To #Hashtag or Not To #Hashtag
October 14, 2014 11:20 AM Subscribe
The #Hashtag debate continues and it seems as though the only ones debating it are the ones who don't completely understand it.
#Octothorpe
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:25 AM on October 14, 2014 [13 favorites]
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:25 AM on October 14, 2014 [13 favorites]
But the effort to co-opt cool can backfire, Mr. Roan said. When someone is “watching a topic that’s trending and then whips up some contrived way to get their voice in that conversation, it’s very predatory and a super-false way to speak,” he said.)
The worst real-life example of this I've ever seen was a Christian summer camp around 1996. Each year they chose a new theme, and this particular year they leaders wanted to capitalize on the burgeoning interest in all things internet related. The forty-something and fifty-something administrators and directors batted around several different ideas before settling on a really cool new theme that would really get the kids excited: HeroesByFaith@Jesus.Com
posted by Pater Aletheias at 11:27 AM on October 14, 2014 [21 favorites]
The worst real-life example of this I've ever seen was a Christian summer camp around 1996. Each year they chose a new theme, and this particular year they leaders wanted to capitalize on the burgeoning interest in all things internet related. The forty-something and fifty-something administrators and directors batted around several different ideas before settling on a really cool new theme that would really get the kids excited: HeroesByFaith@Jesus.Com
posted by Pater Aletheias at 11:27 AM on October 14, 2014 [21 favorites]
#hashtagsaredumb
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 11:29 AM on October 14, 2014
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 11:29 AM on October 14, 2014
The worst real-life example of this I've ever seen
....was a production of Moliere for high school students with rap interludes. This was in the early nineties, a production by a (completely white and very obviously not part of any burgeoning French hip-hop scene) French theater company visiting the US. It was the worst. I still remember some of the interludes, since they were so spectacularly bad. It was my first ever education in the meaning of flow, because these people didn't have any and didn't seem to understand that rap wasn't just "speaking words that rhyme in a vaguely rhythmic manner".
It was the worst.
posted by Frowner at 11:31 AM on October 14, 2014 [16 favorites]
....was a production of Moliere for high school students with rap interludes. This was in the early nineties, a production by a (completely white and very obviously not part of any burgeoning French hip-hop scene) French theater company visiting the US. It was the worst. I still remember some of the interludes, since they were so spectacularly bad. It was my first ever education in the meaning of flow, because these people didn't have any and didn't seem to understand that rap wasn't just "speaking words that rhyme in a vaguely rhythmic manner".
It was the worst.
posted by Frowner at 11:31 AM on October 14, 2014 [16 favorites]
(Also, I don't even remember which Moliere it was. Tartuffe, maybe? But I remember the interludes.)
posted by Frowner at 11:32 AM on October 14, 2014
posted by Frowner at 11:32 AM on October 14, 2014
“If this was the year 1300,” he said, “we would be communicating sending falcons. If this was 1988, we would use FedEx. Now it’s 2014, we use hashtags.”
I love you will.i.am. How does the NYT style subsequent mentions of the quondam Black Eyed Pea? Mr. Am? Mr. I.am?
Also, in an attempt to horrify my teenage daughter, I have convinced her that I am trying to start a hashtag for when things are total crap -- #hashtagtrashbag. Yes, that hashtag includes the word hashtag within it. To use it in a sentence, one might say, "Mr. I.am's solo work is #hashtagtrashbag."
posted by Rock Steady at 11:33 AM on October 14, 2014 [15 favorites]
I love you will.i.am. How does the NYT style subsequent mentions of the quondam Black Eyed Pea? Mr. Am? Mr. I.am?
Also, in an attempt to horrify my teenage daughter, I have convinced her that I am trying to start a hashtag for when things are total crap -- #hashtagtrashbag. Yes, that hashtag includes the word hashtag within it. To use it in a sentence, one might say, "Mr. I.am's solo work is #hashtagtrashbag."
posted by Rock Steady at 11:33 AM on October 14, 2014 [15 favorites]
"The olds."
rolls eyes
Man, oldsters can't even get the jargon that we young millenials use to describe them. Everyone knows that anyone over the age of 13 years and 4 months is referred to as a "pilltween" until they turn 21, at which point they're referred to as "skrilla." But people over the age of 35, of course, are referred to as "hashtag-old-media" or "olderbillies."
Unless of course you're using west-southern-eastern coast classic, in which case "olds" might sometimes be correct, but only to refer to someone who is actually not older than 35 but is acting like a total olderbillie.
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 11:34 AM on October 14, 2014 [26 favorites]
rolls eyes
Man, oldsters can't even get the jargon that we young millenials use to describe them. Everyone knows that anyone over the age of 13 years and 4 months is referred to as a "pilltween" until they turn 21, at which point they're referred to as "skrilla." But people over the age of 35, of course, are referred to as "hashtag-old-media" or "olderbillies."
Unless of course you're using west-southern-eastern coast classic, in which case "olds" might sometimes be correct, but only to refer to someone who is actually not older than 35 but is acting like a total olderbillie.
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 11:34 AM on October 14, 2014 [26 favorites]
is 33
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 11:35 AM on October 14, 2014
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 11:35 AM on October 14, 2014
It's rare that I see a person over twenty using hashtags where I don't get the same visceral feeling as seeing a 45 year-old man wearing Ed Hardy at their kid's evening high school orchestra recital.
posted by docpops at 11:36 AM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by docpops at 11:36 AM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
I find #hashtags and @user mentions to be a useful shortcut when writing, but when actually reading text, I find them distracting and unnecessary.
I made a browser extension called Readable Twitter that removes the # and @ symbols from my twitter timeline, but keeps the hyperlinks so the hashtags and mentions still work. The result is definitely more readable, at least to me.
If you are part of the pro-readability crowd, you can install the Readable Twitter plugin in Chrome and Firefox.
posted by rajbot at 11:38 AM on October 14, 2014 [9 favorites]
I made a browser extension called Readable Twitter that removes the # and @ symbols from my twitter timeline, but keeps the hyperlinks so the hashtags and mentions still work. The result is definitely more readable, at least to me.
If you are part of the pro-readability crowd, you can install the Readable Twitter plugin in Chrome and Firefox.
posted by rajbot at 11:38 AM on October 14, 2014 [9 favorites]
Made of Star Stuff: "Man, oldsters can't even get the jargon that we young millenials use to describe them."
I'm still just swingin' on the flippity flop.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:38 AM on October 14, 2014 [24 favorites]
I'm still just swingin' on the flippity flop.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:38 AM on October 14, 2014 [24 favorites]
If the #hashtag trend in advertising leads to anything as amusing as McDonalds advocating having sex with their cheeseburgers, I will be happy.
posted by Curious Artificer at 11:38 AM on October 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Curious Artificer at 11:38 AM on October 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
Hashtags make middle management feel like they're totally 21st c. and with-it, even if they're not. Whether this is good or bad or matters at all in the grand scheme of things largely depends on whether you work for them.
posted by aught at 11:39 AM on October 14, 2014
posted by aught at 11:39 AM on October 14, 2014
“Bae” (pronounced “bay”) is a term that is increasingly found on social sites. Depending on the context, it is used as a shortened version of “babe” or an acronym for “before anyone else.”
"Is a term that is increasingly found on social sites."
Go home.
posted by ourt at 11:39 AM on October 14, 2014 [12 favorites]
"Is a term that is increasingly found on social sites."
Go home.
posted by ourt at 11:39 AM on October 14, 2014 [12 favorites]
I am and always will be a big fan of anything which forces writers and editors of the NYT and similar to search urban dictionary for word meanings.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:42 AM on October 14, 2014 [15 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 11:42 AM on October 14, 2014 [15 favorites]
but whoever taught my boss to call email spam an "e-blast" will be the first into the wicker man
posted by poffin boffin at 11:42 AM on October 14, 2014 [50 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 11:42 AM on October 14, 2014 [50 favorites]
We're #1, right?
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:42 AM on October 14, 2014
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:42 AM on October 14, 2014
Pater Aletheias: "HeroesByFaith@Jesus.Com"
Hmmm, seems like Jesus would be a .org.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:44 AM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
Hmmm, seems like Jesus would be a .org.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:44 AM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
Jesus.mil
posted by griphus at 11:45 AM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
posted by griphus at 11:45 AM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
once upon a time maybe but lbr these days it is all about the .biz
posted by poffin boffin at 11:45 AM on October 14, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 11:45 AM on October 14, 2014 [5 favorites]
I'm trying to think if I've ever seen anything good come out of non-ironic hashtag useage. Some of the Ferguson coverage, possibly?
posted by Artw at 11:45 AM on October 14, 2014
posted by Artw at 11:45 AM on October 14, 2014
All I know is that people who use hashtags on Facebook should have the habit hammered out of them with the goddamned Ludovico Technique.
posted by COBRA! at 11:46 AM on October 14, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by COBRA! at 11:46 AM on October 14, 2014 [5 favorites]
Remember back in the '90s when a bunch of ads had old people in them saying "It's the '90s, you know" to describe some supposedly hip thing they were doing?
Of course you don't remember that, you're young enough to use hashtags. Well now it's our turn to torment the youth of today with our misunderstanding of your culture. #sux2bu
posted by ckape at 11:47 AM on October 14, 2014 [7 favorites]
Of course you don't remember that, you're young enough to use hashtags. Well now it's our turn to torment the youth of today with our misunderstanding of your culture. #sux2bu
posted by ckape at 11:47 AM on October 14, 2014 [7 favorites]
“Bae” (pronounced “bay”) is a term that is increasingly found on social sites. Depending on the context, it is used as a shortened version of “babe” or an acronym for “before anyone else.”
"Is a term that is increasingly found on social sites."
Go home.
Beat me to it. Did the people at the NYT not notice what happened when Time magazine made that mistake? Classic Columbusing.
I am and always will be a big fan of anything which forces writers and editors of the NYT and similar to search urban dictionary for word meanings.
Yes, but what they don't seem to get is that by the time a word or expression hits Urban Dictionary it's probably either already been around for a while or it's not really trending in the hashtag sense.
posted by fuse theorem at 11:52 AM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
"Is a term that is increasingly found on social sites."
Go home.
Beat me to it. Did the people at the NYT not notice what happened when Time magazine made that mistake? Classic Columbusing.
I am and always will be a big fan of anything which forces writers and editors of the NYT and similar to search urban dictionary for word meanings.
Yes, but what they don't seem to get is that by the time a word or expression hits Urban Dictionary it's probably either already been around for a while or it's not really trending in the hashtag sense.
posted by fuse theorem at 11:52 AM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
If this was 1988, we would use FedEx.
Ah yes, who can forget how the FedEx communications craze of the late 80's inspired the R&B classic "Priority Overnight My Love 2 U (Saturday Delivery Checked)"
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:54 AM on October 14, 2014 [37 favorites]
Ah yes, who can forget how the FedEx communications craze of the late 80's inspired the R&B classic "Priority Overnight My Love 2 U (Saturday Delivery Checked)"
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:54 AM on October 14, 2014 [37 favorites]
ckape: "Remember back in the '90s when a bunch of ads had old people in them saying "It's the '90s, you know" to describe some supposedly hip thing they were doing?"
Subarus are so punk rock.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:55 AM on October 14, 2014
Subarus are so punk rock.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:55 AM on October 14, 2014
Pater Aletheias: "HeroesByFaith@Jesus.Com"
Hmmm, seems like Jesus would be a .org.
What? .gov or .hv for sure.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:56 AM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
Hmmm, seems like Jesus would be a .org.
What? .gov or .hv for sure.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:56 AM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
“If this was the year 1300,” he said, “we would be communicating sending falcons. If this was 1988, we would use FedEx. Now it’s 2014, we use hashtags.”
I love you will.i.am. How does the NYT style subsequent mentions of the quondam Black Eyed Pea? Mr. Am? Mr. I.am?
No matter what the New York Times calls him, we know he's not Professor I.am, Department of Medieval Studies.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 11:58 AM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
I love you will.i.am. How does the NYT style subsequent mentions of the quondam Black Eyed Pea? Mr. Am? Mr. I.am?
No matter what the New York Times calls him, we know he's not Professor I.am, Department of Medieval Studies.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 11:58 AM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
I'm trying to think if I've ever seen anything good come out of non-ironic hashtag useage. Some of the Ferguson coverage, possibly?
It's nice if you're at an event and can see peoples' tweets.
posted by sonic meat machine at 11:59 AM on October 14, 2014 [7 favorites]
It's nice if you're at an event and can see peoples' tweets.
posted by sonic meat machine at 11:59 AM on October 14, 2014 [7 favorites]
I'm trying to think if I've ever seen anything good come out of non-ironic hashtag useage.
arab spring, for one.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:01 PM on October 14, 2014 [7 favorites]
arab spring, for one.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:01 PM on October 14, 2014 [7 favorites]
ROU_Xenophobe: "What? .gov or .hv for sure."
Not .gov, I don't think - "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" after all.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:05 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Not .gov, I don't think - "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" after all.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:05 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hashtags, emoji, etc, these things are probably not going away. I don't see anything wrong with a new grammatical construct that adds context to the words around it. Sure, we don't want it formal writing, but in the context of music and fashion? Not even an argument worth having. Let art be art.
posted by jeffamaphone at 12:07 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by jeffamaphone at 12:07 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
OnwardChristianSoldiers2000@jesus.mil
posted by jeffamaphone at 12:07 PM on October 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by jeffamaphone at 12:07 PM on October 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
All I know is that people who use hashtags on Facebook should have the habit hammered out of them
C'mon, they're good for #irony. The one I can't stand is the @ogre_lawless address form when shooting back comments here. Does that even have a name? I understand how it pervades across given the lack of normative forms but still, sets my teeth upon edge. #getoffmylawn
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:08 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
C'mon, they're good for #irony. The one I can't stand is the @ogre_lawless address form when shooting back comments here. Does that even have a name? I understand how it pervades across given the lack of normative forms but still, sets my teeth upon edge. #getoffmylawn
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:08 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
I do not want live in a world without themed food crossovers.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:09 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:09 PM on October 14, 2014
I just really fucking hate it when bad tumblr people post hashtags in the textarea below image posts instead of in the tag section as all right-thinking people know is correct.
they too must burn
posted by poffin boffin at 12:09 PM on October 14, 2014 [6 favorites]
they too must burn
posted by poffin boffin at 12:09 PM on October 14, 2014 [6 favorites]
I love watching shibboleth's rise and fall.
Cohesive subgroups will always build something new to show who is in the know and who is not; I think the fascinating thing now is how desperately people in relative power are to be "in" while not accepting any of the consequences that led to the inness, which is often being poor, being of color, being excluded from standard means or measures of success. New things always have an overabundance of the disenfranchised from the previous system, then as the thing becomes older it becomes taken over by the same establishment that disenfranchised people to begin with.
The only way to understand bone deep how the words should be used is to be immersed in the culture, which is why people who come in from the outside and people who observe from the outside can be equally tone-deaf. One of my first experiences with shibboleths as an outsider was when a black co-worker of mine used the term "phat" around me and was startled when I was baffled by it; she kindly explained it to me. My black language quirks are the "yo" and "fo'nizzle" ones, which are ancient now but which still make me incredibly happy. While I can catch some of the nuances of some sub-group languages through some of the more public-facing sources, I'm unlikely to use them simply because neither "throwing shade" nor "you've been read" would make sense to most of my audiences (yo, and fo'nizzle are both humorous tone changes, not actual specialized language), and I really don't have edges in the meaningful sense (anyone who can peg which sub-group I'm listening to gets a cookie!). I do have lots of FEELS, but my sharing of them again tends to be group specific.
By definition, most of the wealthy, older, white people can't be immersed in the culture because joining another culture (as opposed to appropriating it - see also: twerking) is an act of humility. It's also often referring to cultural traditions and practices which are much older than the immediate iteration, and appeared in communication with those previous iterations, and so much of the nuance is lost outside of the native context. Ironically, what people seem to seek in appropriative culture is the item free of nuance and presented as if it arrived, Aphrodite-like, full grown on the shore. As I examine how US culture gets reinterpreted in other countries (Japan is a fantastic one for this) it seems more and more as if this is simply the standard human response to Culture I Am Unaware Of Until Now; it's the power differentials which make it problematic.
#beanplating #this could be a tumbler post #I don't understand twitter anyway #yo
posted by Deoridhe at 12:13 PM on October 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
Cohesive subgroups will always build something new to show who is in the know and who is not; I think the fascinating thing now is how desperately people in relative power are to be "in" while not accepting any of the consequences that led to the inness, which is often being poor, being of color, being excluded from standard means or measures of success. New things always have an overabundance of the disenfranchised from the previous system, then as the thing becomes older it becomes taken over by the same establishment that disenfranchised people to begin with.
The only way to understand bone deep how the words should be used is to be immersed in the culture, which is why people who come in from the outside and people who observe from the outside can be equally tone-deaf. One of my first experiences with shibboleths as an outsider was when a black co-worker of mine used the term "phat" around me and was startled when I was baffled by it; she kindly explained it to me. My black language quirks are the "yo" and "fo'nizzle" ones, which are ancient now but which still make me incredibly happy. While I can catch some of the nuances of some sub-group languages through some of the more public-facing sources, I'm unlikely to use them simply because neither "throwing shade" nor "you've been read" would make sense to most of my audiences (yo, and fo'nizzle are both humorous tone changes, not actual specialized language), and I really don't have edges in the meaningful sense (anyone who can peg which sub-group I'm listening to gets a cookie!). I do have lots of FEELS, but my sharing of them again tends to be group specific.
By definition, most of the wealthy, older, white people can't be immersed in the culture because joining another culture (as opposed to appropriating it - see also: twerking) is an act of humility. It's also often referring to cultural traditions and practices which are much older than the immediate iteration, and appeared in communication with those previous iterations, and so much of the nuance is lost outside of the native context. Ironically, what people seem to seek in appropriative culture is the item free of nuance and presented as if it arrived, Aphrodite-like, full grown on the shore. As I examine how US culture gets reinterpreted in other countries (Japan is a fantastic one for this) it seems more and more as if this is simply the standard human response to Culture I Am Unaware Of Until Now; it's the power differentials which make it problematic.
#beanplating #this could be a tumbler post #I don't understand twitter anyway #yo
posted by Deoridhe at 12:13 PM on October 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
I like hashtags. Especially for joke parties on Twitter like, #TWEETLIKEHEMINGWAY or #RuinABandName
posted by mmrtnt at 12:14 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by mmrtnt at 12:14 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
I like to think of hashtags as the 2014 equivalent of capitalizing random words for emphasis.
We hold these #Truths to be #SelfEvident: that #AllMenAreCreatedEqual, that they are endowed by their creator with certain #UnalienableRights, and that among these are #LifeLibertyAndThePursuitOfHappiness.
posted by steveminutillo at 12:16 PM on October 14, 2014 [5 favorites]
We hold these #Truths to be #SelfEvident: that #AllMenAreCreatedEqual, that they are endowed by their creator with certain #UnalienableRights, and that among these are #LifeLibertyAndThePursuitOfHappiness.
posted by steveminutillo at 12:16 PM on October 14, 2014 [5 favorites]
I'm trying to think if I've ever seen anything good come out of non-ironic hashtag useage. Some of the Ferguson coverage, possibly?
this isn't really "good" per se but oh my god Nancy Grace's Twitter feed
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 12:18 PM on October 14, 2014 [8 favorites]
this isn't really "good" per se but oh my god Nancy Grace's Twitter feed
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 12:18 PM on October 14, 2014 [8 favorites]
Facebook supports hashtags and search... I don't see why people get upset by #hastagsonfacebook. I mean, yeah, nobody uses facebook's search, but the contextualization is often funny.
posted by jeffamaphone at 12:20 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by jeffamaphone at 12:20 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, if you've posted a picture of a baby in a floppy hat, nothing takes it over the top like a good #blessed underneath it.
posted by COBRA! at 12:23 PM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
posted by COBRA! at 12:23 PM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
I like to think of hashtags as the 2014 equivalent of capitalizing random words for emphasis.
I'd be inclined to disagree. I think hashtags are closer to a tl;dr at the end of a post, which shows up a few places still, but reads as very 1990s to me. It's a way of shifting the context by boiling things down to simplicities. That's why long and elaborate hashtags are so funny, and why people play games with overlapping and conflicting hashtags as well.
posted by Deoridhe at 12:23 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
I'd be inclined to disagree. I think hashtags are closer to a tl;dr at the end of a post, which shows up a few places still, but reads as very 1990s to me. It's a way of shifting the context by boiling things down to simplicities. That's why long and elaborate hashtags are so funny, and why people play games with overlapping and conflicting hashtags as well.
posted by Deoridhe at 12:23 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
I think hashtags are closer to a tl;dr at the end of a post
That is a great way to look at it too, especially because it implies that a 140 character tweet is TOO LONG UGH GET TO THE POINT ALREADY.
posted by steveminutillo at 12:26 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
That is a great way to look at it too, especially because it implies that a 140 character tweet is TOO LONG UGH GET TO THE POINT ALREADY.
posted by steveminutillo at 12:26 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
Rustic Etruscan: "this isn't really "good" per se but oh my god Nancy Grace's Twitter feed"
One of the few things I liked about the movie Gone Girl was fake Nancy Grace.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:27 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
One of the few things I liked about the movie Gone Girl was fake Nancy Grace.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:27 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
this isn't really "good" per se but oh my god Nancy Grace's Twitter feed
OMG did Jim Norton go off on the #BoxesOfBabies or whatever it was. Very entertaining. #YOLO #SWAG #OLDS
posted by MikeMc at 12:34 PM on October 14, 2014
OMG did Jim Norton go off on the #BoxesOfBabies or whatever it was. Very entertaining. #YOLO #SWAG #OLDS
posted by MikeMc at 12:34 PM on October 14, 2014
I so fondly hope that all this is seen as a laughingstock in 10 or 20 years, like the parachute pants of communication.
posted by thelonius at 12:35 PM on October 14, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 12:35 PM on October 14, 2014 [6 favorites]
#i kind of like parachute pants they did neat things in breezes
posted by Deoridhe at 12:41 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Deoridhe at 12:41 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
poffin boffin, I'm actually really fascinated by Tumblr's use of hashtags. I think the platform really affects how people use them.
People paste or write hashtags on Tumblr because the tags don't attach to reblogs. I might hide some comment I want to make in the tags on Tumblr, because I know it can't be reblogged without effort. People get silly with the hashtags on Tumblr on purpose and then other people who want to share that praiseworthy hashtag use with others have to paste them into the main body of the post to preserve them.
posted by Gor-ella at 12:54 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
People paste or write hashtags on Tumblr because the tags don't attach to reblogs. I might hide some comment I want to make in the tags on Tumblr, because I know it can't be reblogged without effort. People get silly with the hashtags on Tumblr on purpose and then other people who want to share that praiseworthy hashtag use with others have to paste them into the main body of the post to preserve them.
posted by Gor-ella at 12:54 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
Subarus are so punk rock yt .
I had repressed all memory of that ad. And this one, which is.....worse. Maybe.
posted by thelonius at 12:54 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
I had repressed all memory of that ad. And this one, which is.....worse. Maybe.
posted by thelonius at 12:54 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Now I really want to see a #Molière production with #rap interludes.
posted by dominik at 12:57 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by dominik at 12:57 PM on October 14, 2014
#parachutepants
#newjackswing
#rollerblades
#crystalpepsi
In case you are wondering if you are old, consider the fact that my teenage daughter's preferred outfit these days is a flannel shirt, torn jeans and combat boots. #grunge
posted by Rock Steady at 12:58 PM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
#newjackswing
#rollerblades
#crystalpepsi
In case you are wondering if you are old, consider the fact that my teenage daughter's preferred outfit these days is a flannel shirt, torn jeans and combat boots. #grunge
posted by Rock Steady at 12:58 PM on October 14, 2014 [10 favorites]
I'm still just swingin' on the flippity flop.
23 skidoo!
posted by Foosnark at 1:02 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
23 skidoo!
posted by Foosnark at 1:02 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
People get silly with the hashtags on Tumblr on purpose and then other people who want to share that praiseworthy hashtag use with others have to paste them into the main body of the post to preserve them.
That's not what I'm talking about, though. I'm talking about people who post their own images and include regular tags in the tag area of their post and ALSO include the same tags as a line of hashtags in the textarea.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:04 PM on October 14, 2014
That's not what I'm talking about, though. I'm talking about people who post their own images and include regular tags in the tag area of their post and ALSO include the same tags as a line of hashtags in the textarea.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:04 PM on October 14, 2014
Tumblr doesn't need a hash for its tags anymore than Metafilter does - it's a bullshit affectation.
posted by Artw at 1:08 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:08 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
I love watching shibboleth's rise and fall.
Wait, what? That anti-shibboleth was deliberate, right?
posted by ambrosen at 1:08 PM on October 14, 2014
Wait, what? That anti-shibboleth was deliberate, right?
posted by ambrosen at 1:08 PM on October 14, 2014
So hashtags are the pound signs, right?
This is just a silly little article. And it’s even sillier when someone wants to turn it into #AnotherMeFiLOLOldesThread
That said, if you’re in communications, how to use social media correctly/ appropriately for your particular organization/ brand is a huge issue. I am older than many managers/ coworkers at my day job. I remember typewriters and whiteout, and when media relations was sending out mass-mail releases via USPS and publications were only produced on printers.
But the challenges of the social media age for me is not that I don’t get it. Rather, it’s the job to convince staid institutions to even have a SM presence, that this is where their audience is, not reading newspapers or even emails, or watching TV.
And then the challenge of choosing from all the options, and to use it in a solid mainstream way without looking #Corny to all you #HepCats. #FarOut
posted by NorthernLite at 1:08 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is just a silly little article. And it’s even sillier when someone wants to turn it into #AnotherMeFiLOLOldesThread
That said, if you’re in communications, how to use social media correctly/ appropriately for your particular organization/ brand is a huge issue. I am older than many managers/ coworkers at my day job. I remember typewriters and whiteout, and when media relations was sending out mass-mail releases via USPS and publications were only produced on printers.
But the challenges of the social media age for me is not that I don’t get it. Rather, it’s the job to convince staid institutions to even have a SM presence, that this is where their audience is, not reading newspapers or even emails, or watching TV.
And then the challenge of choosing from all the options, and to use it in a solid mainstream way without looking #Corny to all you #HepCats. #FarOut
posted by NorthernLite at 1:08 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
When I take photos on Instagram of a particular friend of mine I'll hashtag his name in there, that way when he gets brought up in conversation about something a photo I took relates to I can just go look up the hashtag and find the photo quickly rather than browse through hundreds of photos to find what I'm talking about. My other friends do this with him too, it makes things a lot easier (my friend group references each other very often).
I also think hashtags are incredibly useful when there are major world events occurring. The hashtags used for the Boston bombings and Dorner made it a lot easier to see up-to-date news.
posted by gucci mane at 1:11 PM on October 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
I also think hashtags are incredibly useful when there are major world events occurring. The hashtags used for the Boston bombings and Dorner made it a lot easier to see up-to-date news.
posted by gucci mane at 1:11 PM on October 14, 2014 [4 favorites]
Are tag clouds remembered outside of our Popular Tags page?
posted by Artw at 1:13 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by Artw at 1:13 PM on October 14, 2014
The way you folks feel about people using inappropriate hashtags is the way I feel about people using inappropriate @ symbols here on Metafilter.
posted by Justinian at 1:20 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by Justinian at 1:20 PM on October 14, 2014
The way you folks feel about people using inappropriate hashtags is the way I feel about people using inappropriate @ symbols people confusing "it's" and "its" here on Metafilter.
posted by aught at 1:22 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by aught at 1:22 PM on October 14, 2014
YES that too initiates my murder sequence programming.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:22 PM on October 14, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 1:22 PM on October 14, 2014 [5 favorites]
When I saw that ABC was launching that Selfie sitcom, I kinda hoped that a show called #Hashtag would be next.
posted by malocchio at 1:24 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by malocchio at 1:24 PM on October 14, 2014
People use hashtag in speaking, as an exclamation, or a shorthand to describe a feeling, and I have to remember to take a deep breath and turn away when they do.
posted by oneironaut at 2:02 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by oneironaut at 2:02 PM on October 14, 2014
Hashtags aren't cool, they're just a useful tool for finding things on social networking sites.
Also it really annoys me when clueless pop culture outlets (CBS, commercials) render hashtags with both the # symbol AND the word hashtag. Why would you put the word hashtag in your hashtag? It wastes letters and means nothing.
posted by Sara C. at 2:06 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also it really annoys me when clueless pop culture outlets (CBS, commercials) render hashtags with both the # symbol AND the word hashtag. Why would you put the word hashtag in your hashtag? It wastes letters and means nothing.
posted by Sara C. at 2:06 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Misusers gonna misuse #Hashtag GetOverIt
posted by ckape at 2:11 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ckape at 2:11 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
#blessed
posted by COBRA! at 2:13 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by COBRA! at 2:13 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
I've been working on the web professionally since 1997, and I'm still continually flummoxed by how difficult it is for people to get really simple concepts like hashtags.
posted by lodurr at 2:19 PM on October 14, 2014 [8 favorites]
posted by lodurr at 2:19 PM on October 14, 2014 [8 favorites]
#MOON
posted by Artw at 2:27 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 2:27 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yes, but what they don't seem to get is that by the time a word or expression hits Urban Dictionary it's probably either already been around for a while or it's not really trending in the hashtag sense.
tl;dr If you've read this post this far #justgiveup
posted by sammyo at 2:28 PM on October 14, 2014
tl;dr If you've read this post this far #justgiveup
posted by sammyo at 2:28 PM on October 14, 2014
I've been working on the web professionally since 1997, and I'm still continually flummoxed by how difficult it is for people to get really simple concepts like hashtags.
In fairness, hashtags emerged as a total hack way of putting tags on tweets, and tags themselves emerged out of keywords and are differentiated primarily by cool kids wanting a "folksonolmy" and not a "AOL circa 1992".
So nobody is going to say "it's just like AOL keywords, gramps" to clear things up.
posted by Artw at 2:31 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
In fairness, hashtags emerged as a total hack way of putting tags on tweets, and tags themselves emerged out of keywords and are differentiated primarily by cool kids wanting a "folksonolmy" and not a "AOL circa 1992".
So nobody is going to say "it's just like AOL keywords, gramps" to clear things up.
posted by Artw at 2:31 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
#PlateOfBeans
posted by clvrmnky at 2:36 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by clvrmnky at 2:36 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
In re: NorthernLite
I was part of a skewed-old endeavor which was urged to get on the bandwagon with a Twitter and a Facebook presence. One young person dutifully volunteered to keep those accounts up-to-date. Then some shit hit the fan. The younger part of our market preferred to communicate problems in public, at volume, in 4 or 8 or 16-tweet strings. Our social media person had at least 38 hours/day worth of work attempting to handle the load.
Today I passed a laundry truck which featured Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube logos on the side. Who is working those accounts? Why? If you rip my comforter am I supposed to send you a YT video of it?
posted by Jesse the K at 2:41 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
I was part of a skewed-old endeavor which was urged to get on the bandwagon with a Twitter and a Facebook presence. One young person dutifully volunteered to keep those accounts up-to-date. Then some shit hit the fan. The younger part of our market preferred to communicate problems in public, at volume, in 4 or 8 or 16-tweet strings. Our social media person had at least 38 hours/day worth of work attempting to handle the load.
Today I passed a laundry truck which featured Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube logos on the side. Who is working those accounts? Why? If you rip my comforter am I supposed to send you a YT video of it?
posted by Jesse the K at 2:41 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
#lolbutts
posted by poffin boffin at 2:44 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 2:44 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
The #Hashtag debate continues and it seems as though the only ones debating it are the ones who don't completely understand it.
I don't even understand what the final "it" in this sentence refers to.
posted by telstar at 2:58 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
I don't even understand what the final "it" in this sentence refers to.
posted by telstar at 2:58 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
where I don't get the same visceral feeling as seeing a 45 year-old man wearing Ed Hardy at their kid's evening high school orchestra recital.
As long as the late Ed Hardy put the lotion on I don't see the problem.
posted by srboisvert at 3:02 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
As long as the late Ed Hardy put the lotion on I don't see the problem.
posted by srboisvert at 3:02 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
I've been working on the web professionally since 1997, and I'm still continually flummoxed by how difficult it is for people to get really simple concepts like hashtags.
I find it easier to pretend they don't exist.
posted by kanewai at 3:04 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
I find it easier to pretend they don't exist.
posted by kanewai at 3:04 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
Hashtags? Or people?
posted by Chrysostom at 3:27 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 3:27 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
Wait seriously does tl;dr sound '90s to you? We didn't tl;dr in the 90s, we only had r because there were no inline gifs, and we LIKED it that way!
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 3:32 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 3:32 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
Jesse the K:
One young person dutifully volunteered to keep those accounts up-to-date. Then some shit hit the fan. The younger part of our market preferred to communicate problems in public, at volume
That was the comment I heard eight years ago at this college (yes, it's a college that's been continually behind the ball in adapting the latest SM sites). My counter-argument - people are out there in twitterverse/gramland talking about the organization anyway, might as well address it.
I've been impressed lately how quickly companies are to respond to me when I complain about them on twitter. Not even when I'm directly addressing @SoandSoCompany, but just saying #SoandSoCompany has really messed up.
posted by NorthernLite at 5:29 PM on October 14, 2014
One young person dutifully volunteered to keep those accounts up-to-date. Then some shit hit the fan. The younger part of our market preferred to communicate problems in public, at volume
That was the comment I heard eight years ago at this college (yes, it's a college that's been continually behind the ball in adapting the latest SM sites). My counter-argument - people are out there in twitterverse/gramland talking about the organization anyway, might as well address it.
I've been impressed lately how quickly companies are to respond to me when I complain about them on twitter. Not even when I'm directly addressing @SoandSoCompany, but just saying #SoandSoCompany has really messed up.
posted by NorthernLite at 5:29 PM on October 14, 2014
I pretty much only use hashtags as ironic asides, with the one exception being when I'm tweeting snark about bad horror movies and try to keep them all in #badmovienight so people who want to read the aftermath can do so easily and everyone else knows to just ignore those tweets.
posted by Scattercat at 6:11 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by Scattercat at 6:11 PM on October 14, 2014
#1 quidnunc kid
posted by the quidnunc kid at 6:19 PM on October 14, 2014 [8 favorites]
posted by the quidnunc kid at 6:19 PM on October 14, 2014 [8 favorites]
I don't get the people who are all "Hashtag selfie!" while speaking in real life. Oh good god. That doesn't even make sense to do that other than you are being obnoxious. I'm not overly fond of hashtagging, but at least it has a use and purpose online. (Looked dumb when I saw it in a book, though.) IRL? Come on.
I also second the thought of "why do you need to have web presence on six different "social media" sites, especially if it's FUCKING LAUNDRY or some other boring business. Why on earth do you want to read Sunshine Cleaning's Twitter feed? I'm grateful that my office was all, "Yeah, nobody is actually reading our Twitter and Facebook" and stopped using it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:37 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
I also second the thought of "why do you need to have web presence on six different "social media" sites, especially if it's FUCKING LAUNDRY or some other boring business. Why on earth do you want to read Sunshine Cleaning's Twitter feed? I'm grateful that my office was all, "Yeah, nobody is actually reading our Twitter and Facebook" and stopped using it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:37 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
I bet "e-blast" derives from "fax blast." Funny because "fax blasts" are often benevolent like a vendor warning customers about a recall, but someone decided it should sound violent.
posted by aydeejones at 6:39 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by aydeejones at 6:39 PM on October 14, 2014
I_am_an_Innovator!#
posted by Chitownfats at 6:43 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by Chitownfats at 6:43 PM on October 14, 2014
Bring back UUCP and bang paths, I say. uucp!com!{twitter, facebook, tumblr, ello, owdy}!username for all your social media aggregation needs, why not?
posted by RedOrGreen at 6:59 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by RedOrGreen at 6:59 PM on October 14, 2014
poffin boffin: "but whoever taught my boss to call email spam an "e-blast" will be the first into the wicker man"
Really? Because to me, that sounds perfect.
Marketer: "We'll notify our target audience with an e-blast!! (that's a technical term that means 'exciting e-mail'!!)"
- Sends e-mail to boss.
Boss: "Oh, great, another e-blast (that's a technical term that means 'spam')."
posted by Bugbread at 7:17 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Really? Because to me, that sounds perfect.
Marketer: "We'll notify our target audience with an e-blast!! (that's a technical term that means 'exciting e-mail'!!)"
- Sends e-mail to boss.
Boss: "Oh, great, another e-blast (that's a technical term that means 'spam')."
posted by Bugbread at 7:17 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
jenfullmoon: "I don't get the people who are all "Hashtag selfie!" while speaking in real life. Oh good god. That doesn't even make sense to do that other than you are being obnoxious."
Perhaps they are robots, speaking to other robots, and are tagging their spoken comments for future lookup?
posted by Bugbread at 7:18 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
Perhaps they are robots, speaking to other robots, and are tagging their spoken comments for future lookup?
posted by Bugbread at 7:18 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
"Hashtag selfie. Repeat: hashtag selfie. Require extraction at point Bravo Delta. Control, respond: hashtag selfie."
posted by griphus at 7:26 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by griphus at 7:26 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
"This is Control, loud and clear, team Hotel Golf, repeat, loud and clear. Protocol in the event of hashtag selfie forbids extraction from any local sector. The operation is compromised. You are on your own, Hotel Golf, repeat, on your own. Control, over and out."
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:38 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:38 PM on October 14, 2014 [3 favorites]
This thread hits close to home. College girls go missing, kids shoot kids, hot air balloons crash, and we have discussions at my workplace about what hashtags we're going to use when we promote those news stories.
(And then we have discussions about how relatively unpopular Twitter is to our audience compared to the engagement levels we see on Facebook.)
posted by emelenjr at 9:35 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
(And then we have discussions about how relatively unpopular Twitter is to our audience compared to the engagement levels we see on Facebook.)
posted by emelenjr at 9:35 PM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]
oops#
posted by maxwelton at 11:20 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by maxwelton at 11:20 PM on October 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
poffin boffin, I think the hashtags-in-Tumblr-post-body problem arises when people set up automatic crossposting from Instagram. At least, that's where I've always seen it. (And a lot of the time, the post has Tumblr tags in their rightful place as well. :-/ ) It annoys me too, because it looks like such an obvious bug and one that should be relatively easy to fix. It's certainly done nothing to make me want to use Instagram.
posted by daisyk at 11:57 PM on October 14, 2014
posted by daisyk at 11:57 PM on October 14, 2014
(There's also the practice of pasting a previous reblogger's tags into the body of a post when reblogging it yourself, to show up commentary that would otherwise not have been carried over, or to respond to it yourself, but I don't think that's what poffin boffin meant.)
posted by daisyk at 12:04 AM on October 15, 2014
posted by daisyk at 12:04 AM on October 15, 2014
bugbread: Boss: "Oh, great, another e-blast (that's a technical term that means 'spam')."
I worked in advertising for about 8 years, and everyone I ever worked with on the agency side wanted to call them "e-blasts." I finally gave up trying to communicate to them just how awful that term sounded on the client side.
posted by lodurr at 8:31 AM on October 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
I worked in advertising for about 8 years, and everyone I ever worked with on the agency side wanted to call them "e-blasts." I finally gave up trying to communicate to them just how awful that term sounded on the client side.
posted by lodurr at 8:31 AM on October 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
Today I was reading some article about the latest mass-death-threat against Anita Sarkeesian, and in the comments some self-identified gamergater used the formulation "gamergate#". #ironyfilter
posted by lodurr at 8:33 AM on October 15, 2014
posted by lodurr at 8:33 AM on October 15, 2014
bugbread: Perhaps they are robots, speaking to other robots, and are tagging their spoken comments for future lookup?
dude, you just gave me the best fucking story idea...now if only i could write comedy....
posted by lodurr at 8:36 AM on October 15, 2014
dude, you just gave me the best fucking story idea...now if only i could write comedy....
posted by lodurr at 8:36 AM on October 15, 2014
I think the hashtags-in-Tumblr-post-body problem arises when people set up automatic crossposting from Instagram.
YES I was just noticing this very thing this morning and making the baby eats lemon face at instagram posts. A pox upon them all.
posted by poffin boffin at 9:35 AM on October 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
YES I was just noticing this very thing this morning and making the baby eats lemon face at instagram posts. A pox upon them all.
posted by poffin boffin at 9:35 AM on October 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
Classic Columbusing.
I'm at the point where I automatically assume any new bit of terminology I'm not familiar with has been stolen from AAVE, misunderstood, misused, bastardised, and then had its coining attributed to, I don't know, maybe Iggy Azalea?
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 6:35 PM on October 15, 2014
I'm at the point where I automatically assume any new bit of terminology I'm not familiar with has been stolen from AAVE, misunderstood, misused, bastardised, and then had its coining attributed to, I don't know, maybe Iggy Azalea?
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 6:35 PM on October 15, 2014
Hashtags are fantastically useful and certainly around to stay. They enable conversations across public spaces, and are interesting as a form of meta-commentary and aside. You might as well complain about marginalia, or text citations.
Hashtags have played a notable part in facilitating social justice movements (#YesAllWomen, #NMOS14), so it's surprising how many people here are rejecting them as shallow.
Sure, it can be annoying when people say "Hashtag" in spoken conversation. But that's like hating on smartphones because you're sick of people making "iPood" and "iFad" jokes.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 7:16 AM on October 17, 2014
Hashtags have played a notable part in facilitating social justice movements (#YesAllWomen, #NMOS14), so it's surprising how many people here are rejecting them as shallow.
Sure, it can be annoying when people say "Hashtag" in spoken conversation. But that's like hating on smartphones because you're sick of people making "iPood" and "iFad" jokes.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 7:16 AM on October 17, 2014
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I'd rather we not give her what she wants.
posted by benito.strauss at 11:25 AM on October 14, 2014 [2 favorites]