So what the heck is a hashtag?

Well, let's do a little history.

In July 2009, Twitter rolled out an update which allowed for users to categorize their tweets with other users on the platform with the use of a "#" and then the categorization, i.e. #realestate. When these were included in a tweet the characters following the "#" would hyperlink to all the tweets containing that specific hashtag.

In 2010, Twitter introduced "Trending Topics." These topics would include hashtags which were gaining popularity and would be posted on the Twitter homepage and user pages.

Since then Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Kickstarter, Vine, Tumblr and Google+ have adopted hashtags as an easy way for users to categorize their posts.

So how should you use them?

When you're posting about something relevant to a specific industry, make sure to add your hashtags on at the end of the said post.

The idea here is to increase reach by contributing to an ongoing conversation online. A common mistake people make when using hashtags is to overhashtag. Using more than two hashtags in a specific post will actually hurt the levels of engagement for that post.

Another common mistake is placing a hashtag in front of a non-contextual word. For example, "It's always #great to connect with other professionals at events." You are categorizing your tweet as great; a better hashtag would have been at the end of the post like this, "It's always great to connect with other professionals at events." #RealEstate #NewYork.

Still confused? Tweet at us using the hashtag: #RealBizMedia and we'll answer any questions you have!

To view the original article, visit the RealBiz Media blog.