What Characters Can A Hashtag Include?

A hashtag is simply a phrase or keyword that is preceded by a pound (#) symbol and used by the micro-blogging community to create a thread of conversations around a specific theme or topic.

The purpose of the hashtag is to categorize topics, bring ideas together, inspire exchange and encourage others to join in. And because the conversations under hashtags, or any other part of the social networking community for that matter, are not regulated, micro-bloggers have more freedom to express what they want.

This is why hashtag usage is very popular in the likes of Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and other social networking platforms that read hashtags. You can find a list of the most popular hashtags at certain times at Hashtags.org.

Limitations on Hashtag Characters

Length

You only need to add a # before a word to make it hashtag. However, because a Tweet is only limited to under 140 characters, the best hashtags are those composed of a single word or a few letters. Twitter experts recommend keeping the keyword under 6 characters.

Use only numbers and letters in your keyword. You may use an underscore but do this sparingly for aesthetic reasons. Hyphens and dashes will not work.

No Spaces

Hashtags do not support spaces. So if you're using two words, skip the space. For example, hashtags for following the US election are tagged as #USelection, not $US election.

No Special Characters

Hashtags only work with the # sign. Special characters like "!, $, %, ^, &, *, +, ." will not work. Twitter recognizes the pound sign and then converts the hashtag into a clickable link.

Don't Start With or Use Only Numbers

Hashtags like #123 won't work, so don't use only numbers. Similarly, #123yo doesn't work. But numbers are great for recurring events like #conference2012 or #SXSW12.

Be careful with slang

Slang words can mean different things in different countries, so be very mindful about the words you use. Effective hashtags are those that are concise, direct to the point and very relatable across cultures.

For a hashtag to serve its purpose and generate a following, don't pepper your post with more than two hashtags. Overuse is annoying and defies general social media etiquette. You don't want to be accused of being a hard seller, don't you?

• Attend Professional Blogging And Mobile Money Training This Saturday And Get Your Own Blog FREE
• Get your own premium blog like www.obeens.blogspot.com for N10,000 or www.philipobin.com for N50,000 in 24hrs. WhatsApp/Text/Call 08027196002
• 1,000 candidates wanted for immediate employment. Min of SSCE; up to N100,000 monthly salary.
• Buy instant airtime (MTN, Glo Etisalat, Airtime, Visafone) with up to 14% bonus
• Send Bulk SMS at N1.00; instant delivery, get free phone numbers to send messages to, too
• Join Club080.com - a reward programme paying members N1,000 - N40,000 daily
• Get Recharge Card Printing And Bill Payment Machine
• GloXchange.com: How to become mobile money agent and earn up to N605,750 monthly
• Join 9icefaces.com - only social network that pays you for each follower/friend
• THE SENATOR: An apt summary of the nation called Nigeria by Tai Emeka Obasi
• How to earn N10,000,000.00 from Lekki Sands - guaranteed
• Get up to 50 million Nigerian phone numbers (by states/LGs) for bulk SMS
• Want your own adverts or articles on our blog like these ones? Call 08027196002 or email ceo@potechng.com