Twitter Hashtags Explained

Using Twitter is becoming more and more of a common social networking tool, and as the popularity starts to reach amazinly high proportions the millions of online users start to follow and join in. I was recently asked a question by one of the regular WebHostingPro.co.za readers about Twitter, so here is the answer and explanation about the use of the hashtag (#) symbol.

The hashtags or # can be a little confusing if you’re new to the Twitter world, but this is a question that is asked and I am happy to explain. This symbol is used as a tool to designate the keywords which are used by a Twitter user in a tweet.

For example, if you were writing about running then you would create a tweet like this:

Just watched Idols, only 2 people left!! #idolssa

Here is a screenshot of an example that I just tweeted:

So, when people are reading your tweet and then looking up tweets about idols then they would click on the link (because the # causes the word to become searchable) and they will find this tweet immediately. Many people will save these sorts of searches in order to create a continued emphasis on certain keyword associations.

When you include the hashtag with the keyword, this will also begin to create trends. You can see the current trends on Twitter on the right side of the main Twitter feed. These are the topics people are talking about the most at the current moment. Clicking onto any one of these tags will show you a list of tweets with these designated hashtags and words in them.

What does this do for you? Well, it causes those who are interested in the same topics as your celebrity to find your celebrity attached to these sorts of discussions. And that can help to build their following more easily.
If a person notices certain words and trends they want to follow, they can save these searches. And then when those words are used the most, then the trend is hot and it takes its place on the main Twitter page.

The outcome: You get your Twitter page active and take your social networking to a whole new level 🙂

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Daniel Hall