Hashtags – Open Source Grouping

If you’re not using Hashtags, you’re missing out on a significant benefit from Twitter.

What Is A Hashtag?

A Hashtag is simply any word, phrase or abbreviation preceded by a pound sign (#). It’s a way to show you’re talking about a specific topic without using up too many of Twitter’s precious 140 characters.

When Should You Use a Hashtag?

1. Events. If you follow any reasonably large number of people on Twitter, it is highly likely you have seen #inaug09 in a tweet today. Not suprising, since that is the hashtag being used by most to indicate posts related to today’s U.S. Presidential Inauguration events. Tweets about many other events, such as #BlogWell or the Consumer Electronics Show (#ces) are often tagged with their relevant hashtags also.
2. Groups. Top Conservatives on Twitter (TopConservativesOnTwitter.org) is an active Twitter group with a sizable membership. Members and others who post tweets related to conservative U.S. political topics often use the #TCOT hashtag to make it easy for others to join the discussion.
3. Crowd Sourcing. Want to start a discussion and make it easy for others to join? Post a survey/suggestion/question with a hashtag. I did this a few weeks ago around a discussion of the best advertising campaigns (#BestAd). I’ve also just started one on the best SuperBowl ads using (#SbAd).

So I Have A Hashtag, Now What?

Using a hashtag by itself doesn’t do much except tell people you’re trying to speak on a specific topic. The value comes in seeing all the posts with that tag. You do that by going to http://search.twitter.com and entering the hashtag in the search box. Start now. Search for #inaug09 You’ll see the 20 most recent tweets posted using that hashtag.

The variety is amazing, but look at enough and trends will emerge also. It’s like a huge, self-organized, unmoderated focus group, and it can be fascinating and informative.

Start Your Own Hashtag

Creating your own is easy. Think up a topic you believe will catch on with your followers. Thin of a short hashtag (need to save those characters) that will make sense and possibly also catch on. Search to make sure someone else isn’t already using that hashtag for a very different topic. Repeat until you find one that works. Then post your tweet with your tag and set your search and watch the results.

How have you used hashtags?
Did I miss a valuable way to use them?
Which ones have been particularly helpful for you?
Which ones have you tried to start that didn’t get traction?
What concerns do you have about the use or nature of hashtags?
Please share your thoughts.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 4:39 pm and is filed under Twitter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.