The following post originally appeared at MyTownTutors on January 7, as a guest blog. I’ve taken the liberty of re-writing myself a little bit, but please be aware I was asked to write a puff piece about #DadChat so there’s a degree of SSP – Shameless Self-Promotion. Everyone who knows me, knows how quiet and bashful I really am…
Twitter Chats have become extremely popular as I explain and extol in Blogchat: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet. That tweet chat has become a sacrosanct Sunday night appointment for me. I love it. I also respect, enjoy, and sometimes join #CMchat, #CollegeCash, #MediaChat, and #UsGuys – all well worth joining. All such chats allow you to meet great people. #DadChat has developed into a great forum with new and regulars joining us each Thursday evening. Plus, to a degree, it’s become a 24/7 forum for reaching parents vis-à-vis the #DadChat hashtag.
The #DadChat Tweet Chat premiered Wednesday evening, April 20, 2010. It has continued each Thursday, from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., PT/9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET. It’s growth has been considerable, as detailed in One-Half Billion, as in “B,” Impressions at #DadChat (the actual number upon recount was 682,000,000).
As a dad writer and radio show host, as well as an author, I continue to feel that the dad’s point-of-view is marginalized while mom bloggers, female talk-show hosts, and much of the MSM (mainstream media) dominate the subject of parenting and family issues.
The reality is it takes two to parent, ideally, and certainly two to “make” a child (barring artificial means). My view is that dads have as much to offer as moms and that motivated my initial foray into writing.
My writing has grown to include all the micro issues of family, from parenting, marriage, teens, faith, school, college, the impact of technology on our lives, and so much more.
My Social Media activity in both New and Old media is possibly broader and more diverse than any other blogger since I host a nationally syndicated radio show on AM Radio, write an internationally syndicated column (“A Dad’s Point-of-View”), created and write the Because I Said So comic strip, do the weekly I’m NOT That Dad vlog, speak at major conventions such as BlogWorld, the 140conf (New York and Los Angeles), and the Dad2.0Summit, among others, Guest blog, appear as a semi-regular on HuffPostLive, have a Twitter following exceeding 52,000 (with a 73-78 Klout and a 928 Kred), a Facebook Page that has nearly 5,000 “likes,” and have authored two books, including the e-book – a REAL e-book, The Empty-Nest Road Trip Blues: An Interactive Journal from A Dad’s Point-of-View.
The #DadChat Tweet Chat includes all the things I write and speak about as well as seasonal topics when it’s Mother’s or Father’s Day, for instance, or how to deal with the (Christmas) holidays. Occasionally we cover topics that are not especially parent-centric when we simply do MUSIC at #DadChat. Often I will reference one of the A Dad’s Point-of-View columns, as “required reading (aka “homework”)” though it is far from required or necessary to join, participate, enjoy, and learn from our chats.
#DadChat grew even more when I began inviting guests/co-hosts and the list of esteemed parents and Social Media experts that have come to #DadChat is impressive and extensive, from C.C. Chapman to Guy Kawasaki (We had 81.1 million “Impressions” that night – possibly the biggest one-hour on Twitter ever!). Not all guests/co-hosts are parents since, as mentioned earlier, our topics have ranged beyond only parent-centric material. Two of my favorite chat-hosts, Mack Collier (#blogchat) and Jessica Northey (#CMchat) have co-hosted #DadChat though both are not (yet?) parents.
But, most of all, I strive to make #DadChat fun. It is a less structured chat than many. It most certainly reflects my irreverent personality as I actually use three Twitter handles (@BruceSallan, @aDadsPov, @SuperSallan) during each #DadChat to avoid Twitter Jail!
I invite YOU to join us any Thursday from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. PT/9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET. That includes you moms, too because #DadChat is the ONLY parent chat that truly involves and thrives with both dads AND moms!
Happy New Year everyone. How about skipping that $5 Starbucks latte and splurging $2.99 (for the Kindle on Amazon) or $2.79 for the PDF of my new e-book? Enjoy my own informercial for it! This e-book is really a virtual journey. It’s filled with 100 photos, 7 original videos, and links to many of the stops on the trip. Click on the book cover image below to find your purchase options:
