A few days ago I posted that “I Finally Understand Hashtags on Twitter.” But I spoke too soon. After posting that, I tried to use one of the Hashtag commands listed on the original, referenced blog post – specifically follow #twitip. I have been unable to figure out where to use that command… it doesn’t work in Twitter and there doesn’t seem to be a way to enter it at Hashtags.org. Without being able to follow a specific Hashtag in Twitter, I was back to asking my original question, “What is the advantage of Hashtags over just a regular Twitter search?”

After doing more research (that I should have done before adding that original post; I apologize to my readers for not being as thorough as usual), I think there are some cases where Hashtags can be much more useful than a regular search. (Although I still haven’t found any way to use the listed Hashtag commands.)

Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on Hashtags and I haven’t used them myself. I’ve simply spent a good deal of time over the past couple of days trying to figure them out. I welcome your comments to correct any misinformation or add any additional information.

As far as I can tell, there are 3 ways to sort Tweets using Hashtags.

1. Hashtags.org – Basically a repository of Hashtags that are being used. Tweets containing Hashtags are indexed in real time so you can search for and follow conversations for a particular group. Unfortunately, the site is very busy and my browser times out frequently.
2. Twemes.com – Also real time tracking of Tweets containing Hashtags. Although sometimes slow, presumably because of heavy use, it hasn’t timed out for me yet.
3. Twitter Search – Search for a specific Hashtag and bookmark the page to easily return for updates.

The other advantageous uses I found are:

• Using a Hashtag to distinguish a common term that a group is using. For example, #Humor is a popular tag that further refines a search that would result in many more results when searching for just humor. However, a term like o2litmus doesn’t seem to produce many more results than #o2litmus.
• In my opinion, the biggest advantage to using Hashtags and the best way to follow them is by subscribing to a group via RSS at Hashtags.org or Twemes.com. Even non-Tweeters can follow via RSS.
• Hashtags have been very useful to victims and their families during disasters such as the terrorist attacks in Mumbai (#Mumbai) and California wildfires (#sandiegofire).
• Conference organizers and attendees often use Hashtags to communicate as a group.

I have also seen reference to Hashtags for SMS and instant messaging as well as mention of TwitterGroups and Twitter Tracking. There may be additional advantages for these applications that I haven’t yet discovered.

So there you have it… everything I learned about following Hashtags. They seem to be more and more popular and my guess is that Twitter and others will likely improve existing tools and develop new ones. In the meantime, I think following a Hashtag via RSS is your best bet.

Please add your comments. Do you use Hashtags in your Tweets? Are you following any groups by Hashtag and if so, what following method are you using?

Editors note: A few days after posting this, I researched more information about Hashtags and updated my understanding in the new post, More on Understanding Twitter Hashtags.

Thanks to Kelly’s post at Profitable Mommy Blogging and TwiTip’s explanation I finally understand the use of Hashtags on Twitter.

Before reading those posts, I couldn’t figure out the advantage of Hashtags over just a regular Twitter search. Why would I want to search for #wahm (with the #-sign) instead of just plain old wahm? It turns out that Hashtags are about much more than search. With Hashtags, you can follow topics in addition to following people, or even follow a specific topic for a specific person. And by using Hashtags you Tweet to groups who are interested in the specific topic.

Clear as mud? TwiTips explains it much better than I. Check out their post at the link above.

Do you follow or broadcast using Hashtags? Which are you following and which are you broadcasting to? I’m off to find some groups to follow.

Maybe not… read my comment below. :/