How to Find Hashtags on Twitter

How to Find Hashtags on Twitter

 

Hashtags are a popular way to start up a conversation about a specific topic within Twitter.  By putting the # sign before a subject, it creates a conversation that others can join.  For example, if I wanted to tweet about plastic surgery, I could include #plasticsurgery within my tweet and it would list my comment on the discussion being held within Twitter about that topic.   As you can imagine, a recent popular hashtag topic was #royalwedding. 

The challenge comes with finding all of the conversations you would like to join.  One site that is helpful is called What the Trend.  Mediabistro.com reported, “What the Trend shows you the top hashtag and non-hashtag trending topics. It lists the 10 top trending phrases at any given moment on Twitter, along with a short description of each. Just underneath the written description is how long ago this phrase started trending, and when it received its description. What the Trend also shows you the top trending topics in several geographic areas. You can also view all of the trends from the past 24 hours, and sort by verified trends, explained trends and much more.”

Trendistic is another site that can tell you just how popular a hashtag is on Twitter.  If you type in the hashtag phrase into their search, it can tell you not only the most recent conversations about that phrase but also how active it has been for the last 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, 90 days and 180 days. The site also gives embedding information so that you can put their charts on your blog or website.  Check out the right side of the main Trendistic site to see a list of the top trending topics.

TweepML Makes It Easy Finding People to Follow on Twitter Lists

image via tweepml.org

Twitter allows you to pick lists of people to follow that have been created by other people.  There may be times when you don’t to follow every single person on that list or you want to follow the entire list of them directly rather than through a list.  The solution:  TweepML is a simple format to make it easy for people to share a list of Twitter users “Tweeps”. 

If you click here  you can look for lists. I can type in a word like “jobs” and it will show lists and tell how many users are on that list.  If I should pick a list, it will pull up the entire list.  I can look at who is listed and follow the ones I want easily by keeping the automatic X that is next to their name or removing it from the ones that I do not want to follow.  You can clear all of the X’s and pick one at a time or keep all of the X’s and remove one at a time.

You can add TweepML to your website to make it easy for people to follow everyone on it with a single click.

If you want to see what lists are popular, the main page  contains a list of the most popular lists.   You can create your own list and share it with the world by clicking here. 

When original owner of the site, Marcelo Carbucci, put TweepML up for sale earlier this year, I wondered what the impact would be.  Since then, I have noticed a lot more activity with people finding me through their site.  I am curious to see how this site will grow under new management.

FREE Site PitchEngine: Get the Word out About Your Products or Company

Are you using Pitchengine to get the word out?  If not you should be. PitchEngine was has been around since 2008.  This site is for businesses and journalists in need of a better alternative to email for exchanging information and assets for publication and print.  Unlike traditional wire services, PitchEngine enabled users to openly create and share their own content, while including images, videos and attachments FREE for 30 days with other plans offered for a monthly fee. According to their site: In 2009, more than 70,000 pitches were shared by 27,000 organizations looking to get the word out to not just journalists, but to bloggers, consumers and other influencers as well. It’s easy to design your message.  They liken it to being as simple as filling out a Facebook page. You can add your pictures, videos or attachments.  After publishing, you can easily share your pitch with your friends and followers through your social networks, email and other methods. Once your message is published, journalists, bloggers and other readers can direct-message you privately to ask questions or give suggestions. And, you can track your pitch with our Google Analytics integration.  Some of the companies using their service include:  Zappos, Olive Garden, Mattel, Cisco, IBM, Xerox, British Airways, Lowe’s, Yamaha and more.