The Science Behind the Hashtag

The science behind hashtags is pretty simple. It was developed to help organize posts and get them seen by those interested in the topic, who may not have seen it otherwise.

When used properly, hashtags can be a huge benefit on Twitter and Facebook. They categorize your tweets/post, making them more easily found in searches. It also helps others find your tweets/post and your school page, which usually leads to gaining a follower or at least gaining interaction. Here are some things to know about hashtags.

• Hashtags are used to categorize a tweet or Facebook post
• You use the hashtag symbol (#) before a relevant keword or phrase to help your tweet or post show up more easily in a search
• Clicking or tapping on a hashtagged word in any message shows you other Tweets that include that hashtag.
• Hashtags can be included anywhere in a Tweet or post.
• You cannot add spaces or punctuation in a hashtag, or it will not work properly.
• If you Tweet or post with a hashtag on a public account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find it.
• We recommend using no more than 2 hashtags per Tweet/ Post as best practice, but you may use as many hashtags as you like.
• Type a hashtagged keyword in the search bar to discover content and accounts based on your interests.

We’ve put together a top five list of district hashtag dos and don’ts:

1. Don’t use spaces and punctuation in a hashtag. Wrong: #fostering accountability. Right: #fosteringaccountability. Don’t use spaces or punctuation in your hashtags. It will end the hashtag at the exact spot you use them. Most likely, this will result in your hashtag not making sense, or not saying what you want it to say.
2. DO use our district hashtags. We have come up with some district hashtags in our Provo Way campaign and would love your help promoting. Remember, when you use hashtags they become searchable and we are making a huge push to promote the #TheProvoWay. This means you could potential help YOUR page by using these district hashtags.
3. DON’T mistake @ for #. The @ symbol is used to in a twitter handle or to point at a Facebook person or page whereas the # is a search tool. The @ symbol is a great thing to use if you would like to reference the district in or another school in a post.
4. DO use upper and lower case. You want people to be able to read your hashtag. #ImAPro is much easier to read than #imapro. This comes down to readability. #ILoveSchool and #iloveschool will return the same results.
5. DON’T go crazy with your hashtags. Use actual words to get a message across. Two hashtags is a great rule of thumb.

Here are our district hashtags. We encourage you to always use #TheProvoWay and one other.

• #TheProvoWay
• #FosterAccountability
• #FosteringAchievement
• #SupportingCollaboration
• #EmbracingCommunication
• #NurturingCommunity
• #EmbracingDiversity
• #SupportingEfficiency
• #SupportingHighAchievement
• #ForwardingInnovation
• #FocusingOnStudents
• #CultivatingTransparency
• #BuildingTrust
• #WhyITeach
• #ThrowBackThursday
• #FunPhotoFriday

Download Hashtag Presentation (pdf)