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<h4><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/journaccel" target="_blank">Join us on Twitter!</a></h4>
<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/seajournalism" target="_blank"> Seattle Journalism Commons </a> will host its next Tweetup on July 20, 2011.

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The Journalism Accelerator crew has teamed up with <a href="http://journalismthatmatters.org/seattlejournalismcommons/" target="_blank">Seattle Journalism Commons</a> to execute a series of Tweetups, beginning with a short practice run that happened on June 15. An initiative of <a href="http://journalismthatmatters.org/" target="_blank">Journalism that Matters</a>, Seattle Journalism Commons connects people and ideas in the Puget Sound area to encourage journalists and the public to engage in local news and information.

Launching or attending a Tweetup (also called a Twitter Party) is a great way to further engage your audience and gain exposure on <a href="http://twitter.com/" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.
<blockquote>The decision to organize a Tweetup made perfect sense. Most people are on Twitter and it has a tremendous amplification effect built right into it.
- <a href="http://www.journalismaccelerator.com/members/caggiano/">Jacob Caggiano</a>, Seattle Journalism Commons</blockquote>
<h4>What is a Tweetup and how can you join one or start one of your own?</h4>
Simply put, a Tweetup is a set time and day when a group of people on Twitter are online to discuss a particular topic. One main group moderates the Tweetup by posting rules, promotional tweets and questions during the event, while participants tweet responses and follow other participants.

If you are considering holding a Tweetup of your own, it's a good idea to have a team of people on Twitter during the event to field and respond to questions. Remember that practice makes perfect; the best way to learn how to do a Tweetup is to participate in Tweetups that are already established (see list below).

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<h4>Here are some tips on how to make your own Tweetup the most successful.</h4>
<strong>Prepare in advance for the Tweetup:</strong>
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	<li>Set a date and time</li>
	<li>Choose a topic: something that you will focus your questions and conversation around</li>
	<li>Choose a hashtag: pick one that isn't commonly used already</li>
	<li>Select questions to ask: prepare 4-5 that relate to your topic</li>
	<li>Write a blog post: offer a landing page with information about how someone can attend</li>
	<li>Prepare canned Tweets and a timeline: schedule your Tweets in CoTweet based on a timeline of how you want the event to go</li>
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<strong>Reach out to people you know to see if they will attend:</strong>
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	<li>Attendees: send invites to people you know</li>
	<li>Panelists: people who are experts and familiar with Twitter</li>
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<strong>Use third party applications to help Tweeters follow the conversation:</strong>
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	<li>Create <a href="https://bitly.com/" target="_blank">Bit.lys </a>or other shortened, trackable links</li>
	<li><a href="http://tweetgrid.com/" target="_blank">Tweet Grid</a> allows you to monitor multiple searches and share with followers</li>
	<li><a href="http://cotweet.com/" target="_blank">CoTweet</a> (or another 3rd party Twitter app) helps you view Tweets and Twitter accounts more easily</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/" target="_blank">TweetDeck</a> (or another 3rd party Twitter app) allows you to see a number of searches at once</li>
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<strong>Join other popular Tweetups to see how they manage their events:</strong>
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	<li><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23journchat" target="_blank">#JournChat</a>, every Monday at 5pm PST/8pm EST</li>
	<li><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23pubmedia" target="_blank">#pubmedia</a>, every Monday at 5pm PST/8pm EST</li>
	<li><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23wjchat" target="_blank">#WJchat</a>, every Wednesday at 5pm PST/8pm EST</li>
	<li><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23mybxb" target="_blank">#mybxb</a> every Monday at 5pm PST/8pm EST</li>
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The next Seattle Journalism Commons Tweetup is scheduled for July 20th at 6pm and we encourage the JA community to participate. Make sure you use the <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23SEAjournalism">#SEAjournalism</a> hashtag in all your Tweets.

As the Journalism Accelerator continues to build relationships within the journalism community, we look forward to future partnerships with Seattle Journalism Commons and other influential organizations.

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