hashtag

Obama tax plan hashtag hijacked by conservative think tank

A hashtag launched today by President Obama to push his tax cuts plan was quickly appropriated by a conservative think tank.

In the face of the approaching "fiscal cliff," Obama began promoting the hashtag #My2K on Twitter today as a way of encouraging discussion about his plan to preserve tax cuts for the middle class while letting expire those tax cuts on Americans households earning more than $250,000. The hashtag reflects the extra $2,000 the average middle class family of four could expect to pay if the tax cuts are allowed to expire.

The president used … Read more

The 404 1,173: Where where we play it fast and loose (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- What happened when NYU students discovered they could e-mail 40,000 people at once.

- Trotify kit puts Monty Python horse coconuts on your bike.

- Why is Slate defending your right to name your kid Hashtag?

- Why people spend so many hours stitching footage into YouTube collages.

- Access Main Computer File: Exploring graphical user interfaces in movies.

- Brave Robotics offers 3D-printed 1/12 scale mecha transformer at Maker Faire.… Read more

Proud parents name child 'Hashtag'?

The sad conventions of society demand that the world is populated by Peters, Pauls, and Marys.

This is nothing more than lamb-like conformism. Better to be one of the crowd than one endowed with a name like "Bannister."

So I find myself doffing my cap and lowering my quiff on hearing that a pair of proud parents have allegedly refused to bow to convention. They appear to have named their child after something that creates a new convention: Hashtag. … Read more

Sparks fly over anti-Semitic tweets in France

A controversy over an explosion of anti-Semitic tweets in France has raised complaints that Twitter makes it too hard for users to report offensive posts.

Over the last week, Twitter has been awash in anti-Semitic French-language tweets tied to the hashtag "#unbonjuif" ("a good Jew"), prompting arguments that social media in general, and Twitter in particular, are cesspools of objectionable content (article in French).

#UnBonJuifx-( twitter.com/CosaNostraAmli...

— J U L I ABOND JR(@CosaNostraAmlia) October 14, 2012

#UnBonJuif twitter.com/racyyne/status...

— Serre Fion 8-9 (@racyyne) October 16, 2012

Among the many objectionable tweets … Read more

Hash tags go airborne

You might not be a golf fan, and if that's true, you probably don't know that this weekend, the United States is facing off against Europe in the biennial Ryder Cup. You may not even know what the Ryder Cup is. But a hash tag in the sky might get your attention.

Regardless of your golf knowledge, a lot of people have been paying attention -- and enjoying the Americans' lead in the competition. But some European boosters are realizing that their heroes might need a little extra encouragement.

That's probably why attendees on hand in Medinah, … Read more

The 404 1,121: Where we rock out with the pop out (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- The POTUS did an AMA on Reddit yesterday, and here are the Web site's stats.

- Metal Gear Solid movie heads into production, will be produced by Avi Arad.

- Google begins reminding users of friends' birthdays.… Read more

The spoken hashtag must die -- here's how

It's time to take a stand against the spoken hashtag. You know, that awkward habit some of the Twitter-dicted have of saying things like "hashtag are you kidding me?"

Believe me, I understand the yearning for words to convey that something is so awesome or horrendous that you'd rather be tweeting about it with your legion of Twitter followers than simply jawing with your analog flesh-bucket "real" friends.

If you happen to witness, say, a squirrel jumping on to the back of a golden retriever the moment the dog takes off after a tennis ball -- that's something obviously worthy of a hashtag, right?… Read more

Twitter introduces ticker symbol 'cashtags' for finance searches

Twitter started prioritizing money talk on its site today with the announcement of "cashtags." These are clickable ticker symbols, like $AAPL, $GOOG, and $FB, which take users to search results about the company's finances and stocks.

Twitter made the announcement via a tweet in which it wrote: "Now you can click on ticker symbols like $GE on http://twitter.com to see search results about stocks and companies."

According to The Verge, the cashtags come on the heels of other user-created Twitter innovations, such as the @reply and the #hashtag. (The hashtag, for instance, evolved … Read more

Use Hashtag App to monitor Twitter, Instagram hash tags

Hash tags on Instagram and Twitter both offer a great way to follow what's going on with a particular topic or event. One providing the conversation, while the other provides an illustration.

Tracking a hash tag in most Twitter apps on the iPhone is a simple process. Tracking a hash tag in the Instagram app takes a bit more work, however. If you have an event coming up and want to quickly and easily follow it on Twitter and Instagram, give Hashtag App (free) on your iPhone a try.

You can either enter a custom hash tag in the … Read more

How to let Mom know your plane landed safely

If you're traveling, your mom (or any loved one, really) is probably going to want to know the moment you have arrived safely, and let's be honest, you don't always remember to tell her.

A new Web site, Hash tag Mom (#mom), will automatically alert her for you by sending her a text, or calling her, once you check in to an airport on Foursquare.

Setup is simple.

Visit Hashtagmom.com and enter your mom's phone number (or a loved one's), as well as select whether you want a text message or call to be … Read more