Welcome to the first post in this feature which will be shared by Holly @ The Fox's Hideaway, Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight, Amber @ YA Indulgences, and I. I think it comes as no surprise that we have teamed up again, though this time it will be more than just a book discussion.
The important thing about this feature is that it brings up topics that are highly controversial. For that reason, I will try to remain as neutral as possible. These posts are not aimed to cause offense or target anyone. Instead they are observations as a whole of the book blogging community. And more importantly, the reason for these posts (for me at least) is to see what YOUR thoughts are on the topic at hand. Because I am interested.
Also, please don't be afraid to comment or discuss your thoughts. There's no right or wrong answer to anything I've discussed, and of course you do not have to agree with me on anything. The only thing I do ask is that you don't mention any names or the such. And if you do have a problem with anything I've said, feel free to DM me. Though just remember that I am allowed to state my own thoughts.
And with that said, let's do this!
Twitter Chats
The number of Twitter Chats popping up recently
The increasing number of chats appearing on Twitter is allowing for more bloggers and authors to communicate with other bloggers. And because of this, there have been many more conversations then there used to be. Authors can use chats to spread word of their books, and bloggers can use them to share their blog, especially bloggers who are shyer than others. There is no doubt that Twitter chats have led to more conversation in the blogosphere.
There are a lot of chats, many of them having the same theme as others. There will be at least one chat going on every day, and sometimes it clogs up the Twitter feed.
Another reason on why I wanted to talk about this is also the topic of plagiarism. Ideas being plagiarized seems to be pretty taboo in the blogosphere. Does this also apply to these chats? Is this even considered plagiarism? Or are Twitter chats too abstract and common of an idea to even be considered original anymore? (In other words, should Twitter chats be considered an original idea).
- Is hosting a Twitter chat the new "thing" to do as a blogger?
- Do you view similar Twitter chats as repetitive?
- Does it count as plagiarism? Or is it too hard to say or to prove? (Or is it just not an original thing in the first place)
- What do you think of Twitter chats as a whole?
Logging you in...
shannonmiz 83p · 495 weeks ago
I don't dislike Twitter chats. In fact, I LOVE them, sometimes. Like #RQWN, which I have done since Nori started it months ago. And special event chats! Those are awesome. Even regularly scheduled chats for a "thing" are fine (for example: a debut authors chat, a diversity chat, etc). I guess here is where my problem lies: Say you and I make up a chat. Maybe it's called #TBTAVAS (The Best Things About Val and Shannon, of course). And we host it from time to time, and it gets popular. Then, one day, someone else starts an eerily similar chat. #TBTAAAH (Amber and Holly, trying to steal our thunder, obviously). So, it's kind of... weird. And then within the next few weeks, there are basically 30 chats all about the SAME. EXACT. THING. Oh, and of course, they're in the same COMMUNITY. It doesn't even make sense.
Because what will happen is NOT that those other chats will get popular. No, instead, they'll have saturated the market and absolutely NO ONE will want to hear ANY of the best things about anyone. And that's what gets me about it. Because yeah, the idea was kind of taken advantage of (and a lot of times, without credit to its originator), but that isn't the worst part. It's that the whole IDEA of it loses value because it's everywhere.
Love this post, Val! As you know :D
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vanejirona 27p · 495 weeks ago
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pagesunbound 39p · 495 weeks ago
That said, I do think it's seen as a great way to connect--but also to market your blog--and I would be unsurprised if people do view it as one of the new "must do" things to become a "Big Blogger."
I think plagiarism is hard to pin down. Asking pretty generic questions about books and what you're reading next are common ideas that are likely to occur to a lot of people independently. I doubt anyone is intentionally stealing anything there.
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bmaraia 32p · 495 weeks ago
I'm not sure you could say a Twitter chat is plagiarized, unless it uses the exact same name as another one, but people can definitely tell when a chat is less original or the host is trying too hard.
You didn't talk about this in your post, but one thing I've been thinking about lately is the safety aspect, especially when it comes to younger participants. In some of the chats, the questions are extremely specific, and the answers are available for anyone in the world to see. I know that 90% of people on Twitter aren't predators looking for vulnerable girls/women, but there ARE people like that. My friend read a book recently where a man stalked a woman via the Internet and then used that information to get close to her. When I heard the description, I immediately thought of Twitter chats. I don't think we should be paranoid, but I do think we should be aware of the kind of information we're sharing with the world. I always wonder if the parents of teenagers know the kinds of things their kids talk about on such a public and visible platform.
Great post, Val, I'm so glad you brought up this topic!
thereadingpetal 14p · 495 weeks ago
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aperfectioncalledbooks 76p · 495 weeks ago
Is hosting a Twitter chat the new "thing" to do as a blogger?
Yes, I have noticed this! I feel like it shouldn't be THE thing to do though... It's great that it connects readers with other readers, but some chats are so poorly done they shouldn't have happened....
Do you view similar Twitter chats as repetitive?
YES. There are so many random chats modeled after RQWN, it's insane....
Does it count as plagiarism? Or is it too hard to say or to prove? (Or is it just not an original thing in the first place)
It is too hard to prove, but I'd say yes in some instances like hosting a "random" chat at random times. RQWN was the first, and now so many random chats have popped up. Also another theme I've noticed is linking blog events with Twitter chats. I did this for my 2015 debut blog event Meet the Newbies back in April, and now I'm seeing more and more Twitter chat-linked blog events. Also through MTN and FAC16 I've now seen lots more people incorporated debut authors into their chats. I'm thrilled that the authors are getting the attention, but at the same time I feel like some of it stemmed from my original idea of incorporating them into Twitter chats...
What do you think of Twitter chats as a whole?
I like the concept of a twitter chat, but I hate how there are SO MANY happening now. It clogs my feed and feels like the same thing over and over again. It depends on the topic, people, and questions.
Nice post! <3
Cait @ Paper Fury 124p · 495 weeks ago
mishmanixon 63p · 495 weeks ago
I only participate in specific twitter chats these days. #RQWN, because, Nori's questions are always random and different during each chat. And I feel like most of the random twitter chats these days are copying her. And if I am following an event, I'll take part in the corresponding twitter chat - but then, only if it's interesting and different. For example, I like taking part in the #PTAChat, because Penguin Teen Australia hosts it and I get a lot of information from it. Rachel's #FAC16 because I want to get introduced to new authors.
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Sam @ HBT · 495 weeks ago
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Emily · 495 weeks ago
I am hardly ever on twitter and when I am on twitter, I am usually in creep mode (please don't judge me lol).
Since I am so out of the loop, I usually see tiny bits of twitter chats and feel left out, but that is totally my own fault.
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oreohmygosh 57p · 494 weeks ago
Sometimes they do seem repetitive though, so I wish there was a little more originality, but I wouldn't call it plagiarism. How many spin-offs of In My Mailbox meme have we seen?
Faye la Patata · 494 weeks ago
Ahem, anyway, back to the questions...
Is hosting a Twitter chat the new "thing" to do as a blogger?
--->>> I'm not sure if this is a new thing to do as a blogger, but they've been around for some time now, and I've always viewed them as a great way to start a discussion with many people on Twitter where others can also join in and chip in if they want to. It has made chatting about themes, books, and issues more accessible. Remember our #WayOfKingsReadAlong chat, Val? WEREN'T THOSE THE FUN TIMES? But it really does seem that lately more and more people want to host Twitter chats and that's a good thing! Hopefully, that would build their confidence in talking to people and hosting "events", cyber or no.
Do you view similar Twitter chats as repetitive?
------> And this is where I draw a line. While chats and hosting them are great ways to meet authors and boost one's self-esteem, I would prefer them to be more original? I definitely see it as repetitive if the chat toda was the same as the 3 chats that happened earlier that day. Whether or not it is a good thing is subjective, but le'ts just say that I prefer chats nowadays to be more "specific". Since the rise of #RQWN, there has been similar chats popping up that are the same in essence. It personally made me feel tired because the questions were just the same, so now I prefer Twitter Chats to have a specific theme or topic so that it doesn't feel like we're rehashing the same questions over and over again and that deeper discussion can take place.
Does it count as plagiarism? Or is it too hard to say or to prove? (Or is it just not an original thing in the first place)
------> No, I don't think it counts as plagiarism. Before the rise of these bookish chats, there already have been many Twitter chats that happened before. It's not a "new" thing in the grander scheme of things. If you mean stealing a chat idea (random bookish chat!) with almost similar hashtags, then that can be questioned, but it would still be a weak case. Otherwise, I don't think it would be fair to call chats plagiarism when that is what Twitter is supposed to be anyway, when that is one of Twitter's original uses and functions.
What do you think of Twitter chats as a whole?
----> AWESOME! I love Twitter chats, especially if they're about specific things or they're a part of an event or something like that. People of common interest gather together and fun stuff happens :D
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jeannius88 122p · 494 weeks ago
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bookaddictsguide 51p · 494 weeks ago
I do think that since so many other businesses/communities use Twitter chats that it's not really an "ownership" type thing. I suppose it depends if it was a certain topic and then someone else snuck in on the same thing but I think in general, if you want to do a chat, go for it!
I use Tweetdeck so I tend to mute a hashtag if it's clogging up my feed :D But I know not everyone uses Tweetdeck and they can't all do that.
We used to host a Twitter chat (before life got in the way) with On the Same Page (#otspchat, formerly #LitLush when we were Literary Lushes and ended up changing our group name) and it was a BLAST! I try to participate when I get in Twitter chats because I think they're a ton of fun. I didn't even know they were controversial!
I like that they bring the community together to talk for fun reasons instead of jumping on a drama situation BUT I can see why it's getting to be a bit much. I think there should be a specific purpose and if you know someone who hosts a general bookish chat, jump on it instead of creating your own :D
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