Twitter hash tags for genealogists

March 16, 9:36 AMGenealogy and Technology ExaminerThomas MacEntee

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More and more genealogists and family history enthusiasts are getting in on the Twitter scene each day.  As more of us are using Twitter, we tend to follow more and more "tweeps" who are also into genealogy. 

With this new enthusiasm and increase in social media traffic, it is difficult to read through the various postings and determine which ones are related to the genealogy field.  In order to sort through all the "tweets" the role of the "hash tag" becomes important.

What is a hash tag?

Hash tags are used to "mark" a post as to its topic, making it easier for others to locate those posts.  Example:

#genealogy Genealogy resource: census records http://is.gd/nxHl

Whenever I am using Twitter and I want to tweet about genealogy, I always include "#genealogy" either at the beginning or the end of the post.

How can I leverage the power of hash tags?

- Follow @hashtags on Twitter. They will follow you back automatically and your hash tags will be tracked.

- Use Twitter Search and search by hash tag.  You'll find all recent tweets using that tag.

- Set up a group on Twitter Groups, for free, based on the use of a Twitter hash tag.

What are some genealogy-related hash tags?

• #brickwall: for genealogical researchers who have hit a brick wall in their research – post your brick wall info and another genealogist may have data to help you out!
  
  
• #famhist: for family history stories, resources, hints, tips and successes.
  
  
• #genealogy: for general genealogy tweets and used by the family history twitter group.
  
  
• #surnames: use this hash tag with a list of surnames you are researching.  Also part of the Surname Saturday meme.

 Hash tag analytics

- Track the popularity of  a hash tag at #hashtags.  You can also see recent tweets using that tag as well as photos and even videos.

- To determine the meaning of a hash tag use what the hashtag?! And don't forget to enter the definition of any hash tags you create.

- Use we follow to view popular tags and the most popular people on Twitter by tag usage.  Follow @wefollow to have your own tag usage tracked.

Check out my free Twitter cheat sheet to help you get started on Twitter and see what all the buzz is about!

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