Introduction
Twitter Spaces is one of the best ways for folks to educate, create dialogue, and build relationships in web3. While it may be one of the best ways, though, the platform alone has minimal features that make it accessible.
So, it's up to the hosts and community to make these spaces safer and inclusive for all people.
Create A "Show Code"
When Jessie Soleil and I learned our show, "Elevating LGBTQ2IA People in Web3", would be part of Rug Radio's first cohort of shows, we sat down to discuss our goals. What were our values, intentions, and hopes for creating the space? How would we work to make it safer than other spaces we'd experienced as queer people in web3?
See here for an example of the "Show Code" we created. Months later, we still use it and even shared it with other Rug Radio Creators as a best practice.
We start each Space by reading out these codes each week. We hold our audience accountable to them and have asked that they do the same with us. There are no surprises. And, while this creates a formality that's atypical of most Spaces, it helps to set and manage community expectations. If listeners don't like them, they have the choice to leave.
Invite Non-Verbal And Introverted Folks To Participate
The audio format of Spaces can intimidate some folks. Particularly neurodiverse (Autism, ADHD et al.), non-verbal and/or introverted. Here are a couple of practices I learned from other hosts:
- Rug Radio Creator, @LoriGraceAZ, welcomes non-verbal and introverted folks at the beginning of each show. They’re encouraged to post questions as comments in tweets promoting the Space, or folks can DM the host/co-host with their questions.
- Community Leader, @Brianaverse, offers introverted folks to DM her if they want to join the stage, without having to speak. In fact, she extended this to me in one of my first spaces. It was shocking how adding "speaker" under my name built up confidence in my ability to, eventually, speak.
Be Intentional about being Intersectional with guests and speakers
Visual representation is a simple way to help all people feel safe and included in your community. If a woman or nonbinary person joins your space and sees only men on stage, that's a clear signal they aren't welcome. The opposite is true if they jump into a room with many identities on stage.
In a space dominated by PFPs, it's difficult to determine people's identities. Thankfully, most underrepresented people share this information in their Twitter bios. Keep an eye out for pronouns, sexual orientation, country of origin, and race within the profiles of folks you're bringing up on stage.
"I only bring up the people that request. It's not my fault if they aren't requesting."
Yes, it is. If underrepresented folks aren't requesting, it's because they don't feel welcomed. Make sure they know otherwise. For example, you can:
- Reiterate that "all people are welcome" at key moments throughout your shows.
- Ask your community of listeners to keep you accountable. If they don't see a representative stage, ask that they call you out.
- Don't let one perspective dominate the conversation.
- Encourage others in the room to invite their friends from all identities.
Conclusion
Twitter Spaces is a proven channel for web3 creators to build their community and brand. This means that the same intentional effort you put into making other channels more inclusive should apply here.
These are only a couple of ways you can make your Twitter Spaces more inclusive. Things like language, timing, frequency, topic, and social norms can also all impact someone's ability to feel included.
Twitter remains one of the most powerful social media platforms. Even with that, there's still so much work to do to make sure all voices are heard and have equitable access.
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