What the “bleep” is a Hashtag??
I get asked this all the time.
It’s one of the most confusing, yet powerful things to learn about Twitter. I know, if you’re a seasoned user, you’ll think that’s ridiculous, but it you’re new to Twitter – you know what I’m talking about!
Definition: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.
Using hashtags to categorize Tweets by keyword:
People use the hashtag symbol # before a relevant keyword or phrase (no spaces) in their Tweet to categorize those Tweets and help them show more easily in Twitter Search.
Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message shows you all other Tweets marked with that keyword. This is a great tool to find people with similar interests or who are at the same events that you’re at. For example:
I was at a conference for DamesBond – a networking group for women. They created the hashtag #DamesProsper for the event. I was able to search for that hashtag in Twitter and find a lot of women who were at the same event – giving me the opportunity to connect with them and meet them in person! (see for yourself by clicking here #DamesProsper)
Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet – at the beginning, middle, or end.
Hashtagged words that become very popular are often trending topics. See the tweet below with several hashtags in it.
Example hashtags from Hashtags.org
click to see the results
U.S. Politics: #Obama2012, #RomneyRyan2012, #Mitt2012, #tcot, #gop, #tlot, #teaparty
TV/Entertainment: #dwts, #glee, #idol, #xfactor
General: #news, #love, #photography, #fashion, #health,
Business: #jobs, #business, #smallbiz, #economy, #marketing, #socialmedia, #startup
Tech: #android, #androidgames, #iphone, #iphonegames, #ipad, #ipadgames, #app
Education: #edtech, #education, #lrnchat, #teachers
Environment: #climate, #solar, #globalwarming, #drought
Social Change: #socialgood, #cause, #volunteer, #4change
Let me know if you still have any questions! I’d love to help you out.
All the best,
Kathy
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