There are several articles online that offered helpful advice. As one article suggests, it is very important to know the event's hashtag. You cannot assume what the hashtag would be. Search online to make sure you're using the correct one. Applying the hashtag to your post will insure that your thoughts are included in the main conversation. Tweeting under the hashtag can also continue after the live event has ended to further reinforce new connections and possibly create more.
As with any communication, you need to know your audience. Live-tweeting not only allows you to engage with others that are following the conversation, but also with others that are simply following you. It's also important to acknowledge others' tweets. This can be done by agreeing with them or offering your alternate view. Retweeting will help spread ideas that you particularly appreciate. Be active in the conversation, but have something to say. You should not just retweet or agree with everyone.
Some suggest posting around once every fifteen minutes to remain in the conversation. I think that this is completely relative to the length of the event itself. Creating some content in advance was also suggested by several sources. Having some posts ready to go will help you stay in the conversation while you're engaging in other ways or creating new, appropriate content in real time. You don't want to miss important information because you're too caught up in tweeting.
Using tools is also a common suggestion including those like Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, and Tweetchat. These tools can also help you by incorporating the appropriate hashtag in each of your posts by default. Another piece of advice that was new to me is to include a "." in front of an @reply if you want the reply to be seen by the whole group.
Sarah Dawley has some interesting thoughts about live tweeting:
"Twitter is where the pulse of big events lives. From breaking news about natural disasters to the finale of an epic television show, we live-tweet things so that we don’t feel like we’re experiencing them alone...Live-tweeting can help businesses raise brand awareness, increase engagement, or draw attention to an event or campaign as it happens. Whether it’s a conference you’re attending on behalf of your company or the halftime show of a major sporting event, live-tweeting requires just as much strategy and expertise as your long-term social media plans do."
She also goes on to suggest that variety is another key to successful live-tweeting. Don't just post photos. Share quotes from speakers. Post videos. Seek questions that are being asked and answer them. Tweet questions of your own to engage your audience. Retweet others. Mix it up. Tagging the media will of course help you connect with others. Even though speed is a concern, don't sacrifice quality or content.
Live-tweeting does seem to have benefits that could help spread information in real-time while building new relationships. Like Twitter itself, live-tweeting is another tool that can be used to help achieve networking and public relations goals.
Informative and well written- you really did your research.
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