Twitter, to all intents and purposes, is sort of like a secret society, which you are slowly inducted into through public humiliation and hazing. Okay, maybe they don’t make you run through the streets naked while chanting “BANGARANG, RUFIO!”, but you certainly have to make a complete fool of yourself until you’re well-acquainted with the guidelines and slang terms of Twitter.
@….Mention…Re-Tweet…Tiny URL…Small URL…Hashtags…180 Characters…Trends…Following…Followers…Lists…DM…PM…and there’s probably a BM, too…the list goes on and on…
I pride myself in knowing almost all these terms, and today, I take that last step in becoming fully initiated in the Twitterverse: I will finally use a hashtag, and I will know why.
Hashtags are applicable labels to your Tweets which sort of act like tags on blog posts. They organize ideas/thoughts/trends/topics all over Twitter so that you can search for, say, #ripePeruvianmelons, or #ChristianBaleRants. You simply apply a "”#”, or a hashtag, to your topic, and boom…instant organization. You are now a responsible Tweeter.
Most topics are pretty straight forward (#parenting, #beverages, #movies). However, there has been one hashtag that has continually perplexed me, and it’s time I put a stop to the madness. I present for your examination…the elusive hashtag:
#FF
So, you’re probably asking “What the FF?!?”, especially those of you who do not Tweet or cannot Tweet due to a pre-existing medical condition. “FF” stands for Follow Friday, Friend Follow, or even Followable Folks. Allow me to open your eyes, ears, and other orifices to what #FF really means, through the use of a brilliant comic from my new favorite website, The Oatmeal (copyright Matthew Inman, 2010):
Miracle on 32nd Street 