3 ways to use Hashtags!

So what’s the deal with these funky messages and # in all of them?

Yes, those new to Twitter can find it a bit daunting and almost feel like they are looking at code when coming across tweets like this:

@sands: looking forward to @garyvee at indigo tonight #montreal #crushit

1-Hashtags allow people to find you
As I mentioned in the previous post, people are listening on specific keywords and doing searches on particular words. Since you can specify #tags in your searches, this allows people to find you and for you to get found.

2- Real time Search
At any given time, you can click on a hashtag and see how many other people are using that same tag and allow you to find other twitterer’s that may be of interest.

3- Hashtags give your tweets context

For example, if I had tweeted the above post:
@sands looking forward to meeting @garyvee tonight in montreal

I wouldn’t necessarily be found as easily by other people who were interested in all things montreal (unless using the near: in their search).
#crushit is a better example. For a lot of online events/conferences, events will use certain hashtags so that other people interested in these tweets can easily find them based on the hash.

Sound like a lot to get your head around? Just start by observing and slowly start adding them to your tweets.

Nothing beats practice!!

Twitter Challenge: Tweet in 120 characters or less

Today’s Twitter Tip: Tweet in 120 characters or less

You’re probably thinking: We’re only allowed 140 and even that’s not enough!!

Tweeting in less characters allows for others to comment on your content and retweet it. We’ll get into the ‘art and science’ of retweeting in another post but in the mean time I want you to learn how to do more with less.

Denise Wakeman talks about the 4E’s: Educate. Engage. Enrich. Entertain. We’ll get into these in more detail but in the meantime, think about these categories when tweeting and how you want to interact with your online community.

Example:

How not to Tweet:
HEY CHECK OUT THIS GREAT YOUTUBE VIDEO OF INMATES IN THE PHILLIPINES PERFORMING TO MICHAEL JACKSON’S THRILLER: link…

More effective as:
Inmates in Philippines perform MJ’s Thriller: insert link here

We’ll get in more detailed about URL shortening (so you don’t use up all your characters on the actual URL) but in the meantime..practice, practice, practice!

Twitter Tip: Personalize Your Profile

Before you read this post you have a little homework:

Setting Up Your Twitter Account! Simply go to Twitter and follow the steps.

Ready?

Now comes the part of personalizing your profile. This is done through the Settings tab in Twitter.

Add your picture.

People will respond better to a human face behind your tweets. If you use your company logo, be sure to add context to your profile.

Include in your ‘One Line Bio’ information that describes what you do, who you are and your interests (keeping in mind you are limited to 160 characters!)

For example, The Social Woman’s profile looks something like this:

theSocialWoman

Where the bio information shows information about The Social Woman network.

Another example is: Sandy on Twitter where I have put more details about myself which gives people an idea of the things I’m interested in and allows people to relate to me.

Many people also put:
Wife/Mother, Husband/Father, Business Owner, Lifelong learner…
Be creative! The options are endless (well, within a 160 character limit =)

Not only does this put a human face behind your tweets, it also helps in attracting followers who share the same interests. Twitter is about building relationships..what better way then sharing a twidbit about yourself!

Go ahead now, share =)