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.

Screen Shot 2013-03-22 at 7.26.54 PM

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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