We woodworkers love talking about woodworking – we love sharing our learned knowledge and experiences. The materials, tools and processes are common topics and there is always more to be learned. That is largely why I maintain this blog, read other blogs and participate on various forums and social media platforms.
Twitter is one of those social media platforms on which I am active. It’s a live stream of current news, interesting links, friendly banter, and an on-demand resource. Hashtags (#) are used to post “tweets” under a heading. Some examples of hashtags I use include #woodwork, #idea, #vancouver and #badjokes. The hashtag #woodchat is used during the one-hour meeting Wednesdays at 6pm Pacific. Anyone is welcome to join in and there are no penalties for arriving late or leaving early. All you need is a Twitter account.
Matt Gradwohl of Upper Cut Woodworks wrote the following description of #woodchat which provides some more detail.
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 participants missed it. For some, their path to becoming a better woodworker had taken a detour. It was time to get things back on track.
#Woodchat’s Future
After a lot of conversations in the last three weeks with Dale Osowski (Timberwerks Studio), Dyami Plotke (Penultimate Workshop), Vic Hubbard (Tumblewood Creations), and Tom Iovino (Tom’s Workbench), we will be restarting #woodchat this Wednesday, November 2nd at 6pm Pacific time (that’s 8pm Central and 9pm Eastern). We’ve got permission from the former #woodchat crew and have been working behind the scenes to define how we’d like this to work best for everyone.
Our First Four #Woodchat Principles
1. It Should be 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. It Should be Approachable for All Skill Levels
If you’re a beginner woodworker, you will be welcomed in and will find people ready to help and encourage you. If you’re a skilled woodworker, you’ll also find encouragement and help from peers, and will be called upon to welcome new woodworkers and share your experience and knowledge with them.
3. It Should be 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. It Needs 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.
Sculptural Woodwork by Chris Wong 