Twitter Party FAQ

A lot of you may be wondering, what on earth is a Twitter Party! 

Here are a couple of FAQ regarding Twitter Parties, I hope this gives you some clarity and encourages you to participate in the fun!

What is a Twitter party and how do they work? 

A Twitter Party is when a blog or company designates a certain date or time that they will be online tweeting about products, a topic, or a promotion. Twitter Parties usually have prizes that guests can win if they are present at the party! The party's host will designate a hashtag for you to tweet throughout the party so that the conversation all appears under one hashtag topic. 

 What is a hashtag?

A hashtag is the number symbol! By using the number symbol prior to a certain word(s) you will group all of your tweets under that one word. This creates organization for the twitter party. There is not a space between the hashtag and the word(s), and if it is multiple words in a hashtag, you do not want to space them. Example: #SpringtimeSoiree, #ClothDiaper, #Family

What is a Twitter Handle?

A twitter handle is your twitter username with the @ (at) symbol in front of it. By placing the @ (at) symbol in front of a username it allows you to tag someone, or have someone tag you. By tagging, this alerts the person that you are speaking to them, or vice versa.

How Do I Know What My Twitter Handle Is?

The easiest way to find your Twitter Handle (if you don't already know it) is to log onto your Twitter account and take a look at the URL when you are logged in and at your dashboard. For example, my Twitter URL is http://www.twitter.com/loveMCO

The loveMCO portion of my URL is my twitter username. By placing at @ (at) symbol in front of it you are creating your Twitter Handle. Example: @loveMCO

What do I need to do to participate?

Participating in a Twitter party is the easy! The host of the Twitter party will have an Invitation page set up where you will RSVP to the party. You will need to RSVP to the party in order to be eligible to win parties. With that being said, not all Twitter Parties require you to RSVP. You will need to pay attention to each individual Twitter Parties invitation page as there may be certain rules to follow such as RSVPing, the required amount of tweets that you must have tweeted during the party, and restrictions on shipping locations.

How Will I Know Where/How to RSVP?

As I said previously, each Twitter Party is different and some may not require an RSVP at all. If you are required to RSVP in advance the host will let you know and give you a link to do so. RSVP forms may be a Rafflecopter Form, Giveaway Tools form, a "linky" where you provide your Twitter Handle and Name, and some may be a preset form that you fill out (usually Name, Email, & Twitter Handle) and then you are done. Some RSVP forms will give you multiple entries (chances to win) and others will not. It will just depend on who the host has set it up.

How Do I Keep Up With a Twitter Party?

The easiest, most efficient way to keep up with a Twitter Party is with TweetGrid. Typically a host will have a link to a TweetGrid that is set up for the party although some may not and you will have to create your own. Don't worry, TweetGrid is extremely easy and very self explanatory. If the party's host has already set up a TweetGrid for you, simply click on the link and enter in your Twitter handle on the right hand column and sign in under where it shows the tweet box. If you need to create your own TweetGrid, simply visit TweetGrid's Website and click "Party". You will then be prompted to enter in the the party's HashTag, the host(s) Twitter Handle(s), and your Twitter Handle. Once you have done that you will be redirected to the Twitter Party's Tweet Grid! 

How Do I Party with TweetGrid?

I created a sample TweetGrid for you take a look at so use this link and then toggle between pages as I explain it so that you can get a better idea of what I'm saying! When the page opens the first thing you are going to notice is that there are three columns. The first (lefthand side) column is the party. You will notice that the party's hashtag is shown above the column. Everyone who is tweeting with the party's hashtag will have their tweets show up in this first column, that includes the host(s) as well. The middle column is where everything that the host(s) tweet will show up. If the TweetGrid is premade for you it will have all of the hosts and sponsors Twitter handle's already set up for you, but if you created your own TweetGrid I highly recommend finding out every single host and sponsors Twitter handles and adding them to that center column. You will want to see what they are tweeting just in case one of them asks a prize question or RT's something important. Finally, the last (righthand side) column is your column. This is where everything that you are tweeting, or anyone who tags you in a tweet, will show up. This column is extremely important to keep an eye on, if you win or a host is tweeting to you, it's going to show up there! The last and perhaps most important thing to do on the TweetGrid is to log in. If you don't log in, you won't be able to tweet! To Log In simply click "log in" underneath the tweet box. It is going to prompt you to allow TweetGrid to access your twitter account, which you will need to do to be able to use TweetGrid. I have yet to have any issues with allowing TweetGrid to access my Twitter account!

How do I Tweet With TweetGrid?

The beauty of TweetGrid is that everything is pretty much set up for you! When you're tweeting, you won't have to enter the hashtag at all because it is automatically set up to include it in your tweet and it automatically takes off the number of characters that the hashtag is from your tweet so you are able to see when you have hit the maximum amount of characters for your tweet. If you are tweeting at a host or sponsor you will need to add their Twitter handle into your tweet to tag them. Once your tweet is ready to be sent, hit "Tweet!".

I Keep Seeing the Same Tweet Over and Over Again with the Letters RT in Front of it, What Does This Mean?

If you are seeing the same tweet time after time with the letters RT in front of it, it means that the original tweet is being "ReTweeted". If a tweet is RT'ed it means that other guests at the Twitter party liked what that person said! Feel free to RT something that you liked as well!

How Do I Know if I Win a Prize During the Party?

If you are one of the lucky winners at a Twitter party you will know because the host(s) will tag you in their winner announcement! Aside from the host tweeting that you have won, typically party-goers and sponsors RT the winner announcement to say congratulations. Keep an eye on your column (the righthand side) to see if you've been tagged as a winner!

How Do I Claim a Prize if I Win During the Party?

There are a couple of ways to claim your prize if you win at a Twitter party, most of the time the host will tell you how to claim a prize on their invitation page. The most common way to claim your prize is to DM (direct message) the party's host after you have won and await their response for further instruction. Although this is the most common way to claim a prize, some hosts may not have you claim your prize at all and in turn they will use the email address that you RSVPed with and email you with further instruction between 24 and 72 hours after the party ends. 

If I have missed anything that you may still have a question about, please do not hesitate to ask me!

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