I believe Hashtags started as a twitter thing. A Hashtag is formed when you place the pound/number sign in front of a word or a string of words without spaces. Here is an example of a Hashtag, #HashtagExample. The purpose of creating the Hashtag on twitter is to make a word or phrase easily searchable. When you are on twitter and click on a Hashtag other tweets using that same Hashtag will com up. This is what it looks like.
The Hashtag in this example is #ChasingJoy
The best thing about Hashtags is how they facilitate conversations on twitter. Twitter only allows you to use 140 characters or less to communicate via tweet. Between the limit on characters and how quickly your twitter stream can flow, with everyone's tweets popping up, conversations can be quite challenging. Hashtags help with that. By allowing you to see all that is being said using the Hashtag. You can even see tweets from people who you are not following. Using Hashtags to have a conversation gave rise to the twitter chat.A twitter chat is when people have a conversation using a specific Hashtag at a scheduled time. For example the twitter chat using the Hashtag #ChasingJoy takes place the 1st Sunday of every month at 4pm EST. Other twitter chats may take place weekly or may occur only once at a special appointed time. There are apps like tweetchat.com, tweetdeck.com and hootsuite.com (I use tweetchat) that you can use by signing in via twitter to attend a tweetchat. To me the biggest benefit of using an app instead of twitter directly for a tweet chat is that the Hashtag is automatically applied to the end of your tweet so you don't have to remember to add it.
Very often a Hashtag will be created in association with a real life (not-virtual or online) event. Creating a Hashtag allows people looking for info about your event to very quickly see all of the tweets related to the event. Using a Hashtag during an event allows event attendees to connect online by see who else is tweeting about the event. It allows event attendees to connect with event sponsors and vice-versa. Using the Hashtag during the event also allows those who are unable to attend to participate in the online conversation as things are happening at the event.
Due to the popularity of twitter, and all things twitter related, the use of the Hashtag has spilled over into other social media sites and communications tools. I personally have used Hashtags on Facebook. I have received text and emails (from friends, not business related) with Hashtags. These Hashtags do not have a search capability as they would on twitter. In these cases they are used as a way to emphasize a word or statement.
#HashtagsAreSoCool!!!
Now I'm sure there is much more to know about Hashtags but that is that all I know :-) I hope you are ready to try out your Hashtag skills. If so, you will have a great opportunity tonight. Join myself Janeane Davis and Melisa Lopez tonight Monday April 15th for the #CJBL twitter chat. The #CJBL twitter chat is a sneak peak at the conversation that will be happening in a couple weeks at the Chasing Joy Brunch & Learn. We will be tweeting about personal fulfillment following your passion, and defining success for yourself. Just search for the Hashtag on twitter or using one of the apps mentioned above to see all of the tweets. Reply back using the Hashtag #CJBL in your tweet to join the conversation.
What information can you add about Hashtags?
Who will be joining in the #CJBL twitter chat tonight?