Looking to connect and engage with other like-minded people in a meaningful way? A #SASchat might just what you’re looking for! #SASChat is SAS’ version of a Twitter chat: a live, online event that works like any get-together.

Participating in a #SASchat is a great way to:

• Engage with an online audience, including colleagues, partners and thought leaders.
• Expand your reach on social media with respect to thought leadership.
• Find new connections, who share similar interests, and are more likely to re-tweet or favorite your content (thus introducing you to their followers).

For reference, here's a schedule of upcoming #SASChat topics:

• January 4: What hot topics and new innovation are you expecting to see at #NRF2019?
• 

We invite you to take a look at previous  SAS Chats where we explored these questions:

• November 16: How will you celebrate International Fraud Awareness Week?
• November 9: Customer Data Analytics: A deep dive.Twitter Moments Recap.
• November 2: AI & Marketing? Better together. Twitter Moments Recap.
• October 26: What's the role of analytics in healthcare? Here is the Twitter Moments recap.
• October 17: What can you do to support National Cybersecurity Awareness Month? (#NCSAM)
• October 12: Can telcos get customer engagement right? Improving #CX across touch points.
• October 5: What is the Industrial Internet of Things ( #IoTSWC18)
• September 26: How are you going to celebrate Manufacturing Day! #MFGDay18
• September 21: What's the role of artificial intelligence in the banking industry?
• September 7 What are the latest skills and technologies driving innovation?
• August 31 Are you looking for your next hackathon adventure?
• August 17 How can customer experience improve with real-time customer analytics?
• August 3 How can you be part of the data for good movement?
• July 25 Can people analytics help solve HR challenges?
• June 29 How can analytics improve performance in sports?
• June 20 What happens when the analytics life cycle meets the pharmaceutical life cycle?
• June 13 How are we in this IoT thing together?
• June 8 How to solve the “People and Skills” problem
• May 25 Can GDPR trigger innovation?
• May 18 How to provide great customer service?
• May 9 How will IoT and AI drive transformation in health care and life sciences?
• May 4 Can text analytics demonstrate character evolution – special May the Fourth edition
• May 2 How will IoT and AI drive manufacturing transformation?
• April 20 Artificial intelligence and creativity: a winning partnership?
• April 13 Why do procurement integrity and fighting corruption matter?
• March 28 How much can you really learn at events?
• March 23 Why are people so worried about AI?
• March 16 Are Data Science education programs keeping pace with business needs?
• March 7 How are you inspiring the extraordinary?
• February 28 What is the right platform for an AI analytics lifecycle?
• February 23 Are you ready for an in-house innovation lab?
• February 15 Why is sports the ultimate arena for analytics?
• February 7 Is healthcare analytics keeping pace with patient expectations?
• January 31 What does IoT mean for the telecommunications ecosystem?

How to participate

Say you want to participate in a #SASchat for the first time, but you don’t know where to start. No worries, it’s  easy. All you need is a Twitter account and the hashtag #SASchat.

Step 1
Approximately 5 minutes before the chat begins, log into Twitter and type #SASchat into the search field.

Step 2
Choose the “Latest” tab, which displays recent tweets featuring #SASchat.

All Twitter chats follow a question-and-answer format where the host account asks questions, then the Twitterverse answers. Typically the host will post five to six questions over the course of the chat to structure the conversation. For us, #SASchats are hosted by a corporate SAS Twitter account like @SASsoftware.

Step 3
Under the search results, look for activity from the host account. Specifically, you want to find the start of the #SASchat where the host posts the 1st question, marked “Q1.”

Step 4
You can just observe the #SASchat or actively join in -- it's totally up to you. If you choose to reply, your response should include:

• The text “A1” for question 1, “A2” for question 2, and so on.
• #SASchat (Note:If you do not include #SASchat, your answers will not be a visible part of the conversation).
• The Twitter handle(s) to whom you are responding — this can be the host account posting questions, another #SASchat participant’s response/comment or both.
• Any other hashtags relating to the topic of the chat (e.g. #AI, #IoT, #Analytics, etc.).

Insider’s tip: Twitter chats move quickly. By the time you respond to someone it might not be clear who you were speaking to. Always include their Twitter handle at the beginning of any response (like @kristinevick). This happens automatically by clicking the reply button underneath their tweet.

Last but not least, you can always catch a recap of the #SASchat. We capture the conversations in Twitter Moments, so you never feel left out!

Have an idea for a #SASchat? Tweet me or @SASSoftware with what you'd like to explore!