Brandi J. Clark

So far…in the last three parts, you have signed up on Twitter, found some people to follow, replied, retweeted and perhaps composed a message or two.

Today we are going to learn about hashtags.

Egads…I know…you have been wondering about those. Well, it’s your lucky day.

• Hashtags are comprised of a pound sign (#) followed by some words, letters and/or numbers.
• Hashtags make ideas/topics/conversations easier to find.
• Hashtags are a special type of tag.

So How Does This Work?

Let’s look at an example. Here is the tweet from last post.

Hey! What is up with the Oilers? Are they still rebuilding? http://goo.gl/8J2lI9

Here it is with the hashtag.

Hey! What is up with the #Oilers? Are they still rebuilding? http://goo.gl/8J2lI9

Now this tweet is more searchable for other users on Twitter.

Fun Facts about Hashtags

• There is no limit to the amount of hashtags in a tweet other than the 140 character limit.
• Major cities often use airport codes to identify themselves. Edmonton’s airport code is Yeg so the hashtag for Edmonton is #Yeg. 
• Here is fun list of all the NHL team hashtags and Twitter accounts.

Let’s add #Yeg to our tweet.

Hey! What is up with the #Yeg #Oilers? Are they still rebuilding? http://goo.gl/8J2lI9

On your twitter home page you find a section on the lower left side labeled “Trends” There will be a list of hastags that are currently trending. If you select one, a list of tweets will pop up. You might find some interesting information or some new people to follow.

Next post…we will look at organizing our Tweets. 

Twitter Series
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Until Next Time,

Lit Maven Out!

In the last few posts, you have signed up on Twitter and you have found some followers.

If you have been extra wonderful, you have also tried to reply or retweet.

Now you are ready for the next adventure…composing your own TWEETS!

How to Compose Tweets Even John Tesh Would Love

1. There is one rule:

A tweet can only be 140 characters or less. It includes letters, numbers, symbols, spaces, weblinks and elipses…I love elipses…

2.  Things to tweet about.
a) profession related
b) hobby related
c) life related

You do need to consider your followers and their interests otherwise write your tweets in a diary.

3.  Basic Tweet – Just Words

Hey! What is up with the Oilers? Are they still rebuilding?

Note: This tweet is straight up tweeting…no fancy smancy.

4. Adding a Link to a Tweet

The process can be as simple as…writing a tweet and copying and pasting a link on the end…but often the link is too long. See below.

Hey! What is up with the Oilers? Are they still rebuilding? http://www.jewelsfromthecrown.com/2013/7/14/4521014/realignmentpalooza-edmonton-oilers

You need to get a URL shortener to fix this.

         1. Go to http://goo.gl/
         2. Paste your link into the shortener.
         3. Copy the shortened URL and  add it to your tweet….

Here is the new Tweet.

Hey! What is up with the Oilers? Are they still rebuilding? http://goo.gl/8J2lI9

Yay success!

I think that is plenty for today! Have fun adding links. Let me know if this is helping you.

Next post we will be getting into HASHTAGS…

Twitter Series
Part One
Part Two

Until Next Time,

Lit Maven Out!