#YesWeCode Twitter chat guidelines

Thanks for showing up for the #yeswecode Twitter chat, which happens every 2 weeks  at 8pm Central Time. I’m excited to talk to everyone and to have you share your experiences . I started this chat a few days before the #yeswecode hackathon in New Orleans because I was participating as a mentor (and local partner via my startup) and wanted to engage the global tech community online before the in person event.  I also wanted to hear what others had to say about what diversity in tech meant to them and how we could use social media to engage in meaningful dialogue.

Focus on solutions: By now, we’ve all heard the statistics about the lack of diversity in the tech industry. The questions we’re now asking are: What can be done about it? What’s already being done? Why is it so important? Where do we start? I know that sometimes talking about it get tiring. I know that we all want solutions, stat! This chat aims to answer some of these questions, create engaging dialogue and focus on solutions.

What “diversity in tech” means & why it’s key to innovation: When I say diversity, this is what I mean all of us. Yes, all of us. My family is Nigerian, American, Jewish, Swedish and Mexican. It means each and every one of us. It also means diverse tech skills (it’s not just about coding) and age diversity. It also means gender and sexual orientation. I do believe that your worldview is shaped by all of these things and positively impacts how you approach problem solving. And, innovation is about problem solving.

Rules:

It’s not easy to talk about race, gender, inequality, age, sexuality, etc,  and how we all feel about it. After all, being vulnerable can be very scary. It takes trust, faith and the desire to have the difficult conversations that often lead to change.  In order to do that, we need some groundrules to facilitate the conversation. Thanks for showing up!

1. Disagree without name calling.
2. Point out where ideas might fail, but also share what you think might work.
3. Critique the idea & not the person
4. Be Brave. Be Visible. Be You. Be nice! Be inspired! Enjoy this time!

Thanks for coming here to have this much needed discussion!

What is a Twitter chat?:

  • A live, real-time discussion taking place via twitter messages
  • A chat using a specific hashtag (#yeswecode)
  • Each participant can contribute to the conversation by adding comments using the hashtag #yeswecode

What to expect from #yeswecode chat:

  • an exchange of ideas exploring the digital divide & creative ideas to move forward
  • a network of people in the tech (mentors, VC’s, Tech organizations, startup founders, entrepreneurs) space who are interested in exploring topics related to diversity in tech
  • a focus on solutions and creative ways to move forward

Format:

  • I will ask a series of questions during the hour long chat.
  • The question format will look something like this: Q1: Why is diversity in tech important to you?
  • You can respond by clicking Reply or using A1(as in Answer 1) and type in the rest of your tweet, making sure you don’t forget the hashtag (#yeswecode)
  • I’ll keep the questions going during the hour, and ask each one after a round of answers have received.
  • I will retweet your posts as long as they fit the guidelines (see below)
  • you can also feel free to click “reply” to any tweets by me or other participants you want to respond to

Introducing yourself & sharing your ideas:

  • At the beginning, I’ll ask everyone to introduce themselves & their work
  • You’ll have a chance to say something like this: Example intro tweet for you & your company: We build wearable tech @(companyname) & we’re also looking to mentor tech startups #yeswecode
    • At the end of the chat, I’ll give everyone a chance to mention any upcoming events they have. For example, your tweet might look something like this: @yeswecodehack happens  Jul 3-6 @Essence #yeswecode
    • The chat will be ongoing, so if we don’t cover something you want to discuss today, let me know and I’ll see if we can fit it in during another chat.

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