Hashtag Spam and twitter parties (they are synonyms). If you are not familiar with Twitter, you might not be familiar with hashtags, surely you are familiar with Spam.
Twitter is a microblogging service. You can update your status using just 140 characters. It’s not quite a bulletin board, but it’s not a blog either. In order to maximize your very brief updates, you can add a hashtag to a word and twitter will make is searchable. A hashtag is the number sign #. When groups of people use a hashtag it makes it easier for them to find each other. Quite often at an event there will be a predetermined hashtag in use. The 140 Conference uses the hashtag #140conf take a look at how helpful an event hashtag can be. Shortly, we will all be able to see SXSW emerge as a trending topic, and, for lack of a better term, get the back channel of the conference and it’s parties (or is it the parties and the conference?).
Hashtags, like anything, can be used well, or can be the source of spam. Spam is defined by wikipedia as “the abuse of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately.” Hashtags are free to create, and could be a marketing dream. Marketers appear to have forgotten that a “free hashtag” isn’t a one way street. Remember when Skittles thought that they would build a platform based on a simple feed? Walmart tried selling mom jeans just two short months later with a “twitter party” (more on twitter parties later), that ended with this (click the picture for a close up):
What’s most shocking though, is that all these months later businesses still haven’t learned. Recently Maria Bailey used the hashtag #WashThemGrow to sell Suave baby soap, but when people asked about the toxicity and the facts surrounding some of it’s ingredients, the twitter party shut down and this was posted about 24 hours later (*eyeroll* I know). I know that Corporate America moves slowly, but this chugging along is ridiculous. Learn something, learn now.
Hashtag parties are spam. Jessica Smith recently wrote that “hijacking a hashtag” is spamming people. I would disagree. The corporate creation of a hashtag is incredibly intrusive. Businesses should be thrilled and honored if they get mentioned on twitter, why on earth would they feel like they have the right to a free focus group? Further, I’d argue that if you actually look at these “parties” it’s the same group of 100 women every week. Can’t you just send them an email? It appears that they are willing to sell just about anything to each other.
Every Friday Twitter becomes unusable to me. I love the way #FollowFriday began, but (to borrow a phrase from Scoble) it has devolved into a mess. I can’t see through the lists of names to actually get to the content, and I don’t want to unfollow people for just one day. May I kindly suggest that if you use #followfriday that you limit it to just one person and also give us all a reason that we should follow them?
I’d like to suggest we all take a page from the Twitter Handbook, listen and love. It’s incredible that Jack‘s interest in the routes of New York City messengers could bring about Twitter. I know some of y’all don’t recognize the import of Twitter, but those newfangled telephones were considered pretty intrusive too. In 1876 folks just hated that darned thing. Much like twitter, they started out as a party line. I think twitter lists and DM’s have brought us closer to the Baby Bells.
Again, if you can look at the internet and see it as one gigantic party line, well, you’d see that Hashtag Parties alienate more than they embrace. They serve the same small circle of potential customers each week, and they are seen by the rest of the community corporate sponsored spam.
The reason that people are hijacking your beloved hashtag is because it irritates them. I know that sometimes we look at our own work, and can’t see the flaws. This isn’t bad, it’s normal. Sometimes an outside observer is needed. #Journchat is never spammed, why? Because #Journchat brings immense value to the people who participate in it, and (people like me) who simply read the stream either live or later. The world doesn’t owe you anything, and Twitter is a place that recognizes and quantifies that.
Have I said it enough ways?
If you’re having a party conference, by all means let people pick a hashtag, but if your party only lives on twitter… well, congratulations, you are a spammer.
UPDATE: AdAge has an interesting and related post: Do People Tweet About Brands More Out Of Hate Than Love?
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I wasn’t going to comment on this posting especially since I completely disagree with Jessica’s opinion and stance on this entire subject.
Twitter parties are hosted by Manufacturers, Corporations and Social Networking is a fantastic way (and very cheap) to get your name out there and become known. I would think that if anyone had a beef about Twitter parties it would be them – if these parties didn’t work I’m sure they wouldn’t be happening anymore on Twitter.
And lastly, I cannot say it better than how – Amy, Julie, Sarah and Robyn have stated on here.
Everyone knows how to use Twitter but I guess everyone has a right to their own opinion as well, as long as it doesn’t affect others lives.
If you are trying to (this is for Jessica) disrupt Twitter parties and ruin them you are treading on thin ice – I’m sure there are certain individuals and corporations that won’t take kindly to that type of disruption.
There are laws against electronic harrassment.
Enough said.
I’m thankful for ResourcefulMom and support her 100% ~ She is very professional, and I’m sure that is why she is in demand.
We can’t all be Amy – Maybe there’s more jealousy going on here than Hashtag bashing.
Even though I love Twitter some days/nights it’s impossible to be there. Too many parties, too many # and well, to don’t get frustrated and wish overcapacity so that the party would slow down LOL I go away ;) I’ve been at one of those parties last year (it was my first and last) and really I stayed for maybe 10 minutes. Maybe I’m making a mistake, maybe they really are great way to talk, get connected, win stuff…than again, I really don’t have time to go trough # and all that!
RETWEET FROM ABOVE!!! I’m thankful for ResourcefulMom and support her 100% ~ She is very professional, and I’m sure that is why she is in demand.
We can’t all be Amy – Maybe there’s more jealousy going on here than Hashtag bashing. #AMY #SITEWARMING CONFERENCES!!!
While there are clearly some twitter parties that are ruses just to sell products, there are plenty of companies who host twitter parties not only to get their names out there but also to provide a service to the twitter community. Should we also shut down all brick ans mortar parties sponsored by companies as well?! I meet lots of new people and make new discoveries all the time at twitter parties–Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!
Hashtags don’t always mean a party, they just highlight a topic. So why would it be an instant “turn off” to see a hashtag in a post? I respond to comments with hashtags all the time. It’s just a way of organizing a conversation and helping people find common ground.
@juliebonnheath
Wow – aren’t most of you early adopter types? What the heck are you still doing wasting hours of thought and time on Twitter? Unless you’re making money from the service directly (like Amy) you’re just buying high…don’t be surprised when you find yourself selling low.
Jessica – I appreciate the discussion you’ve sparked here. The comments are extremely enlightening. Any person looking to host or hold a Twitter party should certainly read them to learn how to and how not to host or hold a Twitter party.
In the interest of full disclosure, Amy hosted a Twitter party for me when my book was released. I personally found it invaluable. I participated fully to answer questions about going green and non toxic.
Now, I am one of the hosts of the #ecowed Twitter praty, which may or may not be sponsored. Our goal is to inform and engage about all things green and non toxic and I personally have found the comments informative, inspiring, challenging, interesting, and more.
Other Twitter parties sometimes interest me and sometimes not. It depends. I happen to love some of the specific topic parties – #journchat, #brandchat, #smallbizchat, #greenchat – and some of the non profit Twitter parties – #healthychild – just to name a few. Some of the generic brand parties for products that I don’t or won’t use can get boring. Nevertheless, I frequently follow them to see what people say – it is great marketing information. And it is invaluable information to identify greenwashing, pinkwashing and more . . .
You mean giving a portion of the profits to the Susan B Komen foundation doesn’t make it a worthwhile purchase?
Here is another opinion posted today on Jon Newman’s blog. [click through the url to see the post]
@juliebonnheath
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