As with the rest of this Twitter Simplified Series, this is not a detailed post on how to use the Hashtag symbol. This is a simplified explanation of what the # symbol is used for in Twitter world.
The symbol you see above is referred to as a hashtag. Some of us recognize it as a pound sign, but now we will refer to it as HASHTAG.
This little symbol causes a lot of confusion and frustration, but it doesn’t need to. We see this in Twitter posts all the time. Some of us don’t understand or understand how to read it. To read it, ignore the hashtag symbol and “READ” the word following it. Sometimes it will be a combination of words put together i.e. #mixedmedia; just read this as ‘mixed media’.
So, what does this little symbol do? Not a thing. It doesn’t actually DO anything. However, it can serve a great purpose. Quite simply, it is just a way to ‘tag’ keywords. Why do you want to use a hashtag? These hashtags make subjects (i.e. keywords) easier to search for and make posts that use hashtags come up to the top of searches. They are also a way for topics to be considered trending. Think of hashtag words as keywords, categories, or topics.
Many people just add a bunch of hashtags on the end of the post. My understanding is that good hashtag use is to find a way to incorporate it in a sentence if possible. This also helps you keep your character count manageable.
EX – I hope you are going to participate in the Christmas Love Campaign. #christmaslovecampaign #craftuplove
This would be better written as :
EX – I hope you are going to participate in the #ChristmasLoveCampaign and share some #craftuplove.
Notice that I didn’t use a lot of hashtags in the post. Good Twitter etiquette is to only use 1-3 hashtags in one post. Any more than that does become hard to read.
You can create any hashtag you want, but consider the benefit that may or may not serve you. If you want to find the best hashtags to use and connect with ones already being used, you can visit http://www.hashtags.org/. Some popular ones you will find are #FF for Friend Follow, #TGIF for Thank Goodness It’s Friday, and #sandy is real popular right now after hurricane sandy.
So, don’t be intimidated by this simple little symbol and don’t be afraid to use one. They are not required, but can add oomph to your posts’ searchability. For more information, don’t forget that Twitter has a help section too and you can click HERE to find their information on hashtags.
Happy Tweeting!
Very useful indeed, Cheryl – thanks.
Thank you, Shirley!
Very helpful info.
Thank you, Susan. I’m glad you found it helpful. Can’t wait to read your tweets using a hashtag or two.
I’m glad you liked my explanation, Dawn. It’s funny how many people have asked and want a very simple answer and not all the details of the many ways you can get the most out of hashtags. So, I figured let’s start basic and add on some skills once we are comfortable using them to begin with. 😉 And I agree, but the more we use and remind people to use 1-3, the more we will get the word out.
What a great way to explain and take the mystery out of using. Love the point of using 1-3, wish more people read that…lol