A historian, a librarian and a snowman walked into a bar. What? You have heard this one already?
Recently, the American Historical Association (AHA) held its annual conference in Denver, Colorado. The conference started on a Thursday, just like the snow and freezing temperatures. The attendees were from all around the world and not all were used to the white fluffy blanket of death they encountered upon arrival. And they took to Twitter to share their concerns.
Using the hashtag #AHA17, tweets included:
“Going to Uber for one block to save my dress shoes before an interview.”
“Protip – match your ski goggles with your tweeds and snow boots, forecast is saying 5-10 inches.”
“Already saw a historian in open-toed shoes fighting through the 4” of snow in the street. Hey #AHA17 goers, it’s not open-toe weather!”
What made these tweets so amazing? The ability to group and track with the aid of a hashtag. This type of label or metadata tag that is used on social networks makes it easier for users to find messages with a specific theme or content. Searching for that hashtag will yield each message that has been tagged with it. A hashtag archive is consequently collected into a single stream under the same hashtag. You can gain immediate kinship with someone you have never met, just by using the tag.
Speaking of hashtags, last week my colleague wrote about saying goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017. We at Access Innovations, Inc., are especially excited this time of year for our annual Data Harmony Users Group conference, popularly referred to simply as DHUG.
Held each February in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it is an opportunity to learn how Data Harmony has helped its users with their information needs. It allows for networking, sharing of tips and tricks and most importantly it allows Access Innovations to connect with its customers and share with them all the new and exciting things.
And it has its own hashtag! #DHUG2017
So tweet away!
Melody K. Smith
Sponsored by Access Innovations, the world leader in thesaurus, ontology, and taxonomy creation and metadata application.
