As I mentioned in the Design Den announcement post here, I was creating a Facebook group for newsletter & Design Den subscribers. After much deliberation with myself I decided on Coffee & Creatives (since it's quite obvious I have to include coffee in everything, but hey can you blame me?)

This is a closed group for female creatives passionate about their businesses. I like to think of this group as a coffee house atmosphere where you go with your girlfriends and chat about all things creativity and biz!

As a part of this group you will be the first to know about new designs to the shop, network with other like minded creatives and share resources and inspiration. This is a place to support fellow girl bosses!

Here is a layout of daily posts:

Make It Work Monday (questions, struggles)

Tip Tuesday (share advice & tips)

Wisdom Wednesday (quotes, inspiration)

Thursday (Link up and introduce yourselves)

Follow Friday (businesses you have been loving, link to any of your social media)

Small Biz Saturday (share your content, news, updates)

To join this group sign up here: eepurl.com/bfTLmT

I would love to have you be a part of this so come on over and join the Coffee & Creatives Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/coffeeandcreatives/

Twitter chats are one of my favorite ways to network with other bloggers, entrepreneurs, millennials and like-minded individuals. Here are two big reasons to take part in these wonderful online chats.

Network, network & you guessed it network..Chatting with others gives you the opportunity to share who you are, what you do and why you do it. Putting a face and substance to a business is huge in the online world. Networking allows you to build relationships with people in your field or any field for that matter. The opportunities are endless! It helps give your business a presence in the online world which in turn gets your business and name out there so people know it 1. exists and 2. provides value. By chatting, following and connecting with others you are growing your community and building rapport with your audience.

Learning new things..I can't even tell you how much I have learned through Twitter chats. Whether it was a helpful tip, an amazing new tool to use or just a good business practice. These chats are a great place to ask questions and get quick answers. No matter what kind of blogger you are or what business you have you are sure to find a Twitter chat that fits you perfectly!

Some of my favorite chats include...

#blisschat @ Thursdays 8pm EST

#millennialtalk @ Tuesday 8pm EST

#fireworkpeople @ Tuesday 9pm EST

Some helpful hints:

Introduce yourself...This is great to do at the very beginning of the chat especially if you are in a new chat. I usually say my name, where I am from and add something fun!

Be friendly...These chats are for inspiring you and bringing you helpful information. Be courteous to other tweeters, if you don't agree with someones tweet ignore it and move on, it's not worth it to fight. Twitter is a public space where EVERYONE can see your words.

Engage with people...you will not get anything out of a chat unless you engage! Talk to people, ask questions, answer questions, give your opinion, and try to provide value to others.

Don't be a spammer...Do not tell everyone to go read your blog or buy your product every other tweet. It's annoying and people will not engage with you. What you can do is give your website out to people who specifically ask for it. I also say something along the lines of "Loved chatting with you all, come say hi over on www.calijae.com leave your links! xo" ONLY at the end of a chat and ONCE. This allows people you have engaged with to visit your website and give you a chance to check out new blogs!

What Twitter chats do you take part in that you love? What are some of your tips?