Hashtag
Hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services like Twitter, Instagram ,WeChat and Facebook as a form of user-generated tagging that enables cross-referencing of content.
In other words Hashtag is a label for the content. It helps others who are interested in a certain topic, quickly discover content on that same topic.
what is hashtag symbol ?
A hashtag symbol is “#” . It is more commonly used on social media platform such as Twitter, Instagram ,WeChat , Facebook, Pinterest and Google+. It has come an integral part of social media.
A hashtag looks like this: #TalkingFilms or #BollywoodHungama
How to Use Hashtags ?
Hashtag basics
Hashtag always start with# but it does not work if you use spaces, punctuation or symbols.
Make sure your accounts should be public. Else, the hash tagged content you write wo n’t be seen by any non-followers.
Hashtags should be fairly short and easy to remember.
Always use Applicable and specific hashtags.
Always try to use limited number of hashtags.
The history of hashtags
Before Social Media
You will be surprised but hashtag was originally introduced in 14 century, spelled like” lb” and meant a pound in weight.
1988 hashtags were originally used on a platform named Internet Relay Chat. Principally it’s one of the first protocols on the internet that was used to send messages in real time. Hashtags were used to group messages and various information similar as images, textbook content,videos and the such like.# sign was used for its primary purpose – search.
Twitter launches hashtags
Twitter was innovated in 2006 and came one of the functionality was and still remains enough straight- forward and readily-to- use. Druggies loved Twitter but felt that there is commodity missing, commodity that could help them communicate better and search better.
Chris Messina who now works at Google suggested using the# (pound) sign to imitate groups on Twitter. Now Chris is known as the innovator of the hashtag.
Still the invention of the term” hashtag” belongs to Stowe Boyd, a blogger who wrote about it first in 2007.
October 2007 was marked with the 1st viral hashtag in history#sandiegofire. Intelligencers used it to keep cutlet on the palpitation of a dramatic situation associated with a series of fires in San Diego. The tendency of using hashtags to mark significant political and artistic events spread like fire on the social network.
In 2009 Twitter officially launched hashtags and started to hyperlink all the words that go after the # sign. The era of hashtags started to flourish.
Other social networks
In January 2011 Instagram started supporting hashtags to complement photos shared. Users got the ability to search for new accounts and follow some of them based on common interests, location, event, etc.
Google+
On October 12, 2011 Google+ started supporting hashtags too. Auto completion was implemented on January 17, 2012. This year Google enabled Google.com and Google.ca users to see G+ public posts shared with hashtags among regular search results. Remarkably Google also shows results with hashtags from other social networks too.
LinkedIn launched hashtag support on February 12, 2013. Some viewed it as a move to compensate the denied Twitter integration. In spite of their growing popularity LinkedIn withdraw hashtags on July 29, 2013.
The explanation was somewhat awkward, LinkedIn was eager to focus on other functionality and top priorities that sometimes mean that you have to stop supporting other initiatives.
Apparently, LinkedIn saw little potential in hashtags. Time will show whether it was a right decision.
Finally Facebook launched hashtag support in June 2013. Until then content discovery was a big issue Facebook couldn’t resolve. Hyperlinked hashtags are being slowly adopted by Facebook users and looks like they are not going to become so popular like Twitter hashtags.
Posts with hashtags drive less engagement according to recent statistics. Looks like users don’t use hashtags for search; they just scroll down their news feed and find all they need. Facebook is currently very careful about hashtags functionality and is figuring out how people use them to make necessary adjustments.
List of websites that support hashtags
Diaspora software and social network
Hashtags transformations and perspectives
Today hashtags are technically something more than a way to group conversations. They perform a number of important functions and now have a few directions to be developed into something bigger:
- Search – mostly hashtags were so quickly adopted because they made the search procedure much easier, it still remains their main function.
- Keywords – attentive marketers have already noticed this growing tendency. If one searches for a specific hashtag on a social site the results can include not only the ones with a hyperlinked hashtag but also posts that contain this word even though the user didn’t hashtag it.
- Hashtags hijacking – hashtag that you choose to devote to one topic can be a subject to speculation by your competitors or even by your own clients. For example the famous hashtag #mcdstories that McDonalds used to ask people to share their pleasant memories of the restaurant turned to be a disaster because clients started to share the stories that made this restaurant chain look pure evil.
- Hashtags abuse – anything popular will be overused, hashtags are not an exception and while initially they were used to spread important news or events, now youngsters all over the world use them to make their tweets, posts, updates, etc. look more, say, cool and posh. Sometimes it looks even ridiculous and below you can watch a video that mocks at this annoying tendency.
Why use hashtags?
Increase engagement with your followers
This can lead to greater engagement, boosting your brand’s social media engagement through likes, shares, comments, and new followers.
Build brand awareness with branded hashtags
Creating a branded hashtag can be an effective way to promote your business and drive conversations
Show support for social issues
Using a hashtag that’s connected to an issue beyond your brand is a way to mobilize behind an important cause or issue.
Add context to a social media post
Using a hashtag can be a simple way to contextualize what you’re talking about, without using up valuable characters or writing repetitive captions.
Help your target audience find you
On Linkedin and Instagram, users can follow hashtags as well as other users. Using a few popular hashtags can be another way to help new users find your brand.
ways to find the best hashtags
To find hashtags that are specific to your brand, your industry and your audience, you’ll have to do a little research.
1. Monitor social media influencers and competitors
Start by doing a competitive analysis on social media. Gather intel about your competitors and any relevant influencers within your brand’s niche.
2. Use Hashtagify.me
Hashtagify.me helps you find the best Twitter hashtags or Instagram hashtags for your brand.With this tool, you can search any hashtag and see how popular it is.
3. Know which hashtags are trending
RiteTag lets you type your social media caption into the text bar and upload the photo you’ll pair with your caption.
RiteTag generates trending hashtag suggestions based on your content.You’ll see the best hashtags to get your post seen immediately, as well as hashtags to get your post seen over time.
4. Get a social media listening tool
A tool like Hootsuite lets your brand use search streams to discover which hashtags are the best for each social network you’re on. Put simply, search streams make it easy to see which hashtags are the most popular and the most effective.
5. Find related hashtags
If you already have a good grasp of which hashtags are working well for your brand, consider using related hashtags. These might be a little more specific than the popular hashtags you’re already using, which could help you connect with a more targeted audience.
6. Analyze which hashtags were successful on past posts
Keep track of which hashtags you’ve used on past posts. Analyze which posts have been most popular, then see if there’s a trend with the hashtags you’ve used.
Optimal number of hashtags to use in …
twitter 1-2
Facebook 1-2
Instagram 5-10
YouTube 2-3
Lets start the journey of What is —
What is hashtag in twitter ?
A hashtag—written with a # symbol—is used to index keywords or topics on Twitter. This function was created on Twitter, and allows people to easily follow topics they are interested in.
Using hashtags to categorize Tweets by keyword
- People use the hashtag symbol (#) before a relevant keyword or phrase in their Tweet to categorize those Tweets and help them show more easily in Twitter search.
- Clicking or tapping on a hashtagged word in any message shows you other Tweets that include that hashtag.
- Hashtags can be included anywhere in a Tweet.
- Hashtagged words that become very popular are often trending topics.
Tips for using hashtags
- You cannot add spaces or punctuation in a hashtag, or it will not work properly.
- If you Tweet with a hashtag on a public account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find your Tweet.
- We recommend using no more than 2 hashtags per Tweet as best practice, but you may use as many hashtags in a Tweet as you like.
- Type a hashtagged keyword in the search bar to discover content and accounts based on your interests.
what is an instagram hashtag ?
Instagram hashtags are one of the most effective ways to get more engagement on your Instagram posts in 2022.