The Mystery Of Twitter Hashtags
If you are new to Twitter, and wonder what the funny looking symbol (#) means or have seen strange phrases and comments appear with the “hashtag” annotation in your stream. You may have asked yourself what does this really mean? or Why are there so many people tagging there tweets with this foreign syntax?
On Twitter, the hash symbol is a way of tagging, or grouping, a specific topic. Words appearing with the hash symbol in front of it (ie. #twittertips) will show up in an RSS feed with all other comments so tagged by other Twitter users. As an example, the following comment might appear in the Twitter stream:
“I’m very happy with Peter Doyle’s #photography service.”
This comment is then grouped with others sporting the tag of “#photography” and becomes tagged to use Twitter’s own search function. In the search box, type “#photography” and every comment with that tag will show up in a separate Twitter stream. This is quite useful if you’re looking for information regarding a specific topic, and it’s a good way to find people with similar hobbies, jobs, or interests. (hint, hint)
The Twitter hashtag function is also a good way to keep in touch with a specific group of people, and writer’s groups have really put this to good use by using the hashtag as a way of staying constant contact. Many groups have sprung up around this little symbol, such as #flashfriday, where authors pen a fiction story every Friday and share the link, or #writechat where writers meet virtually and discuss the craft. Groups of all different interests have found innovative ways to use this Twitter function to meet virtually and exchange information.
Of course, as with any Twitter user created innovation, there are some that use and overuse this helpful Twitter tip, so it’s important to keep in mind that not all Tweets deserve a hashtag, nor should they receive one.
e.g.
#I #just #brushed #my #teeth #with #toothpaste #it #makes #me #happy
#why #have #people #stopped #retweeting #me, #this #is #not #cool #I #feel #like #an #epic #fail
If you use too many, people will start to ignore your Tweets and you run the danger of clogging the Tweet stream of the hashtag topic with unnecessary or irrelevant content, instead of adding value or information.
However, one of the best things about Twitter is it has a sense of humor. Check out #bobearday for some chuckles. Hashtag.org offers a directory of hashtags and explains what each of them means, and of course, you can always use the Twitter search function to find what interests you.
Hashtag Meme-ing On Twitter
Several “memes” have popped up on specific days of the week, making each day not just informative, but fun. Participating can not only link you up with interesting people, but help you to introduce yourself – as well.
The Twitter meme phenomenon started with #followfriday, where every Friday Tweeters listed people they felt were worth following, accompanied by the #followfriday hashtag, to alert others on Twitter about follow-worthy fellow Tweeters. It was a resounding success, and the meme phenomenon spread to other days of the week. New memes pop up frequently on Twitter, and the interaction is invaluable if you’re endeavoring to build up a Twitter presence to beef up your social media profile for either business or personal reasons.
Listed here are some of the more popular Twitter memes and the day of the week on which they fall. Participation is not mandatory, but again, it personalizes your social media profile and may highlight people you’d like to follow and vice-versa.
#sinnersunday: Where you confess what you did instead of going to church to others on Twitter who have done the same. It should be noted that this was once named #sinsunday and its use has dramatically tapered off in the last few weeks.
#musicmonday: People post on Twitter to what music they are currently listening, and some people link up their favorite online music program such as blip.fm or Grooveshark. Both services provide a direct link to a favorite song.
#twittertuesday: In case you missed Friday’s edition, here is a chance to promote your current Twitter favorite for the benefit of all your followers.
#wonderfulwednesday: A day to celebrate the middle of the week. What is making your Wednesday wonderful? Tweeters everywhere want to know.
#thankfulthursday: This is the day to thank your mom, your dog, but most especially the fellow Tweeters that make Twitter what it is to you. There is no trophy or award, but it’s nice to say thanks (and to hear it, too!)
#followfriday: On Friday’s you can give a shout out with this tag to show your fellow twitter users who you feel is worthy of a follow. This is in no way an all inclusive list. It should be noted that some twitter users are against using this tag, because they feel it clogs up their stream.
#caturday: A combination of cats and Saturday, this is a day to celebrate your feline friends and share them with your Twitter friends.
Participation is fun, and you don’t have to make an all-day project of it, but a few related Tweets during the course of the designated day can have a two-fold benefit; they allow you to get to know your followers better, and by the same token, they get to know you better.
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I really enjoyed this article, I have been using hashtags in the past but had no idea about all of these weekly twitter tags. I think adding the’ #bobthebear’ tag was a nice touch.
Thank you Mark, your input is greatly appreciated.
Great article and thanks for the shout out….I only found out about the twitter search via one of Gary Vaynerchuk vids so thumbs up for getting the info out there and helping the newbies who are coming in be more proficient.
Np, thanks for stopping by, have a Great New Year!
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Interesting post that you have. I came across a new one the other day. They look open , but very similar to linkedin.com with more of a social business directory look and feel. Nice easy interface though. Found it at SocialTerrain.com
Hashtags: a way to organize tweets and find others http://bit.ly/6mp30R find list at http://hashtags.org/ #usfprofdev #usfpool #twitter