Twitter emoji #hashtag10 #jarig, maar de # bestaat al 20 jaar! #IRC
We vergeten weleens hoe belangrijk en trendsettend Twitter door de jaren is geweest. Augustus 2007 was het tech Chris Messina die met de hashtag een initiatief lanceerde om events en gebeurtenissen aan elkaar te koppelen. Vindbare sociale storytelling was geboren:
how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp[msg]?
Tweets
Chris wilde tweets over een bepaald onderwerp wat meer bundelen daar waar hij aanwezig was opp tech- en muziekfestival South By South West (#SXSW). #SXSW is het platform geweest dat Twitter diverse malen een boost heeft gegeven met nieuwe features, zoals live video. Toch is het niet op Twitter waar de bekende # is ontstaan.
A hashtag is a type of metadata tag used on social network and microblogging services, that do not support real category meta data, which makes it possible for users to still find messages with a specific theme or content. Users create and use hashtags by placing the number sign or pound sign (colloquially known as the hash character
#
in reference to its resemblance to several slices or chops with a sharp implement) in front of a word or unspaced phrase, either in the main text of a message or at the end. Searching for that hashtag will yield each message that has been tagged with it. A hashtag archive is consequently collected into a single stream under the same hashtag. For example, on the photo-sharing service Instagram, the hashtag #bluesky allows users to find all the posts that have been tagged using that hashtag.
Voor de oudgedienden en Twitter-gebruikers van het eerste uur was het al eerder duidelijk dat de hashtag niet een vinding van en op Twitter is geweest. In de jaren tachting kwam de hashtag al eerder langs in de simpele chat-toepassing IRC. In 2014 is de hashtag opgenomen in de Oxford English Dictionary.
Taart
Twitter viert het 10-jarig bestaan met een ode aan Chris:
Thankfully, Chris didn’t take offense to my reaction, he simply started doing what he had proposed. On August 23rd, 2007, the hashtag came into existence with this Tweet and eventually caught on across the platform. We hyperlinked hashtags on Twitter making them easier and better for all.
Since it first appeared on Twitter, the hashtag has dramatically evolved — from grouping Tweets, to adding quirky commentary, to sparking social movements and global conversations. Using hashtags on Twitter, people worldwide have made this platform their microphone, shaped culture, and changed the world.
Combined with the power and influence of Twitter, the hashtag empowers everyone to see what’s happening in the world and what people are talking about. It allows people from all over the planet to share their voice and join global conversations. When something happens in the world, it happens on Twitter.
Happy tenth birthday, hashtag. We’re glad we never called you by your technically correct name, “Octothorp.”