Can I get a side of hashtags with that?

[Christy_Loerzel]

Hashtags—or # symbols, such as #SYMCPartners—are digital markers used to identify keywords or topics in a Tweet on Twitter. They were created organically on Twitter by users as a way to categorize and find messages more easily.

According to Twitter:

• People use the hashtag symbol # before a relevant keyword or phrase (no spaces) in a Tweet to categorize the Tweet and help it show up more easily in a Twitter Search—think of it as you would a keyword entered into a search in Google or Bing—an identifiable word or phrase so you can more quickly find what you’re looking for.
• Clicking on a “hashtagged” word in any message shows you all other Tweets marked with that tag or keyword.
• Hashtags can be used anywhere in a Tweet—at the beginning, middle or end.
• “Hashtagged” words or phrases that become very popular often become “Trending Topics.”
• If you use a hashtag in a Tweet on a public Twitter account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag can find your Tweet
• You don’t want to #spam #with #hashtags. In other words, don't overuse hashtags in a single Tweet. Twitter recommend using no more than two hashtags per Tweet.
• Only use hashtags on Tweets relevant to the tag being used. In other words, don’t use #gravy in a post about about apple pie—unless you’re partial to gravy on your apple pie, in which case….

How Symantec uses hashtags on our partner Twitter account

The Symantec Partners Twitter account uses hashtags to target relevant audiences and create conversations or become involved in conversations around relevant topics.

The following outlines the hashtags for the Symantec Partners @SYMCPartners Twitter feed. Use it as a guide for which hashtags to use on your own accounts and to find content you’re intestest in reading and/or retweeting.

Our Symantec partner hashtag is #SYMCPartner. Appropriate use of this tag and other subject-matter hashtags can help you bring Symantec and or solutions into conversations among you, your customers and your peers.  

Symantec and Community Hashtags

• #SYMCPartners—Used to categorize partner-specific content posted by @SYMCPartners; any content that is directly relevant to partners can be tagged with this hashtag
• #BetterBackup—Used when promoting Backup Exec 12 content. Note: @BackupExec may also be mentioned in relevant tweets
• #NetBackup—Used when promoting Net Backup content. Note: @NetBackup may also be mentioned in relevant tweets
• #BYOD—Used when sharing content related to the Bring Your Own Device theme
• #SymIntel—Used when sharing content related to the Symantec Intelligence Report
• #SymISTR—Used when sharing content related to the Internet Security Threat Report
• #Archiving—Used when sharing content related to Enterprise Vault
• #Security—May be used when discussing security-related content; typically appended to tweets when space is available
• #Cloud—May be used when discussing cloud computing-related content
• #Mobile/#Mobility —May be used when discussing mobile/mobile security-related content and/or mobile devices
• #Virtualization—May be used when discussing virtualization-related content
• #SMB—May be used when discussing Small and Medium Sized Business-related content

In some cases, @SYMCPartners uses hashtags in an ad hoc format, for instance if we post content from other teams who have supplied content using a non-standard hashtag. If the hashtag is only expected to be used for a short period of time, it will be used and discarded. However, if the hashtag will be used frequently (for instance, as #BetterBackup now is), then it is built into our ongoing hashtag strategy.

What hashtags to you like to use  for your own tweets? What tags do you think we should add to our list?

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See the complete Symantec Partner Social Media Series