We've talked before about using the #solopr hashtag on Twitter. Now, by popular demand, we've scheduled the first #solopr Twitter chat for this Wednesday, September 2, 2009, at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

Prominent PR pros Heather Huhman (@HeatherHuhman) and Shonali Burke (@Shonali) will serve as the hosts for this first chat, which will focus on the issues facing new Solo PR Pros, especially recent graduates. Everyone is welcome, since veteran independents are needed to help answer the questions from our newest colleagues.

What's a Twitter chat?

Twitter “chats” are really just an informal gathering of people tweeting at an appointed time using the same #hashtag. You don't have to “join” anywhere, just send a tweet that includes the text #solopr, and those following along will see it.

To participate, you'll want to use something other than the Twitter Web site. My favorite tool is TweetGrid. Just enter your search term (in this case #solopr) into the gray search box, and you'll see all the tweets on that topic updated in real time (in fact, you don't even have to be a user of Twitter to watch the conversation this way). To send your tweets directly from TweetGrid, enter your username, password and the #solopr hashtag up top, and then tweet away!

For more information on Twitter chats and other tools you can use, you may want to read this post from TwitTip.

So be sure to mark you calendar to join us each week on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET. If you have any specific questions (or ideas for future chat topics), just let us know in the comments. Or, feel free to contact me on Twitter at @KellyeCrane. Looking forward to the chance to engage with you each week!