So, I got to thinking about hashtags on twitter and how effective they are. If you don't know what a hashtag is, here's a quick rundown. They're created by using the pound sign + a word or phrase or abbreviation. So if I wanted to created a hashtag about Thursday, I would put at the end of my tweet: #Thursday.
There are several hashtags I use pretty regularly: Writer Wednesday (#WW), Follow Friday (#FF), #amwriting, #amrevising, #WIP, #campnanowrimo, #julnowrimo, etc. I used to do #askagent, where you can get tips from agents on various things and #yalitchat, which is what it sounds like. They're pretty handy, I guess, if you're searching for something specific. And if you can get others to use your hashtag enough to make it relevant/searchable, it's a good way to connect with others. And if your tag is really popular, you might even become a trending topic. No hashtags I'm interested in have ever become trending topics. I'm kind of surprised NaNoWriMo doesn't in November. Or maybe I just don't see it when it does. Apparently, twitter uses some complicated algorithm (or other math thing; I am not sure as my brain shuts down and refuses to take in further information when it sees math things) to decide trending topics. And basically once a thing has been talked about for a long enough period of time according to twitter, it can no longer be a trending topic.
But I digress. How do you use trending topics if you use them? What do you think of them in general? Have they been helpful to you in any way?
6 comments:
Oh wow, thank you for clearing that up. I felt like I was the only one in the Twitterverse who had no idea why people put the pound sign in their tweets. Now I'm in the know! :)
Twitter has kind'a left me behind. I use it, but I'm not competent with it. I now understand why everyone has to walk around, sit around, and play around with their attention on their phone.
I have a twitter account, but don't use it. With all the sites I try to keep up with anymore, and the 33,000,000 emails and facebook, I don't have time to try to figure it out. Lazy of me maybe, but I'm not far enough along in my writing to be of interest to anybody anyway. Maybe in the future, but by then they may have another new and confusing thing for me t figure out. I'll keep in my grand kids good graces so they can educate me. But thanks for the little lesson Nicole. That does explain a little of the mystery!
I'm just beginning to do the hashtag thing.
Thanks for explaining that my use of it is very hit and miss because, until now, I didn't understand it! I suppose I don't use twitter enough to get my head round these things.
No problem, guys! Glad I could be helpful!
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