The Evolution of the #Hashtag [INFOGRAPHIC]

The modern day #hashtag has a very different usage and meaning in todays modern world, as oppose to how it has traditionally been used in the past. In 1970, the hash symbol was used to denote immediate address mode in the assembly language of the PDP-11. The hashtag also began to appear on IRC chats and groups, to label conversations and group types. 

From July 2009, Twitter began to hyperlink all hashtags in tweets to Twitter search results for the hashtagged word.

Definition: "The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages." - Twitter

Hashtags are part of our daily way - you see them on billboards, TV adverts, packaging, flyers and even clothing, and can be seen in use by the biggest brand names across all industries, from manufacturing to fashion, from gadget to medical groups. You will find some examples listed below. In todays social media, the hashtag is one of the most powerful tools around. This fantastic infographic demonstrates "The Power of the #Hashtag":

Source: Infographic by +The Huffington Post via +Visually 

The biggest annual advertising opportunity could be seen as the American Super Bowl of 2014 (#SuperBowl). The Super Bowl was expected to air to a never seen before number of viewers, breaking the mark of 111.3 million viewers that watched Super Bowl set in 2012. Some fantastic examples from this year's event:

• Hyundai #nicehashtag
• T-mobile #nocontract
• Bud Light #UpForWhatever
• Sonos #Sonos
• GoDaddy #LiveYourDream
• Jaguar #GoodToBeBad
• Microsoft #empowered

Social Network Usage

The hashtag is not restricted solely to Twitter. Facebook, Google+ and Instagram also allow you to tag your social update with a hashtag to allow a similar function to Twitter. Only publicly viewable status updates (dependant upon the users privacy setting) will be included in any search results. LinkedIn also took a brief interest in hashtags, but later backtracked on the idea, after including the ability to add a hashtag to an update. This function was later removed by LinkedIn, but remains strong in the likes of Twitter, Google+ and Facebook. 

Image Source: Link

Conversational

Twitter has a phenomenal amount of 140 character updates every second of the day, so a method of organisation was essential to the its daily operations and visitor usability. Some of the most popular hashtags used to date include:

• #Love
• #Friends
• #Selfie
• #Smile
• #Life
• #Party
• #FF (FollowFriday)
• #Life
• #WIN
• #FAIL

You can see this for yourself, by visiting Twitter's search page here and search for one of the above. You will also notice Trends, which is a run-down by Twitter of the most currently active hashtags in use. 

What is your favourite hashtag? Try it for yourself and join the conversation. Enjoy!

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Infographics: What Makes Infographics So Popular?

Infographics have hit the web and continue to spread virally across social media and blogs like wildfire. In fact, Infographic publishing is rising on average by 1% per day. But what makes an Infographic so popular? Below, a great example of an effective Infographic. Further down, 5 key reasons why Infographics are effective.

Source: The Web Marketing Group

5 Reasons Why Infographics Are Effective

1. Easily Understood - Inforgraphics are laid out in a very visual manner. Considering 90% of the information that comes into the human brain is visual, this tends to make sense! Facts and figures are separated into smaller categories, separated and divided out in an easy to read format.

2. People Love Facts & Figures - Something I have noticed throughout my time sharing and promoting content online, is that people love facts and figures. Have a read through your Twitter or LinkedIn feed and I bet you will find a couple of statistics posted. Humans are interested in detail, factual detail that matters to them, an Infographic is a fantastic way to illustrate this information.

3. Shareable via Social Media - An Infographic is ultimately a picture. What type of media receives the most comments, retweets/reshares and activity? Pictures. Naturally, due to the format they are produced in, colourful, interesting and relevant Infographics always provide a hit with viewers.

4. Raising Brand Awareness - A well put together and managed Infographic, if popular with the target audience is likely to be shared, discussed and commented on. This provides an opportunity to raise awareness of your brand or company linked to this Infographic. By incorporating the company logo, website or slogan directly into the image, not only are you providing useful information, you are also directing your audience back to the original source, your company or brand.

5. Additional Website Traffic - If viewers like an Infographic or article, they may want to reshare this with others. More often than not, it is common courtesy to link back to the original source of the material. For SEO purposes, this helps your site rank higher in results, due to increased number of links directing back to your site. Search engine algorithms, much like Google's "Page Rank", will help to promote and push up your site within the listings.

Infographics are an important part of web content in todays digital age and should be considered when creating any marketing strategy. The five points above only touch the surface when looking at the benefits and features of an Infographic. I'm looking forward to learning from Google's Squared Online specifically how to research and build your own; a very exciting prospect. 

What great Infographics have you seen around the internet? What advice would you give to others looking to build their own?

What Does Squared Online Mean To You?

The Squared Online Digital Marketing Course, from Google offers students the opportunity to develop, strengthen and learn the very latest developments and understanding, within the Digital Marketing and Social Media industry. 

For myself, Squared Online means 'KNOWLEDGE', having a true understanding of the digital industry and how to use my skills effectively to create strategies, relate to customer and fan bases and market products and services to the best of my abilities, using the tools available online. In addition, I'm looking forward to making some great new friends along the journey!

For some, the word 'OPPORTUNITY' - developing the knowledge and know how, to better your career prospects. I have already spoken to a number of Squared students who have referred to Squared as a method of standardisation, a way for clients and agents to hire staff knowing they have the key skills, leadership and learning behind them to remain competitive in the marketplace, or who may be able to offer additional input or speciality around online advertising, community engagement or web analytics as a result.

LEARNING, CONFIDENCE, SELF-FULFILMENT, NETWORKING are some other examples used by others to describe what the course means to them.

For each student, Squared has a different meaning, so what does Squared Online mean to you? Post below with your comments!

SocialRacer - A Blog Introduction!

Hello and welcome to the first post of my blog, SocialRacer! I've created this blog, firstly to outline my experiences of Google's Squared Online, as a Squared Online student, secondly to share thoughts, opinions and reviews of all things digital! I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting... now keep on reading!

I wanted to share with you what attracted to me to Google Squared and what I'm hoping to achieve. Squared Online is a relatively new introduction into the world of learning from Google, in partnership with the Home Learning College and endorsed by the IPA. The Squared course is described as:

"The digital marketing course and qualification for tomorrow’s connected leaders. Developed by Google, built by the best practitioners and delivered collaboratively online, we are a new movement in career learning." - Squared Online

I have always had a keen interest in Social Media, Marketing and Brand Management, and have worked with companies of all sizes to help support them in achieving their Social and Marketing objectives. Having undertaken some smaller Social campaigns, I began to get a good threshold on the technology available and the ways it can be used to connect with your audience, whether it be fans or customers alike.

Taking this to the next step, I am particularly interested in analytics and the world of mobile. With mobile usage estimated to grow 300% worldwide by 2017*1, every business should consider their online presence and how they should keep up in the digital, ever-growing and constantly transforming online landscape.

By learning with the support of Google, The Home Learning College and Key Speakers throughout my course, I hope to expand my knowledge of Digital Marketing in every area and be able to use my knowledge, sharing it for the benefit of others. Social Media and Digital Marketing are very keen personal interests of mine and such a great opportunity could not be missed! I have had my initial "test" lesson, just to make sure all the technology is up and running, which went very smoothly and run by Aiden Carroll from the Squared team. Aiden made a great first impression with the group and left everyone buzzing at the end of the first session. Looking forward to our first "Learning" class - will keep the blog updated as I progress!

If you would like to connect with me and follow me on my Squared journey, follow this blog, SocialRacer and feel free to connect with me across other platforms - links can be found below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Google+: plus.google.com/+AdamPrettyjohns

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/adampj

Twitter: www.twitter.com/adampj87

Article Sources:

*1 - http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/03/mobile-data-use-to-grow-300-globally-by-2017-led-by-video-web-traffic-says-strategy-analytics/