Twitter Hashtags

What are hashtags?

Hashtags are a way for Twitter users to group tweets associated with a specific topic.

Hashtags bring some order to a user’s published updates and make it easier to follow a topic of interest.

While you can use Twitter’s search function to find other people and messages, the hashtag allows users to sort topics into useful categories to revisit later.

If you have spent any time on Twitter you have probably seen a hashtag before. They are a “#” symbol.

hashtags.org‘s official description of them are,

Hashtags are a community-driven convention for adding additional context and metadata to your tweets. They’re like tags on Flickr, only added inline to your post. You create a hashtag simply by prefixing a word with a hash symbol: #hashtag

How to use Hashtags:

To create a hashtag simply add a hash symbol (#) to the front of an appropriate keyword as you write your Twitter update,

By hashtagging the word golf, this enables better indexing of all conversations relating to that particular tag.

Using Twitter Search to find Hashtags:

There are two ways to find hashtags.

The first way, is in the search field on your Twitter homepage, enter the search word and add the # hash symbol in front of it,

The search will return real-time results that have also been hashtagged,

The second way, is to use Twitter’s advanced search.

In the Words section, there is a field This hashtag.. the advanced search also allows you to specify dates to narrow your hashtag search results,

Where can I track hashtags?

hashtags.org is a great place to track hashtags and the current hashtag trends.

Suggestions and tips:

Generally, a hashtag is a great way to increase your Tweet visibility.  However they should only be used if your Tweet adds value to the topic so don’t insert # sign before each word.

Hashtag etiquette is still evolving, so let good social manners be your guide. It is a rare “tweet” that deserves a hashtag, so tag only those updates that you feel will add significant value to the conversation. One hashtag is best — two are permissible — but three hashtags seem to be the absolute maximum, and risk raising the ire of the community. Tag sparingly, and with careful discretion.

Less is more.

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