Any Twitterati about? We need your advice about hashtags

[GeraldineMumsnet]

So we're twotting away happily, but need hashtag help.

Jury seems to be bit divided on their worth, but if you do use them what makes a good hashtag?

It's almost too hot to think in the Towers, so any lucid thoughts gratefully received.

[Littlefish]

What on earth is a "hashtag"?

A new style of handbag?
Something lovely to eat, like risotto?
A new face-cream?

[BecauseImWorthIt]

I still don't understand what hashtags are/are for, despite being a Twitterer, so will follow this thread with much interest!

[RubberDuck]

I don't use them tbh. Twitter search is fairly good anyway. For top level stuff that's towards the top of the Twitter trends I might consider using the relevant hashtag that's popular - just make sure you do use the relevant tag and aren't naughty like Habitat!

[MerlinsBeard]

Well a hashtag is a keyword so for example #musicmonday is trending because twt.fm have music monday

So if you were tweeting about breastfeeding you could write look at our thread on #breastfeeding [tinyurl link]

[BecauseImWorthIt]

MoM - I still don't understand! Why, if I was tweeting about breastfeeding, would I use a hashtag? And what would happen? You can't click on them, can you? It's not like a link is it?

[MerlinsBeard]

have a looky here

[RubberDuck]

Some twitter clients make use of the hashtags and you can click on them just like a link (all they do though is access twitter search on that search term).

[MerlinsBeard]

they are only clickable if they are in the top 10 trending topics. if they are just in a tweet they are not links

[BecauseImWorthIt]

MoM - brilliant! And a great name for a site as well!

[RubberDuck]

MoM - not true. I use Tweetie and I can click through any hash tag.

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Thank you, twitter-literate people

[BecauseImWorthIt]

Pointless fact - one of my cats is called Tweetie!

(Guess what the other one is called?!)

[MerlinsBeard]

lol! not twitter literate (Twitterate?) but had googled the same thing myself a couple of weeks ago

[MerlinsBeard]

sylvester?

[TheFool]

I just search for a term, and if it has been # then you find the list of irrelevant things.

But seriously Geraldine... twotting?!?! You would be tweeting

I am intrigued who was bored enough to be doing the lying game on there the other day

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Our juvenile name for tweeting . More than my job's worth to reveal who was doing the lying game

[BecauseImWorthIt]

That'll be me then, TheFool!

[TheFool]

Lol no BIWI - MNTowers were doing it!!

I have been playing too, but have a 2 second attention span. (trying to remember who you are on my twitter... fairly sure I have you - were you having issues with Noel Fielding?)

[BecauseImWorthIt]

Yes I was.

I didn't see MNHQ doing the lying game - but I am very sad because I was really pleased that my two truths and a lie caught everyone out!

(Who are you on Twitter, btw?)

[TheFool]

Tis Flamesparrow

[MerlinsBeard]

what is this 2 truths and a lie thing? i keep getting sent them

[TheFool]

just guess/know which is the lie out of 3 things. tis like the pointless facebook games

[BecauseImWorthIt]

You see, all this name changing does get very confusing!!!

MoM - you post 3 'facts' about yourself, one of which is a lie, and then this gets sent to all your followers and they have to decide which one is a lie.

Click on the link and it will become apparent!

[TheFool]

Lol sorry - I tend to assume people magically know who I am

[MerlinsBeard]

oooh i don't have time to MN, FB, play FB games, Tweet AND play twitter games