Twitter Hashtags 101
Twitter was one of the most popular social media sites of 2009. The great news for us webfiction fans? It’s probably not going to disappear any time in the near future!
Why is it great? As explained in “Why You Should Read Webfiction”, one of the biggest perks of the format is the interaction with fellow fans and authors, and nothing helps boost said interactions more than social media.
In my guest post on Novelr I spoke about how using Twitter has been quite the revelation for me. I’ve made contact with webfiction authors I never would’ve met otherwise, I’ve found some amazing stories, and I took part in some incredible projects. If not for Twitter, this magazine would probably never have seen the light of day.
I touched upon how fans can use Twitter in the “6 Tips For Webfiction Fans” post last Monday. In this article, I’m going to explain exactly how Twitter—and the hashtag in particular—help the webfiction community to connect, share, and expand.
But first: if you’re entirely new to Twitter, check out the TwiTip Starter’s Guide before reading the following webfiction-specific hints and suggestions.
What is a hashtag?
Twitter has a couple of very nice features which make connecting with interesting people and content much easier. The most important of these is the hashtag. Each term that starts with a # is called a hashtag, and all tweets about the same subject will include the same tag. These hashtags are searchable, which means you can easily find all the tweets mentioning your chosen topic.
Useful hashtags
It’s impossible to list all of the interesting hastags in use, but I’ll at least attempt to list all those closely related to webfiction.
#webfiction and #weblit
A lot of webfiction authors are adding #weblit or #webfiction to their story-related tweets, so following these hashtags is an excellent way to keep on top of new updates, or even to discover new stories.
As a fan you can use these hashtags to ask for recommendations, opinions, or just to get in touch with fans and authors. Try to tweet “Anyone know of some good science-fiction #webfiction?” and see what happens.
Why are there two different tags for the same thing? Well, as I explained in “What is Webfiction?” the term ‘weblit’ was invented to step away from the fanfiction associations with the term ‘webfic’. Thus we advise to never use #webfic as a hashtag, but to stick to the two mentioned above.
Related to the #weblit hashtag is the very interesting and brand new #WLquotes, which authors use to tweet quotes from their stories. I find it a fun way to discover interesting webfiction, or to get a feel for the writing style of an author.
#webficwed
Hashtags are often bound to a day of the week, and most Twitterers will already know of one example: #followfriday. There are a couple of webfiction weekday-related hashtags, and #WebFicWed is one of them.
#WebFicWed was originally created to accompany A. M. Harte’s Café Wednesday interviews. Webfiction Wednesday has since moved to this very magazine.
Every Wednesday readers can recommend their favorite webfiction by tweeting a short blurb and this hashtag. The following week, recommendations will be compiled into our Webfiction Wednesday post. You can use the hashtag to make your own recommendations, or check out other people’s favorite webfiction. It’s a win-win hashtag.
#Fridayflash
#Fridayflash is something completely different. Each Friday a bunch of authors publish a piece of flash fiction (a very short story), and tweet about it using the hashtag. J.M. Strother posts a weekly roundup on his blog of all stories published each week, and an anthology is in the making. It’s a great way of finding something quick to read, and I’ve discovered some excellent authors through this tag. Be sure to tweet about your personal favorites too, and don’t forget to include the hashtag if you do.
Twitter Chats
Some people organize chats around these hashtags, using a Twitter client like TweetChat, or the Twitter search engine (search.twitter.com) on a set day of the week, and sometimes at a set time.
Currently there isn’t really a chat specifically for webfiction fans, but there’s a webfiction author chat you might find interesting to follow, #dnchat, which takes place every Thursday, starting from 8pm PST. There’s also a bunch of other writer-related chats as well.
Other Interactivity
Hashtags aren’t all there is to know about, however, since Twitter can be used in various different ways. Of exceptional fun are the fictional characters tweeting and engaging in conversation with readers. A prime example is @Lordlikely; reading the adventures of Lord Likely has been twice as fun ever since I started following his twitter account, and I’m sure other readers feel the same.
Nancy Brauer of Strange Little Band has made a list of fictional characters tweeting, and since we’re on the topic of lists I’d like to mention my webfiction authors list where you can find a large collection of authors publishing online.
Before you leave me to explore all the fun people and things on Twitter, I have one last piece of advice. As I mentioned in “6 Tips for Webfiction Fans”, the best way to be a fan is to share what you love. Twitter is an excellent way to do this, especially via the retweet feature.
However, when retweeting it is often better to not include the original hashtags, or to change them to other relevant hashtags. Why? Because it can be quite annoying if you’re looking up a hashtag to see the same message twenty times. So try to think up other relevant tags (like the genre, or #reading and so on), or add a bit of comment on why you’re retweeting.
Most importantly, however, be sure to interact with your followers and followees. If you just lurk, you’ll never understand how much fun Twitter can be.
Be sure to follow us @ErgoFiction and don’t forget to participate in #WebficWed next week!!