# The Hash Tag
I love it. And lately I’ve been using it the “wrong” way but for all the “right” reasons. Yea, I know there’s a specific purpose of the hash-tag when searching for like communities or subjects on twitter and blah blah blah. What I’ve found (and I know a bunch of others are doing the same thing) is that when you’re creating a thought in 140 characters or less, there is a descriptive quality of hash-tags that can be employed to further support the idea of the tweet. And so I do.
For example, the below tweets are shown with and without hash-tags so as to show how they can add to the meaning of the tweet. In this case they’re there for supporting humor. They have little to do with the actual meaning of the hash-tagged word itself though they are still relevant as search-able tags. The idea is that they further the emphasis and meaning around the tweet:
Hey @carlsorvino are you working late again tonight?
or, more colorfully:
Hey @carlsorvino are you working late again tonight? #factory #slave #workhorse
Isn’t that more fun? In a way there is relationship between descriptive hash-tagged words and emoticons. Emoticons can display the emotion around the statement you are making, therefore supporting that statement more fully. I argue that the hash-tag does the same thing. Now I know the purists may yell and scream and say I’m muddling up the purpose, but folks are already doing it. Hash-tagged words and phrases like #youknowhowitis and #bummer appear in tweets all the time. These folks are less concerned about the search-ability of their tweet (though again there is relevance there) and are more focused on the full meaning the “#” can help convey.
And I think that’s ok. I mean, I know that if I want to find, or be found by, other fried chicken fans I would search or tweet using #friedchicken. If I wanted to tweet about how great Mary’s fried chicken was, I would say:
“Man, Mary makes some kick-ass fried chicken!” #crispy #tender #juicy
Those three words on the end just make the statement far more enticing and descriptive and to Twitter users and fans they are put into a context that is understandable and recognizable, making them IMHO more effective.
Am I making any sense here? Does anyone agree? Let me know and please remember, I’m just a #cog and this is my #blog. #doh #stopmakingsense #sillyboy
4 Comments:
Hi Carl,
Interesting. You’re absolutely right that people do this all the time – including me.
However, stopping to think about it, which your post made me do (kudos), I wonder if there isn’t another way to convey the same humor and additive emotive element, without muddying the real purpose of the searchable hash-tag?
To use your example, what if you tweeted:
“Man, Mary makes some kick-ass fried chicken!” *crispy *tender *juicy”
- or –
“Man, Mary makes some kick-ass fried chicken!” crispy.tender.juicy”
Just a thought.
I don’t know of a case where it’s been enforced (and am not suggesting it should be, but I do remember reading that improper hash-tag use (or overuse) is a TOS violation.
Anyway, you made me stop for a sec and think, so… *stopmakingsense*sillyboy
Mike
@Mike_Kunkle
Mike Kunkle
6:02 pm
Thanks for replying Mike. You make a very interesting point and provide a great solution for it as well. What’s nice is that you understand what I’m (and other people) are trying to do. It’s almost like tagging your tweets.
Carl
5:24 pm
Just wanted to tell you that Mary can’t even make fried chicken so the point is moot
Josh
6:52 am
Well teach her
Carl
1:28 pm