BendTech

You’ve probably seen people use the # pound sign in Twitter posts, and maybe you’ve wondered what they’re for. They’re called hashtags, and they’re mighty useful.

What’s a # hashtag symbol mean?

A hashtag is a great way for people to organize around a topic on Twitter. Think of them as categories, or ‘tags’ that can be used to identify tweets related to specific topics.

For example, if you search for Bend (without a hashtag) on Twitter, you’ll probably get something like this:

Anything with the word “bend” was found. However, if you search for #Bend, you’ll find what you’re looking for:

Hey, it’s Bend, Oregon! If you’re looking for (or talking about) activities in Bend, use #inbend:

Ok, that’s cool.. so how do I search Twitter like that?

You’ve got a lot of options, but here are a few popular methods.

Twitter Search – it’s on the right hand side of the page when you go to your Twitter profile:

Topsy – nice search that sorts tweets by popularity:

And it shows top authors for a given topic, which is a good way to find people you might like to follow:

Another good search is Twubs, which shows related hashtags, like #centraloregon and #bendites:

If you prefer to browse, the Twubs homepage provides a nice index of hashtags by category:

Fantastic! Can anyone use hashtags?

Yes! You’ll find them especially useful for events, such as the #ppp or #ignite-bend. Go for it, and don’t be shy – help us give Bend a voice in the Twitterverse!

Next Post: How to Market #YourBrand on Twitter