Chasing Joy

Any Questions: What’s The Deal With #Hashtags?

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A little while ago during a Facebook conversation a Joy Chaser explained that she needed a lesson on Hashtags.  So hear is all that I know about Hashtags.

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 seeing 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? 


****UPDATE****
The #CJBL Twitter Chat has been postponed out of respect for the tragedies in Boston.  The chat will take place on Wednesday April 17th at 8pm EST.
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Comments

  3. You explain this so much nicer than I did to my mom…I told her if you dont understand them then dont use them…lol.

    I wont be able to attend the twitter chat because I will be at the BON JOVI concert Wednesday night!!!

  4. I think you've convinced me to use hashtags more often! I usually don't, unless I am a part of a Twitter party. But I agree–it's a great metrics tool. I think I need to make one up!

  5. Hashtags are both my addiction and my down fall. You definitely don't want to overdo them, but it's so cool knowing how much further reach adding a few of them will give you!

    I also am one of the few people who hate hashtag jokes. Any tweet that ends with #justkidding or something like it leaves an incredibly sour taste in my mouth. That's probably just because I have a weird sense of humor though haha.

  6. Hashtags can be measured and provide those of us doing social media as a business with metrics. There are sites dedicated to measuring this (TweetReach.com, for example).

    When I select a hashtag for a campaign, I can run reports that go to the brand in order to show them the success of the campaign. I can show them reach (how many people saw the hashtag) as well as all of the individual tweets that went with that campaign.

    So that's how I use those bad boys ;-).

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