Twitter

Hashtags have been used on Twitter for several years. In fact, hashtags were created by Twitter users in order to identify topics of particular interest, and make the tweet more accessible to a wider audience. Essentially you are tagging, or optimizing your tweet, like you would tag a blog post. By  placing a hashtag before a keyword or category in your tweet, you are adding it to a “list” of tweets about that subject – subjects that are searchable on Twitter. So when a Twitter user wants to find information on that subject, your tweet will have a greater chance of being seen because you have hashtagged/categorized it.

For example, if I wrote a post on the Laine List about how much my son likes Justin Bieber, and how we share a birthday, and I want it noticed and read by Bieber fans, my tweet might look like this: “Happy birthday Justin Bieber! #Beliebers” followed by a link to the post. Beliebers is a group of J. Bieb’s fans, and a group that will keep the twitter conversation going. Technically, this tweet could be seen by thousands of fans and will stick around for a long time. Realistically, because there are so many fans, this tweet will get burried in minutes. Still worth the effort though, because SOMEONE will see it, and perhaps retweet (RT) it.

When a large number of people categorize a particular keyword in a short amount of time, it becomes a trending topic. Usually this is some sort of breaking news, something controversial,  or something special happening on television. Think State of the Union address, American Idol finale, Super Bowl, OJ and the white bronco (if only we had Twitter back then!) Trending topics generally go away as fast as they show up, so keep your blog posts and your tweets timely!

Hashtags can also be used so people can follow a big event. For example, at the annual BlogHer conference, BlogHer topic moderators create categories with hashtags so people who cannot attend the conference can follow along in semi-real time.

Facebook

Hashtags do not have a place on Facebook, per se. There is no categorization or trending topics on Facebook, and no real conversation to find and add to with the use of hashtags. BUT, you do see hashtags used on Facebook, generally by people who have their Facebook page linked to their Twitter page. For example, one of my recent status updates on the Elaine Griffin Designs page was, “What do you want to know about #Pinterest, #Twitter, and hashtags?” I used hashtags because I have my two accounts linked, so what I post on Facebook automatically gets posted on Twitter. You can find more information about linking accounts on this Facebook page.

Another way you will see hashtags used on Facebook are when people are using the hashtag to convey some sort of emotion, irony, exasperation, or some general personality. It is used to emphasize that you might be saying something breathlessly or quietly, or even something that you might be yelling. For example, last week when I was unable to work because my computer was broken, my status update was, “Computer in the shop=extended vacation! #getbacktowork!”

The Do’s and Don’ts of Hashtagging

Of course there are rules and ettiquite associated with the use of hashtags. They are all pretty common-sense rules that apply across the social media world, which is basically don’t spam people and be relevant.

1. DO use hashtags anywhere in your tweet or status update.
2. Do NOT use more than two hashtags in a single tweet/post – if you do, you will look like a spammer.
3. DO hashtag relevant keywords only. Do NOT hashtag words just to get attention and drive traffic to your site. Again, with the spam.
4. Do NOT hashtag the same thing over and over just to get attention. Only do this if you have something relevant to add to the conversation, which should be evident in the rest of your tweet.

Common Hashtags for Freelancers and Bloggers:

Common hashtags for freelancers, writers, and bloggers who would like to showcase their work, are looking for work, or who are interested in  networking  include #amwriting, #amediting, #job,  #watercoolermoment, #jelly, #blogging, #bloggintips, and #wordpress. Obviously, this is a very short list, but hopefully enough to get you started.

Other Resources:

For another interesting article on hashtagging, go see my friend MJ Monaghan. Also, see Twitter for more information on hashtags and trending topics.

Comin’ Up:

Come back next week so you can learn how to use hashtags on Pinterest, Instagram, and in your blog titles!

Do you have questions about using hashtags on Twitter and Facebook? Is there information you would like me to include in the next part of this series? 

After this blog post was published I realized that Pinterest is not supporting iFrames. This means when a viewer clicks on your board through your Facebook app, they are directed to a blank page, rather than being directed to your board, as was happening when I first tested the app. Using a Pinterest app on your Facebook page is still a great way to engage your fan base and give them a slice of what and who you are. Please read below to see how you can give alternate views to your Pinterest site, which will allow viewers to be directed to your profile and other boards.

Creating a Pinterest app for your Facebook Timeline is an effective way for your fans to connect with you on two platforms in one shot.  There are a lot of steps, so it might seem tricky, but bear with me and you will not be disappointed!

Creating the App:

First, go to the Facebook Developers page, and at the top of the page, choose “Apps.”

Next, click, “create new app.”

Fill in the app name, and proceed through the developer verification process, if you are not already a verified developer. Don’t worry, it will only take a minute!

You will be brought to the app “settings” page, and here you will fill out the rest of the info.

Basic Info – What to Fill Out:

The “App Namespace”  is a way for you to define your app and will be the name of your canvas page. One example would be yourname_pin. You don’t have to fill this in.

Also fill out your “Contact Email” if it is not filled out for you. And that is all you have to fill out for the basic info.

Next you will select how your app integrates with Facebook. Here you are going to choose “Website,” “App on Facebook,” and “Page Tab.”

Other Info – What to Fill Out:

Website:

The site URL will be your Pinterest ULR, for example, http://www.pinterest.com/example.

Edited to improve:

Instead of directing viewers to your Pinterest boards, you can direct them to all of your pins. Directing to pins allows viewers to click through directly to your Pinterest site. So, rather than directing to your Pinterest URL, direct them to your Pinterest *pins* URL. For example: http://www.pinterest.com/example/pins.

App on Facebook:

Here, in the “Canvas URL” space, you are going to enter the same URL you added above, but you are going to put a forward slash (/) at the end. For example, http://www.pinterest.com/example/.  In the “Secure Canvas URL” space, you are going to add the same URL, but you are going to put an “s” in the http part (https://www.pinterest.com/example/).

Page Tab:

Your “Page Tab” name will be Pinterest. The “Tab URL” and “Secure Tab URL” will be the same as the Canvas and Secure Canvas URL’s listed above, but without the forward slashes.

Do not worry about the “Page Tab Edit URL.”

For “Page Tab Width,” you are going to choose 850 pixels. That is the largest you can choose at this point, and although there will still be a horizontal scroll on your app canvas page, which can be annoying to some users, I think it is still worth it to have the integration. I think the “cool” factor of it all is enough to win over annoyed users.

Now you are done with this part, so hit “save changes.”

Installing the App:

Next you are going to install the app on your Facebook page. Paste the following address into your address bar, but before you hit enter, there ARE changes to be made:

https://www.facebook.com/dialog/pagetab?app_id=YOUR_APP_ID&next=YOUR_URL

NOW, you need to replace YOUR_APP_ID with your app ID, which can be found below your app name.

You will also need to replace YOUR_URL with your canvas URL (http://www.pinterest.com/example/.)

Hit enter and you will be taken to a page and prompted to add the page tab.

Now, when you add it, you might be directed to a page that looks like your Pinterest page – don’t get confused. Just go back to your Facebook account, go to your fan page, and you will see your app there, but you will have to edit it in order to use a custom app image.

Editing the App Image:

In order to edit your app, you need to expand your app space, so just go ahead and hit the little down arrow. Then hover over your app until the pencil appears, click it, and choose “Edit Settings.”

Next click “Change” next to “Custom App Image.” On the next page, hit “Change” again, and you will be prompted to upload your image.

And guess what? I’ve already re-sized a Pinterest logo image right here for you! Hooray! Just right click and save it to your computer for uploading.

And now you are done – go show all your friends and fans, and please share this tutorial with them!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful, and feel free to contact me with any questions! If you would like to see the app in action, visit my Facebook page!