#Fail: When hashtags go wrong on Twitter
23/08/2017 - 14:19:16Back to Tech Home
The art of adding a hashtag to Twitter posts is now 10 years old, with the etiquette and conventions around their use changing over the decade.
Guidelines from social media gurus suggest not using too many tags in one post, nothing too long, and something that’s easy to read.
But hashtag errors made on Twitter in the early days remain as a lasting memorial to the word which is now so commonplace it is in both the Oxford English Dictionary and Official Scrabble Dictionary (14 points, btw).
Now about those #fails…
The use of hashtags for Twitter Q&As
A PR company or other well-meaning person would innocently put forward someone of note to take part in a Q&A session with a hashtag like #AskBoris or #AskMertesacker.
The only problem was that nobody would take them seriously – resulting in questions like this gold for Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan.
#AskPiers
— SadfaceOtter (@SadFaceOtter) July 7, 2015
Does your face go all the way through your head like Billy-Bear Ham?
A 2015 Q&A with Donald Trump, then just a potential presidential candidate, concluded with this pithy assessment.
People never learn from history. Don't try invade Russia in the winter. Don't do a twitter Q&A if you are a prick. #AskTrump
— Claire Mas (@MasMusicMadness) September 21, 2015
Footballers often fell foul of Twitter Q&As, with former Manchester City and Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna among them.
Anyone who wrongs Arsenal fans is likely to feel their scorn – and the humble hashtag proved the perfect format to channel any pettiness.
What temperature do you set your heated seat to, or are they all pre set? #askbacary
— Kyle Cansfield (@KCansfield) September 25, 2014
#NowThatchersDead misread as Now That Cher’s Dead
The news that former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher had died caused much anguish for a most surprising group, all because of a misread hashtag.
Without capital letters to separate the words “Now Thatcher’s dead” was misread as “Now that Cher’s dead”, which caused a fair bit of worry for the singer’s fans.
Happy @cher is not dead. Tweeps need to use capitals in hashtags: it's #NowThatchersDead not #nowthatchersdead
— Linh Chameleon (@CelebrateAwe) April 8, 2013
No, Cher fans, the singer didnt die. The hashtag #nowthatchersdead is meant to be read as "now Thatcher's dead" — not "now that Cher's dead"
— Camilo S. Baquero (@camilo_baquero) April 10, 2013
Even if it was about the singer, it would have been a somewhat harsh start to the post-Cher era.
And it’s definitely not the only example of a hashtag being misread.
It's ten years since hashtags were first used on Twitter! What's your favourite? I'll never forget #susanalbumparty #hashtag10
— Becca Johns ⚡️ (@thebeccajohns) August 23, 2017
That’s “Susan album party” not “Su’s anal bum party”.
Even LeBron James was getting schooled in the early days
@KingJames man I wish someone would #teachyoutousehashtagsproperly #someonehelphim #doingitwrong #nothowyouhashtag
— alex (@alextolani27) December 18, 2013
— LCon (@lenconyers) December 19, 2013
While Stephen Hendry was still being pulled up on etiquette in 2017
— Rob Howe (@therobfiasco) March 23, 2017
No one wanted to read super long hashtags
- #iHateTheSuperLongOnesLikeThisiTSVeryUnnecssaryAndAnnoying@BriaBeasleyy: #this # is #nothowyouhashtag!!!!! #ANNOYING 😳 #GetAClue
— Bishop. (@BishopBombTho) March 13, 2012
Or see every word tagged like on Insta
On instagram: #DoNotHashtag #Everything #ItsStupid #AndAnnoying #ItsAlso #HashtagAbuse #JustSaying
— kris. (@KrisMichelle_) December 1, 2012
#DoNotHashtag Every single color you are wearing.
— britt🌵🌻🐮 (@br_hilliard3) June 18, 2013
Naturally, Twitter was the place to mull over Facebook’s introduction of the hashtag
Why are there hashtags on Facebook?
— TheAlmightyMaximus (@MaxGIR) July 22, 2014
Why are there hashtags on Facebook? 😒
— bri (@Briohsopretty) August 15, 2013
#WhenWillYouLearn that facebook is not twitter #donothashtag
— Ellie (@ellie_denman) June 14, 2012
And ponder why the digital symbol was crossing over to clothing
Why are there are hashtags on facebook and on t-shirts? It doesn't make sense😂
— saved, read bio (@cool_lemonjuice) April 11, 2014
Also saw someone with a hashtag on the back of their shirt, why
— Tom (@Funyar1npa) August 13, 2016
But one question remains…
Can someone explain to me why there is a #hashtagfail when #fail exists? Does the double hashtag make it more or less of a failure?
— Dark Netwerk (@DarkNetwerk) October 29, 2015
