Well you undoubtedly know what a hashtag is but do you know what it’s used for (correctly) and how best to use it ?
The Wikipedia definition of a hashtag is as follows:
A hashtag is a word or an unspaced phrase prefixed with the hash character (or number sign),
#, to form a label.[1] It is a type of metadata tag. Words or phrases in messages on microblogging and social networking services such as Facebook,Google+, Instagram, Twitter, or VK may be tagged by entering # before them,[2] either as they appear in a sentence, e.g., “New artists announced for #SXSW2014 Music Festival”[3] or appended to it. The term hashtag can also refer to the hash symbol itself when used in the context of a hashtag.[4]A hashtag allows grouping of similarly tagged messages, and also allows an electronic search to return all messages that contain it.
Due to its widespread use, ‘hashtag’ was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in June 2014
This blog sharing the history of the hashtag can do a much better job of explaining its origins than I could so I just wanted to put it again in simple terms.
Today, March 5th, is #worldbookday. I saw a few photos of friends’ children on Facebook in their wonderful costumes. None of them had the hashtag added in their status. Maybe people think hashtags are only useful for Twitter ? WRONG !
If you go into your search bar and add any hashtag, you’ll see an abundance of various status’ across Facebook from friends and non-friends relating to the same topic. It’s in this way that news reporters, magazines and newspapers get a lot of their content.
SO, the next time you want to share a photo of your best pancakes on #pancakeday (always remember NOT to use a space) or you’ve got a funny story about getting your #peniscaughtinyourzip, REMEMBER THE HASHTAG.
You never know, you could be the next reality star thanks to this handy little tip !
As well as the fun side of things, hashtags are extremely important for your business if you want to bring attention to (for example) your #websitedesign blog or your #graphicdesign services, your latest #fashiontrends etc etc.