About

A Brief Introduction to Editorchat

WHAT: Editorchat — or #editorchat, as we often refer to it — is a place for professional writers and editors to connect and discuss the issues impacting our work. Think of it as the world’s cheapest real-time writers conference. If you are or work with an editor, you are welcome to participate in Editorchat.

WHO: The chat was co-created by freelance writers Tim Beyers and Lydia Dishman in February of 2009, and then moved to FriendFeed later in the year when Twitter suffered stability problems. (Though you can still find and follow the #editorchat thread on Twitter.) In the short time the chat has been live, our guests have included former BusinessWeek Executive Editor John A. Byrne, and The Wall Street Journal’s Julia Angwin. Our regulars are some of the publishing industry’s best and brightest.

WHEN: Editorchat is live on FriendFeed from 8:30-10 pm EST on Wednesdays.

WHERE: Look at the right side of your screen. Click “View Editorchat’s FriendFeed” and you’ll be transported to the chat. Better still, you can join FriendFeed and then subscribe to the Editorchat feed and never miss a post.

WHY: The publishing business is changing with unprecedented speed, forcing writers and editors to handle more work than ever before. Editorchat is a place for us to discuss how to help each other. (Because if we don’t, who will?)

HOW: To participate, log in to FriendFeed and respond to the questions that interest you using the “comment” button. On Twitter, anytime you write a note or post a link and add the hashtag “#editorchat,” you’ll be adding to the conversation there. Easy, right?