I’m one of those people.

In a movie theater, I have to do everything I can to suppress my chatter. As the film unfolds, I want to talk about it. When watching t.v.—be it a football game, documentary, reality show or drama—I feel the need to add discussion to the mix, most often to my husband’s chagrin.

But apparently, I’m not alone.

Last week at the NewTeeVee conference, a Twitter executive spoke about the low-cost way for shows to incorporate “a social and community element” to watching t.v. by bringing viewers together via Twitter during a show (from PC World article). And it just might pay off: according to a study mentioned in that article, 60% of t.v. viewers surf the net while watching shows.

Through the use of a common hashtag, Twitter can unite people of similar interests and engage them in discussing the same topic. Pick a unique hashtag, and a date and a time—such as the time a new show premieres—and you have a live event viewers can participate in. By offering a Twitter party or chat that occurs while a show is in progress, you will only adds to the viewers’ experience. If someone feels they cannot participate in both, then so be it; however, for those who crave some discourse during a commercial break, the combination is a marriage made in virtual heaven.

Last week, I co-hosted a Twitter party during the airing of a PBS Documentary. The purpose was to encourage discussion about the issues that were addressed in the film. Twitter parties and live t.v. events go hand-in-hand. I’ve seen Twitter parties and chats organized for the Super Bowl, The Oscars and Emmys, MTV Music Awards, Project Runway, Comedy Central roasts, Top Chef, and even one this week for Bobby Flay’s Throwdown.

In the old days, people used to gather around the water cooler to discuss the previous night’s episode of Seinfeld. Now Twitter is the new water cooler, but instead of having to wait until you meet the gang the next day at the office, now you can log on and share comments live and in real-time. This presents a tremendous opportunity for networks and those presenting the shows: to engage people who are interested in your program and get them to chat about what they see on Twitter, thus spreading word of the discussion to their followers. You can even take it a step further and include ‘calls to action’ during the party, such as asking them to become Facebook fans or give them special offers from an advertiser.

Don’t have a t.v. show? No problem! Create your own by adding live, streaming video to your party via UStream or LiveStream (which now can stream directly to your Facebook page). Invite a guest speaker, celeb spokesperson or showcase your products via streaming feed to give your viewers something to watch while participating in the discussion.

Twitter events that coincide with t.v. programs offer the shows an even greater opportunity to connect and entice viewers and enhance viewers’ overall experience. And for people like me, I can ‘discuss’ all I want while keeping my trap shut, thus saving my marriage.

Tags: live tv show event, livestream, twitter chat, Twitter party, ustream