The social sphere is a-twitter with the news that Facebook may adopt the hashtag as a new search function on its site. What was once created to help people search topics and engage in conversations on Twitter, has popped up on Instagram and your favorite television programs. The hashtag, for the uninitiated, is this #. The pound sign, basically, and its use in social media is HUGE!
From WiseGeek: “Twitter hashtags are a way for Twitter users to include a notation that allows their posted messages to be categorized based on the hashtags they use. These typically consist of a hash mark “#” followed by a particular word or phrase, such as “#wisegeek” to create a hashtag. Such hashtags are created by Twitter users, not by the Twitter service itself, and evolved organically as a desire by users to more easily categorize their posts. Twitter hashtags can be used to more easily search for posts related to a particular subject or to create trends or Internet memes by utilizing certain hashtags.”
I first learned of the hashtag at a variety of real estate social media conferences, especially Inman Connect where #ICSF and #ICNY are what we actually call the conferences among ourselves within the social space. (Inman Connect San Francisco and Inman Connect New York). In fact, hashtags are a big enough deal now that a kind gentleman from a faith group contacted me to say that #ICNY was the hashtag they used for THEIR conference, too and was there a way we could avoid using it? No. Sorry. Unlike a domain name, you can’t own a hashtag..yet!
The hashtag is growing in importance among conference and festival organizers..(I wish more people would latch onto my own #ChocoFest hashtag for my Chocolate Festival. But I digress..) It’s also wrapped around successful media campaigns and Internet memes.
During the SuperBowl, 50% of the advertisers used a hashtag in their commercials to drive conversation about their product back to real time discussions happening during the game. I really enjoyed this SuperBowl, not for the black out and the fact that the Niners ALMOST won, but for the lively conversation on Twitter. I used #SuperBowl and was able to “watch” the show with people all over the country as we all were discussing fumbles, Beyonce and who was going to lose their job due to the black out.
The hashtag may now be coming to a Facebook page near you..but not soon, according to Facebook reps. BUT, it’s an important shift in how we find information and engage in meaningful conversations and find images and new friends via Twitter and Instagram.
#SomethingToKeepAnEyeOn #JustSayin #AnyoneWIthMe?
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