I’ve discovered that some writers around me are still unfamiliar with Twitter and don’t grasp how to use Twitter. This amuses me because often these writers are actually younger than I am. There seems to be a sort of “I’m above Twitter” attitude that the younger writers have while the older crowd is more inclined to admit that they just don’t understand Twitter. Which makes me suspect the superior younger crowd just doesn’t want to admit they don’t know how to take full advantage of Twitter. For example, using hash tags.
Now Twitter hash tags have become so popular they’ve become a joke shared among twitter users. So you’ll find real and useable hash tags as well as funny hashtags that you can’t imagine going past one specific tweet. In simplest terms, hash tags are a way for twitter users with similar interest or who are discussing similar topics to find each other. Sometimes they’re used to apply to global events other times they may be written for more specific audiences. But let’s say you write about the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan and want to help people on Twitter find your blog post. You can just tweet about it and hope it gets picked up on or you can tweet with a hashtag like #japan to get your tweet into the stream with others tweeting about Japan.
Or to put a more specific spin on it. Say you like to blog about dancing or TV shows and you’re writing reviews and blogging about a popular show like Dancing with the Stars. Well, you go on twitter and look around a bit and you’ll discover that every night when Dancing with the Stars is on, a whole bunch of viewers are on Twitter sharing their opinions and using the hash tag #DWTS to find each other. So you can join the chatter and share real time tweets about the show, then gently let people know you have a blog. Don’t over do it. Just joining in to constantly tweet “read my blog” will create more ill will than good will. You have to be part of the group. If you want to give it a try, you also might want to check out using a tool such as Tweetchat to help keep you in the loop during fast moving hash tag events like the Dancing with the Stars show.