I hate hashjacking. As an event orginiser, as a social media lover and certainly as a Twitter user, I hate it. For those not in the know, let me enlighten you. Have you ever seen a link promoting a competition or an offer, that has a really random or multiple random hashtags? Like ”Click here to win a new iPad 3. #iPad #facebook #justinbieber”. It’s very clever technology spamming the crap out of Twitter and using trending topics to get the link into as many streams as possible. And believe it or not, there are idiots that click that stuff.
Now that’s out right spamming, which should be condemned. Recently, I’ve noticed a lot of hashjacking of a different kind in the recruitment market, and it’s not coming from evil faceless hackers hoping to steal your credit card details, it’s closer to home than that. Here’s an example: Someone puts on a social recruiting conference and the HT spikes, as you would imagine. Everyone at the event is tweeting about it, everyone that can’t make the event is tweeting about it, people around the world are tweeting about it, and the HT allows them to talk to each other and see what everyones thoughts are. It’s a wonderful world. Then all of a sudden, some idiot decides to use the HT to sell their own product. ”We are working with some huge clients on SoMo, DM me for more info. #SRCONF” The argument from people that are comfortable exploiting a HT like this is that it’s relevant and people don’t have to click the link. Very true, but A) the event orginiser has worked really hard to build that buzz and you’ve came along and completely took advantage of it to suite your own personal needs and B) you’re clogging a stream of thoughts and opinions full of sales crap and if everyone does that, this stream quickly goes away.
Have I ever used someone else’s HT to promote one of our events? Yes I have but I got their permission first. If you’re going to do guerrilla marketing, which this sort of is, then put the effort in and be creative. Recently, we put a person outside a mobile event, with business cards with nothing else but a QR code on them. The QR code linked to a mobile version of the sign up page to our upcoming event, Social and Mobile Recruiting. It’s the difference between standing outside of an event, handing out cards to those that wanted them, to walking into the event and shouting at people, which is what hashjacking is.
I’m sure everyone has their own views on the subject and I’d be interested to hear them.
Permission is good, I prefer courtesy and manners but the disruptive social world is too young for all that Jamie…yet
Hashtags have their place and are an useful for an event or when you are searching for something. I have crash someone’s hashtag to promote an event if I’m completely honest, but it isn’t I am comfortable with and think its quite disrespectful.
Marketing is all about being creative, thinking outside of the box and getting your brand notice and guerrilla marketing is great for this.
I tend to take a contribution-based view. If you’re at an event, supporting it, engaging in a discussion and creating reportage for those elsewhere, I have no problem with you dropping a link in about your own stuff too, provided it’s relevant. Likewise, for those monitoring from afar – if you spend some time engaging in the online debate, adding to the coverage, again, I have no issue.
The ones that really bug me are those that are either irrelevant to the topic of that tag, or simply a one-tweet hit n run from someone who hasn’t bothered to contribute anything else.
Great observations Jamie. I have a massive issue with it.
If you haven’t bought a ticket to an event, leave the hashtag alone unless you, as James has alluded, are committed to contributing to the content and conversation, adding insight, knowledge and value to the event as a consequence.
At the Social Media World Forum last year, I was asked to provide 3 social media comms pros to attend, tweet and amplify the event through twitter – which I did. They were 3 of the top 4 tweeters of the event – naturally.
The other was a famous hashjacker, who until June this year ran a training company, and wasn’t even at the event. (his wife was). He tweeted the 2nd most, because he RTed, and RTed, and RTed. Added nothing, but RT’d lots. Naturally, his profile was raised as a consequence, alongside the subtle introduction of his training courses.
It’s lazy social media marketing, and disrespectful to the organisers. I would never promote my events or services through a hashtag.
Well said Jamie. Yes it’s up to individuals if they choose to click the link but it shouldn’t be done out of principle. It’s a low blow and cheap shot and if one twitch* does, it another will follow. James hits the nail on the head; if the culprit is engaging with the conversation and then drops a cheeky relevant link in, I think that’s fine if the participation with the discussion is genuine.
*someone being a b**ch on twitter
Thanks all for your comments. It would seem I’ve touched upon a sore spot for a lot of people. The key seems to be contribution, but it still makes me a little uneasy even when you’ve contributed. I always try to compare social media to real life with real life rules. Would I just walk into someone conference and start shouting about what I had to sell? No. Would I mention what I have to sell in conversation if I had attended the conference and was already engaging other delegates? Yes, I would. That’s aloud in modern business and the reason 90% of people go to conferences.