What are Twitter Hashtags?
Twitter, a form of “micro blogging”, has become increasingly popular in recent months. It has been used by various celebrities and attracted media attention on multiple occasions. One noteworthy aspect of “twittering” is the Hashtag, which is usually preceded by a number/hash sign.
So what are hashtags and why are they important to the site’s users? According to pbwiki.com, they are a type of tag (or keyword) which can be placed within individual entries by putting a hash sign before any word. Words posted in this manner automatically become hashtags in Twitter.
A Twitter hashtag is sort of like a META Keyword tag on a web page, except that it is visible to anyone looking at the entry it applies to. Users can post hashtags in Twitter within a sentence, or at the end of their posts, as these two examples demonstrate:
1.) The #weather is cold here today, but it will probably be warmer tomorrow.
2.) Netherlands tourism expected to increase this spring. #Europe #Holland
Applying hashtags to relevant keywords makes it easier for readers to find specific entries about subjects they are interested in. Also, various related web sites use hashtags to generate statistics on the subjects people are “twittering” about.
However, if you plan on using hashtags in Twitter, it is best to follow these recommendations:
1.) Don’t use them excessively; people don’t want to read sentences with a hash/number sign before every other word.
2.) Only use words which are closely related to the content of your entries. Avoid hashtag words with multiple meanings.
It is also worth mentioning that each Twitter hashtag is clickable when it appears in the site’s search results; searchers can click on them and get a list of entries on the same subject. However, they are not clickable when viewed as part of a regular page.
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Social Media For SEO | seowhitehats | April 30, 2009
hash tags are a bit confusing for me , for example lets say I added money and #money in my tweets. Both will appear in Twitter search no ? so what is the benefit of adding # ?
I also maintain several blogs to earn money online. sometimes it is hard to keep your daily earnings to stable levels..`”.