Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/579895
42 PalletCentral • September-October 2015 palletcentral.com here is no secret here: the more you engage, the more value you receive. However when the crowd gets bigger, like the kind you find in the wood packaging industry, it can be more challenging to engage, speak-up or offer advice. Now imagine sitting in the coffee shop with just a few of your business colleagues or customers, and scratching ideas on a napkin. Engagement comes a lot easier because it feels like you're chatting with your best friends and sharing ideas and opinions based on experience. This is the latest experiment at NWPCA, bringing together groups of CEOs, plant managers, supervisors and packaging design professionals, from small to large companies, to sit down for that proverbial cup of coffee. These are just two more ways that NWPCA is stirring up the engagement and serving up more value: Twitter #PalletChat and Blogs. #PalletChat If you're not familiar with Twitter chats, sometimes known as Tweet Chats, they occur when a group of people tweet about the same topic using a specific tag, known as a hashtag (#) that allows the conversation to be followed online. The chats take place at a specific time and topics are defined in advance. For NWPCA's Tweet Chats, we'll use the hashtag #PalletChat, and have scheduled the first Wednesday in each month from 1:00- 2:00pm EST for talking about the pallet and container business. So sit down in your favorite coffee spot and join in the chat. You only need a Twitter account to chat. Visit twitter.com and view a chat as it is happening. Sip your coffee and watch the chatter then add a comment or two. Although rather informal, there are a few things to know in advance. Go to twitter.com and type in "#PalletChat" in the search bar where you'll see a list of every tweet that uses the hashtag, with the most recent tweets at the top. The Pallet Twitter Chats typically last for 60 minutes. A moderator will start the chat to introduce the topic and conclude the session. Please know #PalletChat etiquette in advance; a few important areas are covered below: • No prices: In compliance with U.S. Anti-Trust Laws, please keep your tweet to the topic at hand without discussion of prices as outlined in NWPCA's Statement of Compliance with Anti- Trust Laws, which is available online. This practice will be strictly enforced and violators may be blocked from future participation. • Stay on topic. When you join a chat, be aware of topics being discussed. If you ask a guest or moderator a question, stay on topic. Please don't use the hashtag unless your tweet is on topic. • Understand Spam: Posting a link about the topic at hand may be okay, but do not continuously post the same link, or repeating the same comment. T Sharing Best Practices… Why #PalletChat? Why Blogs?