What is a hashtag? It’s a question I see from a lot of users in Twitter. I read an article today at Duct Tape Marketing that not only gives a pretty good explanation of this powerful little feature in Twitter, it points you to further resources to learn more than you ever wanted to know about Twitter hashtags.
In my own words, a hashtag is basically a code you add somewhere in your tweet. The only requirement being that it start with a pound sign. For example, I just saw one relating to eBay’s 4th quarter investor’s conference call: #ebayQ408.
The idea is that this little code, or hashtag, makes the tweet search-able to anyone else interested in what is being said about that event. This feature is usable and useful whether we are talking about a group of people in a meeting room, or like minded individuals all over the world.
The biggest drawback to it, in my mind, is how does one know what the hashtag is that they should be searching for? And further, with large events being tweeted about by thousands of users at the same time, like breaking news or Barack Obama’s inauguration, there could be a thousand different hashtags in play at the same time.
Regardless, hashtags are useful overall, there are lots of applications for them, limited really only by your imagination, and they are part of what makes Twitter more indispensable every day.
I would like to use this feature more myself, so I you know a way around the drawbacks I listed, or have any other wisdom to share, give me some of your hashtag tips & tricks in the comments.
