The Tuckers Take Tennessee: Tutorial Thursday: Twitter Hashtags & Lists

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Tutorial Thursday: Twitter Hashtags & Lists

12:00 AM |

Posted by Meghan

Dani suggested there be a tutorial on Twitter hashtags and lists. What a great idea! So, here we go...

by Twitter Icon

HASHTAGS

What is a hashtag?

Hashtags add additional context and metadata to your tweets. They're like tags and labels only added inline to your post. You can create a hashtag by prefixing a word with a hash symbol: #hashtag. Opt-in by following @hashtags to have your hashtags tracked.

How to use hashtags?

Start using hashtags in your tweets, preceding key words. Do a little research first to find out if the subject you're tweeting already has an established hashtag.

Track other tweets on the subjects you're interested by browsing/searching at Hashtags.org, TwitterGroups, TweetChat, TweetGrid, etc.

A few tips though:

1. Use sparingly. Don't overdo the hashtags. Use them when they will add value, not clutter up your tweet or add annoyance.

2. Focus on your update/status first and then add the hashtags. So, the idea is to join two words together using each word capitalized. For example: American Idol, a hashtag could be #AmericanIdol

Lists

What are Twitter Lists?

Twitter lists is an effective way for you to put together users into groups so you can keep up with what they are up to or tweeting about. The groups would look something like this: @meghantucker/christianmoms

How do I create a Twitter List?

1. Log into Twitter

2. Click on "new lists" (right below the search box) A window will then pop up and you should answer those questions.

3. Once you've created your list, you're ready to add members. You can search for people to add to your list. Or you can add people to the list from their profile page by clicking on the list button and checking the lists/boxes you want them to appear in. Another way to add users to your list is from any "following" page. Once you're on their page and youre either "following" or will show "follow", click on the "lists" button to the right.

Finding and following lists:

1. Listorious Listorious is a third-party site that maintains a categorized directory of Twitter lists. You can search or browse through lists by category, and find the most popular lists.

2. TweetMeme Lists TweetMeme also finds the most tweeted about Twitter Lists.

That's it! You're now a hashtag and list pro! So, start using them!

Was this tutorial helpful to you? Please let me know! Do you have tutorials you'd like to see here? Please comment or contact me and I'll see what I can do :)