I've got my Hashtag

"What is this hashtag phenomenon?"

I've seen this question in various Internet locations over the past few days. In trying compose an answer, even if just for my own self-clarification, I did some serious (*snort* yeah, right) introspection (*double snort* I'm a riot today) on why I Twitter at all.

I joined Twitter in my pre-blog days - I was just a young innocent, baptized in the ways of public self-absorption by my Facebook status updates only - after reading an article on author self-branding and social networking as a promotion tool. At first, I was really uncomfortable with my Tweets. What should I say? "Got up, drank coffee, stared at the blinking cursor death" sounded so blase. But that's where I started. Then gradually, I started to share observations, interesting web links, blog posts, and as my network grew, I discovered the powerful concept of RT (retweeting).

Great! Awesome! I'm part of the community, but where do we from here? Replies and Direct messages give Twitter a Facebook-y feel, but what about Twitter's most powerful feature, its Borg-like communal consciousness?

Combing through the "Everyone" list on Twitter might make your head explode - and a lot of people dig on a million posts an hour flying by on every topic from renaming the moon to relative merits of White-Out - but what if you're looking for something a little more specific? A discussion of last night's episode of Lost? Outrage over the latest American Idol flunky?

And that's where hashtags come in. A few simple letters or a short, evocative phrase following a # sign will bring all their accompanying comments into a single list, updated in real time. Too good to be true you ask?

Wanna read about why Locke is a douche? #lost
Swap iPhone tips and tricks? #iphone
Watchmen spoiler? #watchmen
People giving away free shit? Sure, why not! #free
Looking for a job? #jobs
Something more specific? #marketinggjobs, #ITjobs
Bitch about your flight being delayed...again? #americanairlinesucks
Debate the merits of the Congressional bailout? #stimpack
And if you've ever been included in a #followfriday Tweet, you know how many new followers that can generate.

For writers, #queryfail made Publisher's Lunch today, plus there's #writing, #editing, #publishing, #publishers, #ebook... I mean, you name it. Literally. That's the point. You can start your own at any time! THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF IT!

Might I suggest #seanchai? I'm just saying...