| #AgChat FAQ's |
What is #AgChat?
#AgChat is a weekly moderated conversation on Twitter for people in the business of raising food, feed, fuel, fiber. It is a virtual venue for participants on Twitter to share viewpoints and ideas about the issues impacting agriculture, such as mainstream media coverage, sustainability, communications, agronomy, animal welfare USDA programs and perceptions of farming.
What’s its purpose?
Create an ongoing, open dialogue among the various players interested in agriculture.
How did #AgChat get started?
Michele Payn-Knoper, principal of Cause Matters Corp., Lebanon, Ind., founded #AgChat in April 2009 as a part of her work to build stronger connections between the farm gate and consumer plate. #AgChat originated on the microblogging site, Twitter. Fast growth and pundit participation led Payn-Knoper to invite an advisory board of diverse geographical representation from across agriculture sectors.
The volunteer advisors include Katherine Swift (@cowartandmore) , veterinarian, Florida, Ray Prock (@raylindairy), dairyman, California; Chuck Zimmerman (@agriblogger), ZimmComm, Missouri; Andy Kleinschmidt (@akleinschmidt), Extension agronomist, Ohio; Shaun Haney (@shaunhaney), farmer, Canada; Nick Weber (@n_web), Monsanto, Missouri; Tricia Braid Terry (@agchick), Illinois Corn Growers; and Payn-Knoper(@mpaynknoper), ag speaker, Indiana. 75% of the advisors engage in some form of farming and all are passionate about agriculture.
How does #AgChat work?
#AgChat is a part of Twitter, a free social networking and microblogging service that enables users to send and read short messages known as “tweets.” Tweets are 140-character posts sent by each Twitter user to the author’s subscribers, or followers. Currently #AgChat boasts more than 2,300 followers, making it the largest online Twitter community dedicated to creating conversation around North American agricultural issues. The chat has captured the attention of mainstream media and many agriculturists using social media.
Each Tuesday, members of the #AgChat community are invited to convene online from 8-10 p.m. Eastern for a “streaming” Twitter feed. Chats begin with 15 minutes of networking, followed by 4-7 questions the community sends to the moderator in advance on the topic of the week. The chat is fast-paced, insightful and, often, colorful. The final 5 minutes is reserved for “pitching.” Participants can plug their blog, site, product or ask for feedback on a business related idea.
Who follows #AgChat?
Followers include farmers, foodies, moms, agronomists, agribusinesses, community garden supporters, equipment companies and anyone with an interest in farm and food. #AgChat attracts many followers due to “trending” on Twitter, which tracks the hash tags (#) of users sending messages.
A sister chat, known as “#FoodChat,” takes place on the third Tuesday of each month, in lieu of #AgChat, and is tailored more specifically to the interests of consumers, nutrition professionals, foodies and influencers of food choices. #FoodChat gives its followers an opportunity to "meet a farmer" or ask questions of those in agriculture.
How do I get started?
Anyone can review recent #agchat conversations at search.twitter.com. You can also log into Twitter at www.twitter.com and use the search function for #agchat, or go to the AgChat Twub http://twubs.com/agchat to be a part of the "stream" where you'll see the live conversation. Warning - it is fast-paced and thought-provoking!
| "Connect with Michele using Web 2.0 tools to follow her work" |
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Michele in action with her online
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