Honestly, I choose based on my interest level/passion and/or what I see people posting and reading on social media. The important aspect of the chat to me is the discussion itself. Whether you have a few or many people, it has been completely worth the investment.
How Do I Choose a Date and Time?
First I would decide if you would like a slow chat (post throughout the week) or weekly chat (scheduled time to discuss). The bottom line is, you will never be able to meet the needs and schedules of everyone.
What Length of Time Should I Choose?
Since it is a book discussion and there is always so much amazing material to cover, I facilitate a 60 minute chat with approximately 8 questions. It is pretty fast-paced, but so much good discussion happens! I also run mine for approximately 4 weeks.
If you chose to do a 30 minute chat, you could potentially stretch it out longer than 4 weeks to whatever you feel is appropriate.
Should you opt for a slow chat, you can determine how many times per week you will post a question, quote, etc.
How Do I Approach Authors?
It has been an absolutely amazing experience working with authors over the years. They have graciously allowed me to use their books, participate in chats when they can and support the book study by helping me with promotion. Take a risk and contact authors! You will not know if you do not try!
What hashtag (#) Will I Use?
In my experience, I have used the hashtags associated with the books I have chosen, with permission from the authors, with the exception of two titles. I created my own hashtags just for those book studies.
A suggestion might be to ask the author if you can borrow the hashtag for the book study. If not, be creative and make up your own! If you plug a # into the "search twitter" box it will let you know if it is already being used. If it is, try adding numbers or abbreviating words until you get one you like. All you have to do once you have it is start using it! Post tweets with the hashtag and you will start a feed.
How Do I Choose the Questions?
There are a few resources I have used for choosing questions. The first is to read the book and create questions based off the reading. The other is to access websites (with permission from the authors) and borrowing questions that have already been created for book studies to be used with that particular book. In one instance, I had a study guide e-mailed to me upon request.
I try to create questions that are specific to the book, but also general enough that those who have not read the book can still participate. A favorite question starter is to pull quotes that stick out to you. I also try and post the questions ahead of time so participants can prepare if they wish to.
Good luck and happy reading!
Warmly,
Teresa
