On Twitter Do You Know Your Hashtags From Your Mentions?

Twitter hashtags

# hashtag is like a category, so when you use #hashtag in a tweet it becomes a link to all tweets that also use the same #hashtag in a steam.

So why use a hashtag?

Well if lots of people use the same hashtag when talking about something their tweets will appear in the same stream. In that way, Twitter hashtags help conversations and if a particular word is used a lot as a hashtag it may even become a trending topic.

Top tips for twitter hashtags

Before using a new twitter hashtag check if it is a new one? Use the twitter or hootsuite search tool and make sure other people using this hashtag are talking about a the same topic as you
Careful of spelling, spaces are not included and make sure you leave a space between the hashtag and any punctuation such as commas
Keep it short, so any hashtags on the end do not make the tweet too long to retweet

Twitter mentions

@ is used to identify another twitter user in a tweet, for example @ltconsulting . When the username has @ added at the beginning it becomes a link to that users twitter profile.

If someone uses your twitter username in a tweet this is a mention, and depending on your notification settings you can be sent a text / email when this happens.

So why mention other twitter users?

You can direct attention to a specific person/user, and are a good way to give another person recognition and recommend others to follow them
Can be a great ways to get noticed by another Twitter user, everyone likes to see who is talking about us!
Are used to start discussions and are an easy way to continue a back and forth conversation

Other useful Twitter terms

DM – Direct Message, if you send a DM only you and the recipient can view the message so they are private.

RT – Retweet, when you forward another persons tweet to all your twitter followers.