#Carchat Connects Auto Enthusiasts on Twitter

The ritual of gearheads gathering on a weeknight to talk shop is nothing new, but using Twitter to create a virtual drive-in is newsworthy. For the past three Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. EST, I've logged online to mostly lurk, but sometimes participate, in #carchat on Twitter. Conceived by Canadian automotive journalist and photographer, Michael Banovsky(@michaelbanovsky), #carchat is a weekly gathering to discuss anything automotive related. Banovsky explained to me how he came up with the idea for #carchat:

About a month ago, after continued drama surrounding the auto bailout, I decided to start talking about it on Twitter. Asking people to respond using the #dmstc tag, over the course of a few hours we had an incredible turnout of ideas, suggestions, and opinions.

Sensing this was a viable format for a car chat — and knowing that @prsarahevans was successful on Monday nights with #journchat, I invited people for #carchat on Wednesday nights. It's still in its infancy, but we've had world-class automotive designers, race car drivers, and industry professionals tune in for a few hours of talk. It works well because it's much more immediate than a discussion forum and less informal than a blog with comments.

I see the Internet as being a wonderful tool for connecting auto enthusiasts and shoppers with people in the industry who may be able to provide insight. Conversely, I also see the industry taking a close look at the suggestions and opinions of their customers.

Banovsky does a good job as #carchat moderator. He queues up each topic and keeps the flow of conversation lively by challenging industry pros with some thought provoking questions. Last week, the third installment of #carchat featured Jason Castriota (@insideprojectm), fellow American and lead designer at Stile Bertone, who is currently using Twitter and other social media tools to document the progress of his latest supercar creation, Inside Project M. Ariel Ferreira (@LM_Ari) and Aurelien Francois (@aurel_) were also present from Local Motors, a "next generation American car company building...consistently newer, safer, more exciting, more efficient cars bought and serviced in a more pleasurable local experience."

To join #carchat, punch in the #carchat hashtag into your favorite Twitter tool and you're ready to go. I use Tweetdeck to monitor the action, but others prefer Tweet Grid. These programs essentially do the same thing as Twitter search, but allow you to more easily engage in conversation versus just monitoring. The #carchat hashtag also enables participants to suggest relevant topics to be considered for the following Wednesday.

If you'd like to learn more, Banovsky also summarizes each #carchat on VLane.com where he's been blogging since late last year. This week's agenda hasn't been set yet, but I encourage you to start following the #carchat hashtag if you haven't done so already.