#101 –The Basics Of The Hashtag
Let’s get down to the #basics. Remember when you tweeted about how Drake’s new album was #fire or how you #wipedout on the kitchen floor trying to get late night Oreos? We probably have all used a hashtag at one point or another, but does anyone know the actual definition of one?
Let’s take it back to a time before social media where the dinosaurs roamed, and cell phones were the size of footballs. What was a hashtag actually used for? Four score and seven years ago, the special character was called a hash or pound symbol. The pound symbol was typically used for numbering or as the pound sign option for voice calling.
Hash-ception
The transformation into the commonly used hashtag occurred on August 23, 2007. Chris Messina, San Francisco native, former Google developer, and self-proclaimed crusher of dreams tweeted, “ How do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?” Messina decided to use the # symbol because it was one of the easiest keyboard characters to reach on his 2007 Nokia feature phone.
how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?
— Chris Messina is at )'( (@chrismessina) August 23, 2007
#Definition
The definition of a hashtag is “(on social media sites such as Twitter) a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic.”
In the realm of social media, a user can add a hashtag to a post to become indexed by the social network. The hashtag can be used to add posts from various users to create a page attributed to that specific hashtag. Once a specific hashtag accumulates enough posts, the grouping can become “trending.” When a hashtag becomes trending, it gains traction and has the potential to go viral.
#HowToUse
Really, using the # is pretty simple. Just add it to the beginning of a word or phrase without spaces or punctuation. Simple as that! While posting a hashtag may be easy to add, there are some basics you should always follow.
#Basic
When it comes to hashtags there are a couple rules to follow…
– Do not overdo tags. While it’s fun to be part of a group, too many hashtags can come off like spam.
– Use the hashtags with intent! You use hashtags for discovery and categories. Making a group just adding the # in front of a phrase doesn’t make it a legitimate hashtag.
– Tweets with hashtags receive 2 times more engagement than those without. These tweets also receive about 55% more retweets.
#Dont’s
It’s great to be a part of something trending in our culture, but be careful about what you hashtag especially when running a brand account. Generally, a good rule of thumb to follow is to not use sensitive subjects as a blatant sales opportunity – when in doubt, err on the side of caution.
With these basics and understanding of the hashtag, you can be on your merry way as a trendsetter.