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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Update: Stouts fire grows by 2,000 acres as smoke continues to blanket Rogue Valley ... Since You Asked: You can collect driftwood, but there are rules ... Stouts fire sends smoke into Rogue Valley, still threatens Douglas County homes ... Update: Stouts fire grows by 2,000 acres as smoke continues to blanket Rogue Valley ... Since You Asked: You can collect driftwood, but there are rules ... Stouts fire sends smoke into Rogue Valley, still threatens Douglas County homes ... SINCE YOU ASKED Since You Asked: The hashtag is a social media guidepost Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Mar. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Being rather Internet-illiterate, I've always wondered what was the need for and the meaning of the hashtag symbol (#). — Frank W., Jacksonville Well, Frank, we here at #SinceYouAskedIsAwesome are more than happy to try to improve your digital literacy. We, too, were once lost amid the hashtags, clueless as to the message they were giving us. In essence, the hashtag — previously known as the number symbol — is used to create a common, searchable term for a topic on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Because there are millions of users sending out millions of messages at any given time, it's pretty darn hard to find the messages on the topic you're interested in. You can follow what your kids or friends have to say on a topic, but what if you want to see what total strangers have to say about it? Hashtag it, baby. Here's an example: If you were a Duck fan during the Rose Bowl (apologies to the Beavs out there) and wanted to not only watch the game on the boob-tube, but also to see what people around the country were saying about it, you could have gone on Twitter and in the search box typed in "#RoseBowl." When you searched for that, the comments of everyone who used #RoseBowl in their tweet message would show up on the list that your search produced. It's an imperfect science because there's no way to know for sure who's using what hashtag. But often, as with the Rose Bowl example, you can be pretty sure you'll find a bunch of people's comments on the topic if you type in an obvious choice. So there you go, Frank. If this helped you, send us a tweet. Don't forget the #SinceYouAskedIsAwesome in your message. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501