Before social media a hashtag or the octothorp was only a symbol on a phone button we never used. Those days are long gone.
Today hashtags are part of our daily vocabulary. The Oxford English Dictionary even added it in June 2014.
The hashtag was first brought to Twitter in 2007 by Chris Messina. Before this the hash or pound symbol, had been used in other ways on the web. For example on IRC chat to indicate channel names. Since then its usage has spread much wider.
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hashtag
ˈhaʃtaɡ/
noun
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1. a word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#), used on social media sites such as Twitter to
identify messages on a specific topic. |
Or by Wikipedia’s definition – “… a type of label or metadata tag, used on social network and micro blogging services which makes it easier for users to find messages with a specific theme or content.”
Marketing platform Offerpop sums up the history of the hashtag in an easy infographic.
When using a # in front of words or phrases, they will automatically be tagged and searchable for users of the social network – a fast and easy way to accumulate everything related to one topic. Hashtags can be added anywhere – in the middle of a sentence, at the start or beginning. They are particularly useful on a social network like Instagram if you are looking for specific photos of an event or travel images of, for example #paris or #worldcup2014.
Their main function should be to provide meta data, context or extra information for a tweet, photo or post. By adding a hashtag you will ensure you tweet will be seen. But make sure it adds value to what you have to say.
Unfortunately hashtags can easily be misused. Spammers send tweets with popular hashtags even if the tweet has nothing to do with them in order to gain exposure. When hashtags are misused – for example added to gain followers or not adding to the relevant conversation, the users account can be filtered and even suspended.
Two #s are considered acceptable per post or tweet, while three are seen as the limit. Anything more will only annoy your followers. In 2013 Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake performed a parody on the sometimes ridiculous usage of hashtags.
Since 2010 hashtags have even been used by some television channels for promotion by adding a “branded” # before, during and after an episodes broadcast. These will typically appear at the bottom of the screen.
They are used by social media experts and major companies to gain followers and increase brand recognition. For more information on how to use hashtags optimally, read Rebecca Hiscott’s article on Mashable.
Popular websites supporting hashtags:
[SOURCES: www.wikipedia.org]
Have you ever heard of Larry the bird? Yes, the Twitter bird has a name.