Skip to main content

What is a (#) Hashtag?

Simply put, a hashtag is an easy way for people to categorize, find and join conversations on a particular topic. The hashtag is used to highlight keywords or topics within a Tweet, and can be placed anywhere within a post. Thanks to the member-driven online information site Twitter, the lowly "pound" or "number" symbol "#" has been elevated to a new role. The hash mark, or pound symbol, (#) is now known by social media users as a "hashtag" or "hash tag". Posts that have the same keywords prefixed with the # symbol are grouped together in user searches, bringing a level of order to the frenzied chaotic world of Twitter. Twitter user Chris Messina (@chrismessina) first Tweeted with a hashtag symbol # in August 2007, as a way to define groups on the social media site. The use of the pound symbol to categorize messages and define conversations spread quickly throughout the Twitter community, and is now an integral part of this fast-paced live information network. According to Twitter, in 2011 over 10 percent of all Tweets now contain one or more hashtags. With an average of 140 million Tweets and half a million new accounts created every day, it is easy to see why users need some way of sorting through all these messages.

How Search Twitter Using Hashtags

Any Tweet posted on a public account can be searched by anyone, and posters often use hashtags to help direct searches to their posts. For example, Twitter users can elect to follow all Tweets that include the hashtag #WhiteSox to receive updates about the Chicago White Sox baseball team. Users looking for the best fuel prices can search for #cheapgas and the #osama hashtag was especially popular in May 2011. Posters can include more than one hashtag within a single Tweet, so when searching for posts users can enter multiple hashtag terms, like #NewYork #Pizza.

Creating A Hashtag

Twitter users are free to develop and use their own hashtags as long as they fall within the Twitter rules set out by the company. These rules address issues like offensive and threatening language, as well as impersonating an individual, group or business. Before deciding on a hashtag, users should do some research to see what keywords are available. It's also important to keep hashtags brief, as the words and numbers prefixed with the # symbol are included in the 140-character limit per Tweet. Hashtags should be directly related to the topic. For example, users who want to set up a group for their running group might want to use a hashtag label that includes terms that group members would recognize, like #SFBayRoadrunners. When properly used, Twitter hashtags can be a powerful social media tool for business promotion and trend tracking.

Hashtag Rules and Etiquette

According to The Twitter Rules, Twitter accounts will be deemed to be "spamming" if used to post numerous updates using a # that are unrelated to the hashtag topic or group, resulting in permanent suspension of the offending account. Because hashtags are relatively new, and the Twitter community at large generally dictates what is the norm on the site the acceptable use of hashtags is constantly evolving. The question "what is a hashtag" is an ongoing one among social media users, and the definition of a hashtag continues to evolve. Currently, it is acceptable to tag only significant posts that will contribute to the general conversation with one hashtag. Using two hashtags is acceptable, especially when one of the # tags includes an actual location, such as #SanDiego and #wildfires. According to Wikihow, using three hashtags in one Tweet is the absolute maximum, and doing so risks "raising the ire of the community."

Header Ad
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VIDEO: SAY GOODBYE TO PETROL & SWITCH YOUR GEN TO START RUNNING ON COOKING GAS

Video: Watch how to install DUAL FUEL CARBURETORS & start running your generators on cooking gas. 12.5kg of gas gives you up to 50hrs of electricity - that's about 10 days if you do 5hrs/day. Even at its current prices, gas is cheaper, safer, cleaner, greener and always available. Come see it in use before buying @ 20 Adeniran Ogunsanya Surulere Lagos or any of our branches. Free nationwide delivery or Installation available. Distributors and Installers wanted nationwide.  Next edition of our Hybrid Carburetors Installation training comes up 10am this Saturday @ 20 Adeniran Ogunsanya Surulere Lagos. The need to train and accredited installed becomes necessary, as more and more Nigerians embrace the wonderful innovation. Installers currently earn N5,000 per installation and are in high demands across Nigeria Once installed Potech Carburetors allow your generator to run on cooking gas as well as petrol, depending on what's available to you. Gas is 3
24 comments
Read More »

Nnamdi Kanu: Threading the path of extremist radicalism

By Agaju Madugba Violence and street demonstrations in parts of the south-east of the country have continued to trail the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu by operatives of the DSS in a Lagos hotel, on October 14.  Kanu is leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist movement canvassing the creation of an independent state of Biafra from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  He is also the Director of the United Kingdom-based Radio Biafra. Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, sandwiched between security operaives, leaving the court yesterday in Abuja. Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, sandwiched between security operaives, leaving the court yesterday in Abuja. Kanu's arrest and consequent prosecution may not be unconnected with what the Federal Government considers sensational and provocative comments, bordering on treasonable felony, broadcast over Radio Biafra. Currently standing trial along with some other persons at a Federal High Court, Kanu ha
Post a Comment
Read More »

Osinbajo, Gowon Preach Humility in Leadership for National Cohesion.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and former military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), as well as some serving governors have appealed to Nigerian leaders to always exhibit decorum and humility while presiding over the affairs of the people for national unity and cohesion. The prominent Nigerians said humility in governance elicits stability and removes friction between the leaders and the led for economic prosperity. They spoke in Ikere Ekiti on Friday, during the dedication and consecration of Saint Peters’ Anglican Church ultra modern auditorium donated to the Anglican Communion by a legal icon, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN). Speaking during the church service marking the dedication, Vice-President Osinbajo commended Olanipekun for dedicating his life to God through the donation. The number two man said: “David was the most favoured in the history of mankind despite not being a saint of any kind. “If you read your Bible, God described David as a man after his heart. Even w
1 comment
Read More »