June 13th, 2009 Posted in Viral Marketing
by Lee Hiller
Image via boblally.files.wordpress.com
Hidden in the million tweets 140 character universe of Twitter the tiny hash Tag aka Pound Symbol [#] is the difference between your messages being seen or being missed. Although not an official Twitter function the Hash/Pound it is a simple and effect tool to ensure your tweet will appear when others seek out similar data. Hash tagged words are the Twitter equivalent of internet keywords and phrases. Simply click on the hash tagged word or a search at search.twitter.com and you will find all the tagged tweets with matching words.
Your perfect place to start is by going to Twitter and following @hashtags then every time you tweet with a hash tag reference it will be displayed as a real-time posting at hashtags.org. It is easy to check trending topics at their site and see what might be relevant to your daily messages. Popular daily hash tags include #music, #quote, #jobs, #phone, #socialmedia and #news.
The hash tag is a twitter community builder allowing likeminded individuals to share information and ideas. Twitters social media follow Friday event is a good hash tag example and is represented by #followfriday or #ff these tags are used by a majority of Twitterers to spotlight individuals they consider worth following. Once you see a tweet with the #followfriday hash tag click in it and you will see volumes of recommendations which appear in a search format at search.twitter.com.
To create a hash tag is as simple as tweeting #meetmearchie Midvale Theater 7pm Sunday 18th this lets Archie know to where and when to meet you. The added Hash/Pound will allow anyone in your group to check see what you are up to with Archie. Are you watching 24 or #24? If you want your opinion about the show to be found it is an important difference. Have a favorite recipe or just ate at a new restaurant you can hash tag the name and leave a review.
The use of hash tags allows you to create groups, find others reading the same book and or supporting the same charities. As a business tool it can be used for tracking the trending topics of the twenty-five million plus daily visitors to Twitter. If you want your opinion of a favorite movie to reach the Twitterverse or you do not want to miss an important event the tiny hash will allow you to apprise others or stay current on selected topics.
