Twitter Parties- don't miss out!

 I have recently found out about Twitter parties, and since they are a lot of fun and beneficial, I thought I would share the info with you! I have won prizes going to these parties, and I am all about using Twitter to my advantage! Plus, what's better than a "party" you can go to without leaving home! I can participate in these parties while still spending quality time with my daughter. Nothing wrong with learning things and winning stuff in between singing Twinkle Twinkle and changing diapers! This is just a brief overview so if you have questions, feel free to ask and I will try to elaborate! I am still a Twitter party newbie but I have learned a lot.


 What exactly is a Twitter party? It's a scheduled time where a host on Twitter moderates a "party" for an hour or two, and attendees chat, and possibly answer questions or trivia. The party host announces a hashtag (the # sign followed by a word) so that you can follow the party.

Why on earth would I sit there chatting on Twitter for an hour for no reason? Most of these Twitter parties are sponsored. Do you know what that means? PRIZES! The prizes can be little things like coupons, and range all the way up to bigger things like cash, gift cards, and even computers! And of course, you learn a lot of information about the sponsor, so if you were interested in the company sponsoring, you really learn a lot!

Is it really worth it to go to a Twitter party for a small chance at a prize?
I think it is. Some days, especially now that it is a the holiday season, there are so many Twitter parties that I have to pick and choose, and still end up trying to go to two in the same hour! It gets hectic but I do learn a lot, get to chat with people like me, and if I win something, then that's just a bonus! But since I know you are wondering, yes, I have won several (!) prizes just by going to these parties. I started in October and won 3 prizes, and I've won 6 in November. And in case you were wondering, the biggest thing I won was $100! I've also won clothes, a book, toys, gift cards, and coupons. And the odds of winning at one of these parties can be pretty good depending on the number of prizes and the number of attendees. I've been to parties where there are 40 prizes and 60 attendees- not bad odds at all when you think about it!

Do you really receive the prizes that you win?
As long as the sponsor does what they promise, then you really do get your prize. I've received all 3 that I won in October, and 1 out of the 6 so far that I won in November. But the first one I won was on 11/17, and it takes time to mail prizes out, so I am not too worried about getting all of the other ones! I have heard stories of sponsors not fulfilling prizes, but those stories are few and far between, and I haven't had any experiences like that yet.

Sounds cool! How do I get in on this?
I first heard about them from someone that I followed on Twitter who went to a lot of them. But I will tell you now, start by following @TweeParties. They list parties going on almost every day, and they have an e-mail newsletter that you can sign up for. The tweets @TweeParties sends out have a link to the party information. For most parties, you do RSVP, which usually involves commenting on a blog entry or filling out a short form with your twitter name and email address. Some other good names to follow (people who host a lot of these parties) are @ResourcefulMom, @DadsTalking, and @BarefootMomma, although there are others. Sometimes a company will hold a party on their own- @Chuggington holds a party with Chuggington prizes every Thursday.

Any tips?
1. Follow the rules. Go to the links that the party hosts provide and read the rules. Sometimes you have to RSVP. Sometimes there is a site to look at or video to watch ahead of time. Some have trivia, some are merely chats with questions about your opinions. Sometimes winners are random based on RSVPs or questions answered, while some are first correct answer. Make sure you are following the host of the party so you can see what's going on!

2. Make it easier to see. Go to a site like Tweetdeck.com or Tweetgrid.com. These sites allow you to enter in the hashtag of the party so you can easily see the tweets of the host and all of the other attendees. I usually attend parties from my iPod and so it's harder for me to see what's going on, but it's not impossible.

3. Go to the ones that interest you. Some days will have so many parties that you can't possibly go to them all, and do you really want to learn about something you don't care about or win a prize that is of no use to you? I have been known to go to 6 Twitter parties on a busy night (2 an hour for 3 hours!) but they were interesting stuff, and there were other parties that night that I didn't go to. It would have been too confusing, and some of the parties are of no interest to me. Sponsors don't really like it if the attendees don't care what's going on.

4.Be polite. Do I really need to say this? People should know this already! But I have seen a little bit of rude-itude going on- people insulting the hosts or making irrelevant comments and the like. My blog followers are nicer and smarter than that though, aren't you?

5.Ask questions. Hosts are usually very nice and easy to talk to, and will answer your questions. And if they party is going so fast that they don't see your question, usually another attendee will see it and help you out. I've seen people ask about if they need to RSVP or how winners are chosen at nearly every party I go to. Nothing wrong with asking!

Ok, it's an obscene hour of the morning when I should be sleeping, so this is just a quick beginner's guide. If you have any questions, ask away! :) Good luck, I hope you learn lots and win lots!
-duckyone.