About WoodEXPO--the #Woodchat Transcript 2/1/2012

A great group of #woodchat-ers met online to talk about WoodExpo 2012, and similar shows, featuring several of the event's organizers, @elicleveland, @furnitology, @splinteredboard, and @swedishiron.  Follow WoodExpo news on twitter with @WoodExpoUS. 

 Here is a link to the transcript of the chat for February 1, 2012

If you haven't already seen the earlier post about MWA's presence at WoodExpo, read more about it here!

                                                                                                                                                   

If you're not a part of woodchat yet, get yourself a twitter account and join us Wed Nights (9P EST/6P Pacific Time) in Tweetchat.

A couple of notes:

• This transcript reads top to bottom chronologically, and the times shown are GMT (+5hrs from Eastern Time).  
• For those waiting for #woodchat migration to Google+, it's coming with a users guide.  Start by adding woodchat to your circles.  More to follow on that. 
• Lastly, please visit this page and add your topic suggestions by filling out the poll at the bottom in the "other" box.  The more topics we have, the better #woodchat gets!

Get Your Woodwork Chatter On #tweeetchat

Once upon a time, woodworkers gathered on Twitter to chat about woodworking. It was usually driven by a topic, with lots of great participation and sharing of ideas. It was really good. But then it stopped, and we miss it. For some, their path to becoming a better woodworker took a detour. It's time to get things back on track.

Woodchat's Future

After a lot of conversations in the last three weeks with Dale Osowski (Timberworks Studio), Dyami Plotke (Penultimate Workshop),Matt Gradwohl (UpperCut Woodworks) Vic Hubbard (Tumblewood Creations), and Tom Iovino (Tom's Workbench), we will berestarting #woodchat this Wednesday November 2nd at 6pm pacific time, that's 8 central and 9 eastern. We've got permission from the former woodchat crew and have been working behind the scenes to ensure to define how we'd like this to work best for everyone.

Lets make #woodchat like a dinner conversation among woodworking friends.

Our First Four Woodchat Principles

1. Easy for People to Get Involved

There are lots of woodworkers already on twitter, and it's easy to sign up, so continuing to use the #woodchat hashtag makes things very easy. No special download, no separate account. So we'll start on twitter but may incorporate other technology as things progress. Right now, Tweetchat is the easiest way to participate.

2. Approachable for All Skill Levels

If you're a beginner woodworker, you will be welcomed in and find people ready to help and encourage you. If you're a skilled woodworker, you'll also find encouragement and help, and be asked to share your experience and knowledge by welcoming and being helpful to new woodworkers.

3. Focused on Actual Woodworking

In the past #woodchat drifted off topic at times. We'll focus on woodworking: inspiration, design, stock prep, joinery, finishing, tool selection, shop safety, or shop layout, for the beginner, part time hobbiest or full time woodworking business. No preference towards power tools or hand tools.

4. A Team to Make it Successful

To make sure that chats happen on Wednesdays without one person carrying the workload, we're going to work together to ensure success. We all have busy schedules with our day jobs and families, but with five (or more) people committed to making this successful I'm sure we'll establish a regular rhythm.

Woodchat is Yours

Ultimately though, woodchat is ultimately driven by those who participate, so we need to know what topics you'd like to discuss, what technology you might suggest that we incorporate, what days and times work best. Let us know on Twitter or leave a comment below. See you all Wednesday night.