Can someone please tell me what a Hashtag is?

[♥ FLUMPS ♥]

Thanks, i need to know for something i'm doing at work and my boss seems to think that i'll know what it is. I know it's something to do with Twitter but have searched the net for a dummies guide for it, what it is and how to use it but i can't understand. Can someone please explain to me? Many thanks! x

[Dougie L]

A hashtag is a way to identify part of a tweet as meta data. If everyone is tweeting about Chirstmas, for example then they're going to add a "#Xmas" hashtag so that they identify their tweets as part of the global discussion.

The # (sharp, pound, hash) symbol has been chosen as it doesn't occur in normal text.

[Fearlessboundary954]

They use it on twitter before a word, so it's kinda like a keyword. People can seach that hashtag and they'll find what people have been saying about the subject.

eg

I hope they find the miners soon! #PikeRiver

The Blues are an awful team! I can't understand how they won that game #Super14

I am sooo tired but I don't wanna miss any part of this #telethon!