#Hashtags confusing? Here is a good summary of hashtags from Faris Samawi posted at Social Media Today.
Facebook was the last of the major social networks to introduce the hashtag earlier this month. This has been greeted by mixed emotions ranging from excitement by those who use it on other social networks, to confusion at this strange symbol suddenly appearing in status updates, to indifference. Check out the informal poll run on our Facebook page which captured these sentiments.
Are you #Confused? Here is a quick guide on understanding hashtags. It will enable you to use them with confidence and impress your friends and colleagues! The information presented here should translate across the major social networks which all use hashtags (with some minor variations).
So what exactly is a hashtag?
My simplified definition is hashtags are like keywords which can be used to organize messages on a social network. This then facilitates the searching and grouping of messages with given hashtags. Hashtags are preceded by the pound sign (#) and can be a word or a short phrase (i.e. #Hashtag or #ThisIsAHashtag)
More technical definitions can be found on Wikipedia and Wiktionary.
An interesting look at the life and different uses of the hashtag across history can be found in this Infographic.
Who defines hashtags?
You do. You can place a pound (#) sign in front of any keyword(s) in your message and turn them into hashtags. However, the power of hashtags comes from other people using the same keyword(s) so that by clicking on a hashtag you can get a group of other messages on that topic.
How can I use hashtags?
Typical uses of hashtags:
- Express emotions: #surprised #speechless #frustrated
- Identify places or brands or events: #Hawaii #Ferrari #CoolEvent
- Make recommendations: #MustRead #MustWatch #NowPlaying
- Connect with like-minded individuals: #CatLovers #TVaddicts
Hashtags should make your messages easier to organize and find. The trick is to hashtag keywords that other people would use when looking for the content contained in your message. You can do a quick search for keywords prior to posting your message to see which hashtags are popular (called “trending”).
Three common mistakes to avoid:
- Hashtagging every word (i.e. #I #am #so #excited #today)
- Hashtagging the same word more than once (i.e. It is my #birthday. Here is a photo of my #birthday cake, my #birthday presents, and my awesome #birthday party!)
- Separating keywords. If your keyword is “black cat” your hashtag should be #BlackCat. If you write it as #Black #Cat this will give you two different keywords: “black” and “cat”.
Where can I place hashtags?
You can use hashtags anywhere in your message – in the main body itself or as a postscript at the end. Here is an example with a hashtag in the main body of the message and two hashtags at the end.
Check out this #awesome site: www.digitalbuzz.me
#SocialMedia #Marketing
Why should I use hashtags?
Two reasons:
- Increase exposure
- Organize content
Both of these are compelling reason to use hashtags on your personal messages. They are even more compelling when it comes to using social media to promote your business.
What about privacy on Facebook? (source)
If you write a post with limited privacy (ie. Friends), then only those who you have authorized to see the post in the first place will be able to find your post when they search for the hashtag.
If your post’s privacy is set to public, then anyone searching for that hashtag will be able to see your post.
Ready to go out and conquer your social networks with hashtags? Please share this article to help and impress your friends and colleagues.
Still #Confused about hashtags? Feel free to get in touch or post questions in the comments below.
image: hashtags/shutterstock
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