Hashtags

Hashtags are short messages on services such as Twitter or identi.ca may be tagged by including one or more hashtags: words or phrases prefixed with the symbol,  with multiple words concatenated, such as those in:


 * #WikiQueer is your online #LGBT #encyclopedia

Then, a person can search for the string #WikiQueer and this tagged word will appear in the search engine results. These hashtags also show up in a number of trending topics websites, including Twitter's own front page. Such tags are case-insensitive, with case often used for readability.

History
Hashtags were invented on Twitter by Chris Messina.

Usage
One phenomenon specific to the Twitter ecosystem are micro-memes, which are emergent topics for which a hashtag is created, used widely for a few days, then disappears.

Other sites, such as Hashable, have adopted the hashtag to use for other reasons.

The feature has been added to other, non-short-message-oriented services, such as the user comment systems on YouTube and Gawker Media; in the case of the latter, hashtags for blog comments and directly-submitted comments are used to maintain a more constant rate of user activity even when paid employees are not logged into the website. Real-time search aggregators such as Google Real-Time Search also support hashtags in syndicated posts, meaning that hashtags inserted into Twitter posts can be hyperlinked to incoming posts falling under that same hashtag; this has further enabled a view of the "river" of Twitter posts which can result from search terms or hashtags.

Queer specific hashtags
On October 20, 2011, blogger Zack Ford suggested and began a collection of queer specific hashtags for use by media, the movement and general public. Here is a working draft of that list.

General

 * #CanQueer : Canadian LGBT topics
 * #Fem2 : Queer feminists
 * #LGBT : Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities
 * #LGBTFams : LGBT families
 * #LGBTFamilies : LGBT families
 * #Queer : Queer
 * #QWoC : Queer women of color
 * #Trans : Transgender
 * #Transgender : Transgender

National campaigns / issues

 * #DADT : Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue
 * #DOMA : Defense of Marriage Act
 * #ENDA : Employment Non-Discrimination Act
 * #GetENDA : Employment Non-Discrimination Act
 * #GoodbyeDADT : Farewell to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue
 * #HIV : HIV
 * #HateCrimes : Hate crimes / Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
 * #QTC : Queer the Census
 * #RepealDADT : Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue
 * #RepealDOMA : Repeal Defense of Marriage Act
 * #ScoutsForAll : Protest Boy Scouts of America ban on LGBT members
 * #SNDA : Students Non-Discrimination Act
 * #SSIA : Safe Schools Improvement Act
 * #SSM : Same sex marriage

State marriage equality campaigns

 * #DC4M : District of Columbia
 * #Marryland, #MD4equality : Maryland (Note the two 'r's)
 * #MarryME : Maine
 * #MNUnited : Minnesota
 * #NY4M, #ME4NY : New York
 * #Prop8, #CA4M : California
 * #ProtectNCFamilies : North Carolina
 * #HI4M : Hawaii
 * #NJ4M : New Jersey
 * #WA4M : Washington
 * #IL4M : Illinois
 * #RI4M, #MERI : Rhode Island

Local & state

 * #HB300 : Pennsylvania non-discrimination protections
 * #HB600 : Tennessee ban on LGBT non-discrimination protections
 * #PghGay : Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 * #SB48 : California FAIR Education Act

Queer youth

 * #Bullying : Bullying
 * #GSA : Gay-straight alliance
 * #ItGetsBetter : It Gets Better campaign
 * #LGBTEdu : LGBT education
 * #MakeItBetter : It Gets Better campaign
 * #MakeItBetterNow : It Gets Better campaign
 * #QueerYouth : Queer Youth
 * #SafeSchools : Safe schools
 * #SNDA : Students Non-Discrimination Act
 * #SpiritDay : Spirit Day
 * #SSIA : Safe Schools Improvement Act
 * #StopBullying : Bullying

Organizations

 * #CampusPride : Campus Pride
 * #GetEQUAL : GetEQUAL
 * #GLAAD : Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
 * #GLSEN : Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
 * #HRC : Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
 * #ItGetsBetter : It Gets Better
 * #VictoryFund : Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
 * #WikiQueer : WikiQueer

Events / holidays

 * #CC12 : Creating Change 2012
 * #DayofSilence : Day of Silence
 * #GLAADAwards : GLAAD Media Awards
 * #LGBTLeaders : International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference
 * #NCOD : National Coming Out Day
 * #NLGJA2012 : National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) National Convention & LGBT Media Summit 2012
 * #NN12 : Netroots Nation
 * #NN12LGBT : Netroots Nation LGBT Connect
 * #PowerSummit : National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Power Summits
 * #Pride : Pride Month
 * #SpiritDay : Spirit Day
 * #TDOR : Transgender Day of Remembrance

Culture

 * #KurtRules : AfterElton’s following of Glee
 * #ProBono : Support for Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars

Politicians

 * #EvolveAlready : President Barack Obama and marriage equality
 * #ObamaLGBT : Barack Obama reelection campaign
 * #Victory4Tammy : Tammy Baldwin election campaign

Anti-LGBT industry

 * #NO4M : Information pertaining to National Organization for Marriage