Why do people feel they need to use hashtags for everything they say? Are Hashtags getting into the way of your message? Does using too many Hashtags make the person posting hashtags look foolish?
Let me ask you..do you need to use Hashtags? Do you have Hashtag Insecurity?
I have written on this subject before so I won’t beat a dead horse, but geez…the Hashtag phenomena just keeps going on .
Do You Really Need That Many #Hashtags?
Are Hashtags Getting In the Way of Your Message?
How Many Hashtags Are Enough?
So, do you really need Hashtags? Hashtags started with someone feeling they needed to find a way to index their post or content all in an effort to feel the content had a better chance in being found. Well, obviously things got out of hand and the ‘Cuties” of the social networks ran with using Hashtags as a form of communication. Hashtags were created as a link everyone could click on and it took the viewer to all the content posted for that Hashtags. Kinda a useful tool to use, that is until they were abused to near worthlessness.
SpamFest
Now, there are millions of people who still use Hashtags as a form of message. Unfortunately, the Spammers have taken over Hashtags. Since there is no lock on who can use or click on a Hashtag it was just a matter of time before the dark side of the internet moved in and stunk up the party with Spamming the Hashtag stream.
ReThing Hashtags
Things have changed..well, actually they have never changed when it comes to the basic reason Hashtags were developed. Google, the almighty controller of all content on the internet, indexes all words used in all content so there never really was a reason for Hashtags.
This means that if you search a word on Google all content with that word will come up in the search field. Granted, Google Search of a word really is an overkill since most people are not interested in everything on a keyword. This overkill was probably why Hashtags were developed.
Positive Uses
There are some good usages for Hashtags. Events are a prime candidate for using a Hashtag to gather all social content being posted for that event. However..there are those dam spammers who ruin that as well. Business blogs and websites also could benefit greatly using a Hashtag by Hastagging a article. Brands or large businesses with a large media presence also could find using Hashtags as a benefit in gathering all social content associated to their product or services.
However, enough is enough.
Hashtags Have Lost Value
According to a study covered by Re\code, Hashtags do NOT actually lead to more engagement on promo campaigns. Even Adweek reports that journalist are now avoiding using Hashtags to keep from being drawn into a political fray of negativity.
So, why are you stilling using Hashtags? Do you actually click on them or use them or even care? Most people I ask this question say they use Hashtags because they were either told by and “Social Influencer” they need to use them if they want to be Cool, or they use them because they see everyone else use them. Granted there are some Hashtags that are humorous which shows a person’s sense of humor, but the toll a person pays to show their creativeness is high, especially when the cute Hashtag they posted is captured by a Troll.
Stop using Hashtags as a toy and if you feel you need to use Hashtags, think about what you are doing and be prepared to manage the negative reactions. If you can’t do that, don’t use Hashtags. Your social community who is trusting you to post awesome content will thank you.
Let me know how I can help.
