on Twitter, on the topic of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) basics for communicators.

Three items were up for discussion:

1)   Keywords. Let’s talk about the words by which you want to be found. Share yours if you’d like.

2)  Let’s talk links. Links coming into your site(s) [backlinks] and when you link out. What are your thoughts?

3)   It’s important to optimize non-text content like photos & video. How do you do that?

We shared some pretty helpful SEO resources and tips in the chat, too.

**  On Chirpstory – the summary transcript for 17 May chat on SEO basics.

The next chat is on Thursday, 24 May, and the topic is communications challenges when it comes to clients in the arts, history and culture.

**  Chat schedule and topics for May 2012

Thanks for your support of the AWC (Association for Women in Communications) community.

Summary transcript for 12 Jan 2012 #AWCchat: writing for the web

Thanks to everyone who participated in our sixth #AWCChat on Twitter.

There were four questions for discussion during this chat:

1)   How is text content presented differently on the web than in print, and why? (meaning, what is the reason for bullets, white space and headers/subheaders?  There’s science behind it.)

2)   Links are one of THE most important elements of writing online. How do you pick anchor text, who to link to, etc.?

3)   How can you write in a way that helps SEO (Search Engine Optimization) but doesn’t sound robotic?

4)   The web is multimedia, not just text. So, “writing for the web” is also “creating for the web” with video, images, etc. Agree or disagree?

We tweeted some additional resources during the chat, but if you do nothing else, read this definitive post about writing for the web, written by usability expert Jakob Nielsen in 1997 and still relevant today.

**  On Chirpstory – the summary transcript for 12 Jan chat on writing for the web.

The next #AWCChat is scheduled for 19 January 2012.   Our guest host is Patti DeNucci, author of The Intentional Networker, about how to take the anxiety out of networking for business.

**  Chat schedule and topics for January 2012

Thanks for your support of the AWC (Association for Women in Communications) community.

Summary transcript for 29 Dec 2011 #AWCchat: video

Thanks to everyone who participated in our fourth #AWCChat on Twitter.

There were four questions for discussion during this chat:

1)   Let’s share equipment and gadget ideas. What video camera, editing software, tripod, mic, etc. do you use & why?

2)   Video is visual storytelling; how can it help support business objectives?

3)   Share tips for organizing a video narrative. Storyboards, shot lists or just shoot a bunch & edit later?

4)   What is holding you back from shooting more video? How can we help fix that for you today? Go!

**  On Chirpstory – the summary transcript for 29 Dec chat on video and visual communications. Includes fun facts and additional resource links!

The next #AWCChat is scheduled for 5 January 2012.  Topic:  How to Kick-Start Your Career as a Professional Speaker

**  Chat schedule and topics for January 2012

Thanks for your support of the AWC (Association for Women in Communications) community.