Love Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr or Pinterest? Then you’re probably used to #hashtags. And that’s the one thing that was missing in Facebook until this month.

Hashtags first started by Twitter, allow social networkers an easy way to insert themselves into real-time conversations. If you’re watching your favorite TV show and you use their Twitter #hashtag, you may see yourself coming across the screen. Attending a seminar or expo in your field? If they use a #hashtag, you can instantly provide feedback to all those following the feed.

But why should you use this new Facebook feature? Think of it as a way of controlling traffic. Hashtags are searched, spidered, crawled and controlled more now than ever before. Hashtags aren’t just a Facebook thing – they are in all kinds of social networking sites. Meaning they are used cross-platform, meaning by using them in Facebook, you’ve now connected yourself to many other social platforms as well. Think of it as doing work in one area and having impact in many, many others.

Tips For Using Hashtags:

#The #First #Thing #You #Shouldn’t #Do #Is #Use #It #In #Every #Word
Now that hashtags have rolled out, I see people loading up their posts with hashtags – like this one.

Really? Does this look readable to you? Nope, and your followers won’t think so either. When you write, make sure you include one or two words per post, and use them interchangeably with real words That way as you have something to say about #photography, for instance, it flows as a real sentence. Using hashtags everywhere may seem like a good idea right now while its brand new, but in a very short period of time it’s the people that use it the right way that will come out on top. [Read more…]