Hashtags on twitter
One of the potential mysteries when you’re new on twitter is what do all the # tags mean.
What are they… and how do you know what to use?
Essentially, they’re simply keywords preceded by a hashtag (also called the pound sign or symbol) And they really help to group and organize conversation by topic. I’ve noticed that they also seem to help create a ‘buzz’ about a topic or event.
Let me explain by giving you an example…
At the moment I’m writing this post, I just heard (via twitter) that there was a plane crash in Denver (plane from Houston was landing and slid off the runway) and I’ll bet… if people are as people are… that if this is BIG news, within the next hour people will be tweeting about #denvercrash. That would be a very good thing because it would allow anyone interested to go to any of a variety of sites, search for the conversations where people are using #denvercrash in their tweet… which, because of the viral nature of twitter, is probably going to include some of the people with cell phones who just survived that crash. They are quickly able to update their friends and family!
Note- I just ‘made up’ that (common sense) keyword and put the hashtag in front of it. I sent out a tweet for a link to a good news source… and before I finished typing this sentence I’ve already received a tweet (with a link to a good news source right out of Denver) back… that was in less than a minute!
That particular hashtag may, or may not take off and be used by others on twitter. And if I go to:
http://search.twitter.com (or http://summize.com)
And type in denvercrash or #denvercrash these sites will bring up every tweet that includes #denvercrash (note: summize.com aka search.twitter.com is my favorite search site for finding trending topics and you can enter any term you want… the tweets will come up with or without the # and if you’re going to use hashtags.org you have to be following @hashtags)
Conceiving a twitter hashtag is something you just decide, you make it up… and assign it to the event or topic. So while the twitter hashtag that I made up may not catch on… someone’s WILL.
Sometimes the hashtag is self expanatory… like #denvercrash lets you know immediately that there was some kind of newsworthy crash in Denver… but was it a plane crash… phenomenal car crash… the specifics aren’t clear. But if you go to one of the sites listed above and do a search on the twitter hashtag you will usually get up to speed quite quickly.
It becomes a bit more challenging when you see a twitter hashtag made up of acronym’s like #TCR. (Which, by the way, stands for a Friday night show at http://twitcastradio.com ). I can promise you that if you don’t get the gist of what’s going on by searching the tweets for the twitter hashtag… just put out a tweet that includes it, ask what it’s about and you will receive a response quickly. Because if people are excited enough to tag their tweet, they’re excited about the topic or event!
From what I hear the whole idea of twitter hashtags started in 2007 during the San Diego forest fires when Nate Ritter used the hashtag “#sandiegofire” to identify his updates related to the disaster.
With so many people, including children, carrying cell phones consider the use of a family twitter hashtag codeword in case of emergencies or urgencies… perhaps for designating a request that everybody meet at a certain place.
They’re also powerful when people are attending events, conferences, meetups, etc. You can quickly search for what people are saying about it… and you’re also going to learn who is saying what, which can be helpful in getting connected with people you’d like to connect with.
Hashtag etiquette on twitter is still evolving. Realize that they are best used sparingly. That said, if you’re going to an event, online OR offline, you might want to toss out a twitter hashtag to get connected and ramp up some interest.
Remember… on twitter we’re limited to 140 characters so brief is best. That also explains the frequent use of acronyms – so if next week you plan to host the WILD and WACKY WEBINAR promote your event as #WWW by letting people know that’s the hashtag you’ve assigned to next weeks event and they can start spreading the news.
Hope this helps… any questions just ask.
A great list of sites for more information can be found at: http://twitter.pbwiki.com/Hashtags
tweet on!
Oh… and follow me at http://twitter.com/marykw
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These Blogs are Remarkable
Blogs are a great tool of communication… and highly valuable when they are truly, remarkable!
Today I thought I’d share with you some of the blogs that I especially appreciate for the valuable content they share as well as the way that content is delivered. Sometimes it’s the refreshing turn of phrase that keeps me coming back… sometimes it’s the sheer personality shine of the blogger that makes it worth it’s weight in gold… and sometimes, in the most remarkable blogs it’s a brilliant combination of it all!
I’ll be back to update this from time to time to add the new discoveries. And because this blog is about home business marketing I’ll keep this list to blogs that support that endeavor. 
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John Carlton’s Big Damn Blog – A brilliant copywriter who offers a great blend of the business and personal
Internet Marketing for Mommies – Jackie Lee – Chock full of tips, resources and how-to’s from this Mom who successfully works from home
twitter blog – because twitter is the Social Media freight train so it’s good to know what’s going on
Findable Blogs – Sarah Lewis – helping me gain greater clarity about how to make a blog better and how it fits into the greater scheme of things
Belief Busters Blog – John M. Fogg – Gets me out of my way so I can move my business (and my life) forward
How to Build a Better Blog – Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman – Geared toward the “Professional Business Blog” and still a rich resource for tips, tricks and what’s new for the Home Business Marketer too.
Pat O’Bryan’s Portable Empire Blog – because Pat speaks what’s on his mind, prepare for the refreshingly unexpected… along with great info about making money.
PotPie Girl – Jennifer Ledbetter – SEO, Niche Marketing, Squidoo Lens, PotPie Girl pretty much covers it all in a very clear, straight-forward and engaging way.
Unconventional Thinking – Mark Stevens – because… well… it serves us all to be exposed to ‘unconventional thinking’. Mark is simply brilliant!
blair warren’s crooked wisdom – Blair is highly entertaining, very wise and comes off as a ‘glass half empty’ kind of guy – yet his words fill my ‘glass’ right up.
The Virtual Handshake – David Teten and Scott Allen – Man, this blog has been around forever (in terms of ‘virtual’ time ) They were teaching building relationships online long before the term ‘Social Media’ even came along. They know of what they speak.
Seth Godin’s Blog – If we’re talking remarkable we really must include ‘Mr. Remarkable’ himself… he KNOWS and SHARES (in remarkable ways) marketing.
Upline365 – g – A fascinating read for the thinking network marketer. I’d like to see it updated more frequently and consistently but it’s always worth checking, if only to stir your juices.
The Marketing Blog of Perry Belcher – simply a ‘Don’t Miss’ if you want clear, practical and concise information about marketing your business online and effectively integrating social media.
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And that’ll do for now… after all, there are only so many hours in the day for reading blogs… ya gotta do a bit of writing and socializing too!!!
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Social Networks WORK!
By now everyone and their brother (sister?) has probably heard Perry Belcher’s take on Making Money using Social Media. I swear it’s like he crawled into my mind and watched the cartoon that is constantly running in the background!
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He puts it so well that I decided to post it here for those of you who may have missed it, rather than cause you to suffer through my cartoonish translations.
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I’ve been in the midst of a major move which has really impacted the time I’ve spent on certain tasks… like blogging. But I found it very easy, between emptying boxes and deciding how to make my new space absorb all my worldly goods, to hop on to twitter.com just to connect with other people and see what was going on. It was an amazing experience filled with a wonderful group of clever, caring and generously brilliant people! So after you watch Perry’s video, please come over and follow me at http://twitter.com/marykw and check out the AMAZING people I’m following! I highly recommend you follow them too.
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IF you’re new to using Social Media please feel free to leave any questions or concerns in the comments section. It’s a conversation we really want to have… after all, there’s a world full of wonderful people out there!
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Blogging for profit
Part of your home business marketing may involve BLOGGING.
What I’m talking about is using blogging to create greater visibility for your home business. It’s a great thing to add to your marketing ‘toolbox’ because it’s an inexpensive (even free) way to share your passion for and expertise around what your business has to offer while helping you drive traffic to your ‘sales’ page.
Finding Public Domain stuff
Information Super Highway is an apt description of the World Wide Web… the problem is, the signage isn’t quite up to speed with the available information.
Oh sure, the search engines are getting better at giving us the ‘off ramps’ likely to lead us to the information we desire… and still, it can take a lot of time to learn the best phrase to put into the search engine in the first place. It can take a lot of time to track down enough of the ‘right’ information… not to mention the time we have to spend learning how to apply that information most effectively.
Your Face – Your Brand
How do the people in your life see you?
How would your co-workers, your neighbors, your friends, your family, describe you?
Would you be surprised if those descriptions were very different depending on the group that’s talking about you?
It’s an interesting exercise to go ask a few people to share three words that they feel describe you. Try it… you may be surprised.
I’d like to point out that how they describe you is another way of saying you’ve been ‘branded’ by them in that way.
100 Million Dollar Challenge
In my neighborhood of the online marketing world, everyone and their sister is talking about Russell Brunson’s amazing $100 Million Challenge. And for good reason…
He’s rockin’ the world of Internet Marketing by giving away some amazing and powerful FREE training! Whether you’re newly starting a business from home or you’ve been in the trenches for awhile… you WILL find something to learn here. I can’t recommend it highly enough… and with no cost you simply can’t lose.
What’s Marketing?
With the use of the Internet, home business marketing has become a whole new world… and FAR easier than it ever was before!
Seems the first order of business on a brand new blog about marketing your home business would be to help people make the distinction between SALES… and MARKETING. They’re definitely ‘kissin cousins’ and often lead to confusion. While I don’t necessarily feel it’s critical to your success to be able to distinguish between them, I do find that clarity helps me focus with cleaner energy, giving me far more satisfying results. It just might be the case with you, too.
