How to use Twitter Hash Tags

Once you have started to get more involved using Twitter it won't be long until you encounter a post that looks some thing like this.

This tweet is a Re-tweet (RT) of a PJRobinson post and it contains 2 hash tags and a URL (I'll talk more about re-tweets in an upcoming post). The arrow is pointing at two hash tags the author used in his post. Hash tags are a powerful tool to help combine or aggregate content on the same topic. Users of twitter utilize these tags to make it easy for you to follow their topics. If you use a client like Tweetdeck you can set up a search for the hash tag and every time anyone anywhere in the twitterverse uses it in a post it will show up in that search almost immediatly.

There is no governing body that sets or creates hash tags they are created by the community so if you want a hash to help combine all tweets on your local poker club have everyone in the club use #localpokerclub in their tweets. It has become common for trade shows, events and companies to declare a hash tag to help users find all the information available on that hash tag. Hash tags like #Degragcon or #iod2009 are active during the event then go quiet until the event rolls around again the following year. Searching for an hash tag during the event is a great way to see what everyone is talking about and a great way for you to participate in the conversation.  Some hash tags like #Social #Fail have been active for a very long time and work as a filter for specific types of content. 

5 of the top 10 trends at http://search.twitter.com this morning were hash tags click on the link and then select a hash to see exactly how this works.

Bottom line using hash tags is easy, use Twitter Search or search in your twitter application to watch the conversation taking place around hash tags, next time your at a trade show or event look in the brochure to see if a twitter hash has been declared and start following it and if you can't seem to locate it send out a tweet declaring one. Hash tags are a great filter and aggregation tool that adds value to the twitter experience.