Hashtags

When hashtags first started appearing I rolled my eyes. That would never catch on. And then they did. #likecrazy

But I swore I wasn't going to participate. It was trendy. It was hard to read. #especiallywhenpeoplewrotesentencesinahashtag It just wasn't me.

But as I learned more about marketing I realized that hashtags are important and they give people a way to find you, for you to connect with people with similar interests, and to categorize your work. So I started using them. Sparingly. One or two here and there.

I didn't think they were doing much or that anyone would ever actually find me through hashtags. And then Buzzfeed taught me I was wrong.

While waiting for the Pitocin to really kick in I was playing on my phone. I'd looked at everything on Facebook 3 times, scrolled back 2 years on Instagram (or so it felt), replied to emails, and read my scriptures for the day. I needed something else to do. So I went to Twitter.

Now, I'm not generally witty. And I still wasn't witty when I was in labor. But I gave it my best shot and wrote my 4th tweet on my new Twitter account.

"I can't say that riding in a helicopter at three in the morning was on my to do list today, but apparently it was on this baby's list. #inlabor"

That was it.

And one of my two followers liked it and so I gave myself a twitter high five. #highfive

And then two weeks later Buzzfeed posted an article called, "19 Tweets From Women in the Process of Giving Birth". And check out #4:

From one hashtag Buzzfeed found the tweet and shared it with their worldwide audience.

Now I'd love to say my Twitter followers have multiplied and replenished the earth, and that it led to skyrocketing blog views. Neither happened. But that's okay.

What did happen though wad that I learned hashtags do matter in social media. They can be a great tool, even for those of us with few followers. Especially for those of us with few followers! It's a way to connect, to reach out, to network, market, and search.

So now that this light bulb has turned on, I'm excited to see what light it sheds on the subject!

If you're on Instagram, check out #lareecommunity, #meetmarquette, and #mypinstrositylife for some peeks into my world!