Thanks to the tireless initiative of our Managing Editor Shanna Casey, Residential Lighting guest hosted its first Twitter chat a couple of weeks ago. Regularly scheduled programming for #kbtribechat each Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET, this loyal group of kitchen & bath professionals exemplifies the best of these collaborative, hour-long sessions: individuals sharing information (and a few laughs) by following the same dialogue through a common hashtag. Naturally, our guest spot centered on lighting, providing plenty of fodder for our next issue with distribution at KBIS.

Last week, the High Point Market Authority hosted a Twitter chat using its already-established show hashtag #hpmkt. A dense 60 minutes ensued that included product preview images, event invitations, blogger favorites and advice for first-timers and veterans alike.

You don’t need to join a group to participate in a chat. Just hop in at the scheduled time and follow the prescribed hashtag — easiest to do using a site like TweetChat, which automatically adds the hashtag to your posts and streams the complete conversation so you don’t miss a thing.

Twitter chats take advantage of the biggest benefit of this social media platform in particular: the ability to connect you with resources you would not otherwise have known. This has value well beyond the information you receive within the chat itself. Plus regular Twitter chat participants take care of their own, increasing one another's follows significantly.

If you’re looking for an excuse to see what it’s all about, Fanimation President Nathan Frampton is actually guest hosting #IntDesignerChat Tuesday, March 20, at 6 p.m. ET on the subject of the Millennial Approach to Interior Design. With interior designers from all over the world composing the core for this online event, it should be an enlightening session. Hope to see your handle there.