The hashtag (#) is used to highlight keywords or topics in a tweet. Originally created by Twitter users as a tool for categorizing messages, the hashtag is now also used by members of Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, and other social networks.

Here are a few good reasons why you should be using hashtags in your tweets, pins, and Facebook posts.

Hashtags featured keywords that help you find your target audience.

Hashtags enable you to drive interested people to your content.

Hashtags allow users to engage in targeted chats focused on shared interests.

Tweets that include hashtags receive two times more engagement than tweets without hashtags.

24% of tweets contain hashtags.

Tweets with more than two hashtags have a 17% descrease in engagement.

To locate the best hashtags to use, check out http://www.hashtags.org, http://www.twubs.com, and http://www.tagdef.com.

See also: Social Media Hashtags for Book Authors – http://bookmarketingbestsellers.com/41-social-media-hashtags-for-book-authors

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Rainforest Alliance helps to protect the forests, wildlife, and people of the rain forests. Also works to provide education and healthcare to children of the rain forests. To learn more about small actions that can lead to big changes, go to http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/smallactions.

Curator: John Kremer

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