#genchat – Genealogy on Twitter

Most genealogists, hobbyists or professionals, use Facebook genealogy groups to connect but don’t overlook that your tribe also hangs out on Twitter.

Jen Baldwin, @ancestryjourney, Data Acquisition Manager for the US at FindMyPast.com, is the founder and host of #genchat.

#Genchat is a genealogy chat session on Twitter held every other Friday at 8 pm MST. Follow them on Twitter at @_genchat and visit the genchat website for more background on this chat group and a 2017 calendar of topics.

The best thing about #genchat is you don’t have to be a pro to join the conversation. I’m a total hobbyist and I always learn something. You can jump in and out of the conversation as your personal schedule allows or just lurk by following the hashtag.

My favorite ways to participate are either on Tweetdeck, by adding a search window for the hashtag #genchat or on tchat.io by following the hashtag #genchat. On both sites, you’ll login with your Twitter account, allowing the app the ability to use your Twitter account and then with either site, you can post, like, or retweet comments. You can also participate in #genchat on Twitter (instead of a partnering site like Tweetdeck or tchat.io) but you’ll have non-genchat items popping up in your feed and distracting you and you might miss parts of the conversation.

And while you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow Kale Liam Hobbes, @leprchaunrabbit, coordinator and pre-chat host, aka the #genchat bartender, and genealogist and blogger at Rock of Ages: Grave Concerns and Your Roots Are Showing Dearie!  He will send pre-event reminders/invitations to join in for #genchat if you tweet him at @leprchaunrabbit and ask to be added to the “Forget-Me-Not-Lists” (reminders are sent 12 hours, 2 hours, and 1 hour before #genchat).

If you’re not already on Twitter or need help figuring it out, check out my YouTube tutorial. (No need to comment and tell me how boring it is, my 10-year-old already has. ???? )

P.S. Just one piece of advice, when the moderator posts a question they’ll say “Q1” then the question and to make the conversation easier to follow it helps if you post “A1” before your response (answer, hence the A). Sometimes you come in late and are still on A1 while others are on A3 and that’s fine!

Hope you join us! #genchat