How many of you have attended a Twitter party by watching your feed only to give up because you couldn't keep up? I did when I first started. Then I researched parties and came across the wonderful www.tweetgrid.com and started trying out the different sites that ran feeds on Twitter for parties; (this one being the best by far.)
By being able to enter the hash tag and then only view tweets going to the one hash tag it keeps you in the loop of the conversation during the chat. Another genius appeal to it is the ability to have multiple feeds going in each column. If you are attending a party with multiple hosts and panelists you could possibly miss a question if you don't have them all listed, hence missing out on a great prize.
Note: Some chats require you answer all of the questions posted to be eligible for all or specifically the grand prize. Who wants to miss out on prizes?! I sure don't! Always pay close attention to the RSVP page so that u include all important people during chat.
Below you can see a screen shot of the grid. Depending on how many hostesses or panelist are involved you have a lot of choices as to how you want to look at the grid. I like it simple and usually go with 1x3, 1x4 or at the most 1x5. In some cases the parties will tweet out a custom tweetgrid-check it out and if it's too busy for you go with what you know and feel most comfortable with. I like the simple ones.
As you can see here's the 1x3 grid. I follow the same routine on how I set up my grids, again it's up to you. I like to have the host on the left column, the hash tag in the middle and my feed on the right. I highly recommend that you always have your feed showing. When you win you will always receive a tweet and it will pop up in your feed and also if someone re-tweets you or asks you a question. It's handy.
As the party gets going the feed will continuously go down what I do to help in case I miss out on something is have the hostess actual Twitter page up as well. You are probably thinking at this point "Are you kidding me! All this work for a measly prize?!" But once you do it a couple times it becomes second nature and you don't even think about it. Trust me! Having the host's Twitter page up can help in case the feed is coming in a little slow you might be able to jump the gun and answer the question before anyone else at the party. There are some parties that reward the first correct answer. Again- keep an eye out for the rules and guidelines.
For Tweetgrid that is pretty much it. Remember to give yourself enough time to get your grid set up. Login and get your hashtag entered. Make sure you have the hash tag and hosts names entered correctly, nothing like being a party and not realizing your hash tag has been wrong the whole time! Epic Fail! =( Sometimes someone will point it out to you if they are nice. If not you are on your own. Don't be at everyone's mercy double check your grid before the mayhem begins.
Remember:
1- First & foremost RSVP! You never know if there will be a special prize for RSVPing.
2-Set up your Tweetgrid ahead of time. Double check your spelling!
3-Make sure you are following the Host (Most important) the Brand (ie.@clorox) and the panelists.
4-Keep the host's Twitter page open and check when you see updates!
5-Follow along and happy partying!!
6-Make friends with fellow party goers!! I believe in networking!
If you have any questions please comment below! I'm here for you! and I hope you win too!!
Still Skeptical? Start Partying, Keep Tweeting & You'll be WINNING soon enough!
I saw your questions on the UBP page and then came here to find a solution to my twitter confusion! Thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteAs to your questions on the Ultimate Blog Party:
1. No monetary donation is necessary. That is only for businesses that want to offer prizes to participants. UBP is FREE!
2. Yes, you can list your blog to a linky without a prize.
3. Anyone can join at anytime!
Hope that helps!
Anna @mydebtfreeroad