How to use hashtags in online conversations

Twitter gives you some help in identifying trending topics as well. When you login to Twitter, on the left-hand side is a box titled “Trends”. These are topics that are hot on Twitter and that you may consider joining in the conversation.Hashtags allow social media users to see who is talking about a specific topic. […]

Twitter gives you some help in identifying trending topics as well. When you login to Twitter, on the left-hand side is a box titled “Trends”. These are topics that are hot on Twitter and that you may consider joining in the conversation.
Hashtags allow social media users to see who is talking about a specific topic. This topic may be as casual as a reality TV show or as newsworthy as the presidential election. The topics you will want to join conversations about will depend on your business and your target market. If you are watching a TV show such as GLO Naija Sings, Tinsel or Idols West Africa, you might be interested in conversations featuring hashtags such as #GUSTheMission or #Tinsel or  any other interesting  topic which might generate comments from people. Or you could add a hashtag to a post of your own, inviting people who are interested in your topic to find, and join the conversation: It’s a beautiful day to swim. #GreatWeather!
To join a conversation on Facebook,  perhaps to comment on a post such as a voxpop, one could just type #DailyTrustWeekendVoxpop or #DailyTrustLTN in the searchbox on Facebook and it would lead him/her straight the post.
The use of hashtags may annoy you if your followers are persons that use them throughout their entire day. However, most people understand Twitter on a very basic level.  They know they can follow people, and also that people can follow them.  They also know they can create tweets that are up to 140 characters in length.  While they know these basic facts, they don’t know how to use Twitter to engage their audience.
When you include a hashtag in your tweet, a couple of things can happen.  First, people can find your tweet by conducting a hashtag search at Hashtag.org or any other hashtag directories.  All they need to do is type in the hashtag you used, and then your tweet will come up.  At that point, the person can read your post, follow your Twitter profile and click on your link.  This is a great way to reach new people.
Second, the tweet will jump out at your followers.  They will see the hashtag and immediately know what the tweet is about.  If they are interested in the category, there’s a good chance that they will read your tweet and click on your link.  Thus, you can use hashtags to engage your current followers and compel them to take action.
Tips for Using Hashtags: Understanding the basics of hashtags means knowing how you should use them. So here are some tips.
First, it’s important that you format your hashtags correctly.  If you don’t format them correctly, they won’t come up in hashtag searches.  That means you need to leave out the spaces, even if the category consists of more than one word.  For example, if you want to create a hashtag for a musical talent-hunt that would take place on Christmas day, you’ll need to tweet #ChristmasDayTalentHunt instead of #Christmas day talent hunt.
Second, use capitalization to make your hashtags stand out so that people can easily see what you are tweeting about.  If it is about a radio or television programme, the hashtag would still be searchable but it wouldn’t stand out to readers. For example, to make your tweet #standout while watching a TV show like Studio 53, you could say: “I just love this programme, it’s the best. #Studio53”. You can tweet funny things about your favourite characters in a soap opera e.g. Tinsel: “Did Angela Dede just slap that office assistant? Wow…that must have really hurt. lol #Tinsel”.
Finally, don’t use hashtags in all of your tweets.  Your followers might go into hashtag overload, which means they will start to ignore your hashtags.  Thus, just use them when you have a valuable tweet that you want to stand out.
Extra information from: www.standingdog.com/blog/usehashtags-online-conversation