Twitter

The hashtag selected will be the key identifier in the live stream. That being said, a hashtag should be relevant to the subject matter of the event and specific enough to rule out other conversations mudding the waters.

• Using #CUDenver as the start of your hashtag may help engage the community, but it is not a necessity for every event within the university, especially if hashtag length is a concern.
• Consider creating a unit-specific hashtag that will always be associated with your unit’s events. This way, it doesn’t have to change with every event, and people will know to use it even when not promoted (i.e.: #CAMSings, #SOMRounds)
• Choose your message. Decide what you want the audience to talk about and give them a hashtag that presents that (and only that).
• Consider the meaning. Choose wording carefully, but also consider what other meanings could be construed and decide if you are OK with it if that happens. For example, in January 2012 McDonald’s ran into some negative publicity when the company decided to use #McDstories in hopes to share stories of the farmers that it sources from (the company had initially planned on using #meethefarmers). The Twitter community rapidly hijacked the hashtag and began to share horror stories of different McDonald’s locations, and it was trending in no time.
• Avoid open-ended hashtags. Most “bashtags” have the same things in common – they are vague and leave room for interpretation. Eliminate the ambiguity to avoid trolling. For example, if Delta Airlines was giving away a free flight, #flydeltafree won’t be attacked, but #whyilovedelta would be because it invites sarcasm.
• Focus on the positives, but don’t forget about the negatives. While some tweeters did use #McDstories as a way to share their inspiring stories about McDonald’s and local farmers, the negative impact the horror stories told was far more damaging to the brand. While we celebrate the positive tweets and stories that will come out of an event hashtag, we must always consider the larger picture of how negative stories may affect our university brand.
• Keep length in mind. While there is no set rule for hashtag lengths, the shorter the hashtag, the easier it is to read and the more commentary live-tweeters can put with their tweets.

• When at the event, it’s best to triple-remind yourself of who your audience is and what types of tweets they expect to come from your account. If they are following you because you focus on a particular topic, then it’s best to bring that topic into the conversation in relation to the event.
• Not everything is news. There is no need to tweet verbatim everything that goes on at the event. Stick to the highlights and post relevant information that those not attending would like to know. While tweeting is in the moment and there are no set rules for how much you can tweet, people will most likely unfollow if you tweet every minute.
• Expect the worst. Don’t give trolls an easy way to hijack an event or hashtag. Always re-read and think before you tweet!
• Be interactive. Engage with others at the event who are also using the hashtag by having conversations with them, or retweeting those with a great comment or quote. Following them will also encourage them to interact with you.
• Don’t be disappointed at the results. A live-tweeting session will not always take off, and that’s OK. Don’t simply tweet for the sake of tweeting at an event. If there aren’t a number of interesting things to tweet, that’s OK. Call it a day and wait until next time.

If a hashtag gets hijacked, the No. 1 recommendation is stop engaging . Continuing to engage is only adding more tweets to the stream, allowing for the hashtag to grow and potentially trend, drawing more attention to the negativity. If this hijacking presents a potential public relations issue for the university, contact University Communications immediately and record any damaging tweets from Twitter users.

If a hashtag begins to stray off topic (which can happen if the chosen hashtag is too broad), continue to monitor all tweets. When possible, engage with the off-topic users and inform them where the story started out and try to lead them back. Something along the lines of “@username we’ve been discussing [subject] at #hashtag today, follow along to learn more” or “@username this [event/speaker] is happening right now at [place], let us know your thoughts” may be helpful. If this is not possible, simply ignore these tweets, but continue to monitor in case of a possible public relations issue. If there appears to be a developing public relations issue, contact media relations immediately. 

Once the event and tweeting has come to an end, use a service such as Curator to collect noteworthy tweets and include commentary about the event’s success. This can then be repurposed for a blog post or reported to the team involved.