Can someone explain the obsession with hash-tags?
 

It is bad enough that texting abberviations (lol, roflmao, wtf...etc.) is becoming more and more accepted as proper grammar, now folks are using twitter-based experssions laden with hash-tags.

Instead of writing "I'm like the new Porsche Cayman" they are writing: "#NewCayman #veryimpressed."

I can kind of understand why folks appreviate words - but adding ##### all over the place? How does that make a sentence more readable? #stupid. #wasteoftime #dontunderstand.

Might as well start writing things in Cobol or Javascript or straight up HTML code.

Am I missing something here? What's next? Communicating in bleeps and other computer noises?

Getting off my soapbox,
-Z-man.

I'm with you, I really dislike that and don't understand it either.

With multiple social media platforms, I've noticed quite a bit of people making "twitter friendly" posts that cross-post to multiple sites through "apps" like Hootsuite. Even though we may see their post on, say, Facebook, where the hashtags do nothing, the post was intended for Twitter where it has a function.

If you post a hashtag on Pelican, you deserve public ridicule or a forearm to the eyebrow. Your choice.

#agreed

Ur a # h8r.

Speaking of Hashtag obsessions....

I don't read or do anything on Twitter simply because I am not interested in the minute by minute activities of people who lead miserable, pathetic lives: I have my own miserable pathetic life to worry about -- thank you very much. :D

So -- inform me -- what purpose do hashtags server on Twitter?

-Z.

@kaisan #hahaha

Hashtag - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

metadata for searching and ranking ("trending")

I don't do Twitter at all either. I had to sign up a few years ago because someone said a client had said something nice about me. So I needed to see it. Haven't touched it since and I still get emails saying I have new followers, even though I don't think I have ever posted anything there and know I haven't logged in since around 2008.

Anyway, some of those hashtags are put there so people can track them via Facebook or retweets. I actually have a lot of clients who do this, as they have to do monthly reports on where they were mentioned in the social media world. It's a lot easier to filter out irrelevant results when you have a unique hashtag.

This is largely true. However I have found Twitter to be a great resource for following motorsports. You can get up to the minute news and other informal communication and opinion that don't necessarily make it to more traditional web or print media.

This probably won't help

Parents named their daughter Hashtag? - SFGate

I just don't have a need to be THAT well-informed. Most people don't, not matter what their level of self-importance. :)

its also a great way to keep up with what lindsay lohan is doing

I can't imagine posting every little function I perform throughout the day so some loser with a useless information fetish can abuse himself on my behalf. I hate everything thing about twitter and even the idea itself.

I didnt think I would but I love twitter. I follow race teams and series and various tracks and other news. It fits my short attention span perfectly. I dont follow any kids or people I know....

#firecrotch?

None of these things bother me. On the other hand, network or server crashes do.

Keep smiling. :)

Yikes! :eek:

oh wait, I thought you were talking about these kind of tags. Silly me...

http://www.drugnet.net/resources/gal.../hashish92.jpg

Ok - I can understand why a company would want to track how many times certain keywords like Cayman, Porsche, GT3...etc. are used in social media. HOWEVER, why would I hastag words like "happy" "sad" or "confused" ?? If you hastag everything, then vital information can be lost in the noise.

Further -- if I only use hastags for keywords which are valuable for trending, that means I am making aware my likes and dislikes to marketing agencies which can now track me via social media. While I have nothing to hide, I also do not want to be inundated with useless spam and cold-calling. If I am interested in a Cayman, I don't need to hashtag it -- I can simply go to a Porshe dealer and look at one, test drive one, and buy one, without 1,000,000 useless twitter & facebook posts telling me about a Cayman.

I guess folks don't understand that when it comes to social media, "if you aren't paying for a service, you aren't the customer -- you're the product." And, "The only privacy notice on social media you need to learn: if it is private, DON'T POST IT!"

Now, if you'll excuse me, #gottagopoop
-Z-man.