Advice from the Twitter Hashtag Queen - Steve Hargadon Said So!

I was honored when Steve Hargadon recently anointed me with the title of hashtag queen but many people are still in the dark about why they are important.  Hashtags provide a way for others who are interested in a particular topic to see what you have to say even if they're not following you.  In other words, it allows people to follow topics rather than each other.  Through Twitter and hashtags I have made amazing connections with people around the world and boy is it fun when we get to meet face-to-face.  In essence, I've had the pleasure of meeting the minds of so many before their faces, and Twitter provides an excellent way to keep the conversation going. 

If I've sold you on the idea and importance of hashtags, you may be wondering how the heck you know which ones to use.  My technique is doing a Twitter search for a topic of interest and see what folks are using.  For those of us interested in learning at school, at home, or in life, Online College Courses has put together a great list of hashtags.  By simply following these hashtags, you can get connected with discussion groups, resources, advice, and more. You may also want to use "@" to mention someone in particular. I'm @InnovativeEdu so if you wanted to send out a Tweet by virtually tap me on the shoulder you might Tweet something like this:

#Parenting question. I want to opt my #specialneeds child out of #standardizedtests . Hoping folks like @InnovativeEdu might have advice

You've now taped into three hashtags and you've gotten my attention as well through the "@InnovativeEdu" mention. Next it's time to let the connections and the conversation begin! 

Here's a great list of hashtags to check out and give a try. 
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