Brusimm » bruce’s thoughts

Twitter Hashtags: A Waste or Time or a Functional Tool?

Bruce Simmons — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:59:03 +0000

Do you think that using Twitter hashtags helps your tweets be found, or do you think that they are becoming a waste of time and effort? I’m leaning towards the latter as I’m noticing things like the term #nascar is no longer needed, as NASCAR itself will do just fine when it comes to trending topics. (As one example.)

During the Super Bowl I was trying to figure out the best hashtag to use and found out just how ill-defined the use of Twitter hashtags are. No one controls them so there’s no centralized focus. Then I started wondering just how useful are hashtags if there’s as many different hashtag as there are Twitter users for the same subject?

Twitter hashtags are how people mark their tweets sent out on Twitter. It’s a sort of keyword system that seems to stem from a blogger’s mentality to earmark what a tweet is about.

Initially, hashtags were used as a search function aid. But they’re slowly losing any real meaning, for the most part. For example, if I write that my “car exploded when starting it,” and append my tweet with a #fail, seems, well, like stating the obvious.

Sure, the tags can be useful. When a TV show puts their hashtag up on the screen when the show is on, at least that solidifies all the users use of a common tag. Or when a business might suggest their name as a hashtag, so be it.

But when left to their own devices, hashtag usefulness is wasted on the medium because so many make them up as they go along. Or so it would seem.

Examples of Wasted Hashtags

During the Super Bowl I caught an interesting set of patterns. Locally in the Bay Area, there were no Super Bowl related trends. Nationally, the Super Bowl related trends were action or person-specific. Meaning, the term Super Bowl never showed up on Twitters trending screen. Instead, terms like “Touch Down,” “4th down,” “Madonna,” “Manning,” “halftime” and what not were the actual trending subjects. (Take note, that I did not put the ‘#’ in front of those trends.)

I myself was tweeting about the over-hyped Super Bowl TV ads and I was trying to figure out the best hashtag to use. I saw #superbowlads, #superbowlcommercials, #superbowltvads and a slew of other kinds of hashes being used by my fellow twits.

But like I pointed out earlier, locally, there was nothing and nationally, the trends were event or name specific. It wasn’t until you looked at Worldwide trends that a Twitter user could have deduced that THE hashtag to use to highlight their 140 character opinion on the $7 million a minute TV ads was #SBAds. Yep… that was the trending tag, worldwide, and it seemed that the world was more interested than here locally, or on the national level.

But did you know…

You Don’t Need Hashtags in Twitter!

I’m not sure if you’ve been following along or not, but Twitter has evolved a bit. So much so that they’ve been able to trend away from using hashtag terms as actualy trending subjects.

I was tracking the trends on Twitter on three different levels during the last half of the Super Bowl and in all cases, amongst the top trending patterns, only 2 out of any 10 trends had a hashtag in front of it.

Check out what’s trending right now, while I’m writing this:

Here in the Bay Area:

#JohnCarter (Promoted)
#HowToSurviveAHorrorMovie
Clint Eastwood
Bob Marley
Super Bowl
MPH
The U
Madonna’s
Stoudemire
Tom Coughlin

In the United States:

#JohnCarter (Promoted)
#10paulydphrases
#HowToSurviveAHorrorMovie
Happy Birthday Bob Marley
Clint Eastwood
Super Bowl
Madonna’s
Stoudemire
Giselle
MPH

And Worldwide:

#JohnCarter (Promoted)
#10paulydphrases
#OneThing
Happy Birthday Bob Marley
Proud of Cher Lloyd
My Baby’s Nearly 18
Paul Dacre
Alberto Contador
Robert Nesta Marley
Axl Rose

As you can see, the trend with hashtags is #fading as Twitter evolves.

I don’t think hashtags will ever go away. Business entities like movies (see the promoted trend) and TV shows seem to be suggesting hashtags during their broadcasts like when you see #NCIS and what not. But now-a-days, basic proper English is starting to be used instead of the enforced, one-word looking phrases.

But if you must stick with the old processes, there are sites like http://hashtags.org/ that can help centralize terms. Which would actually make them more useful.

Psst: The first message using a hashtag came from Chriss Messina:

“how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?”

So when you start spouting a Twit for Twitter, or tweet to be more accurate, you may not need to try to come up with hashtags. But then again… good luck not using them! Despite my understanding that the ‘#’ is fading, I still join in with a tagged or two tweet.

And we’re not alone… 11% of tweets have hashtags. But dang people, when you use 50 different tags for the same subject, you’re defeating the purpose of this tool.

Even the inventor of the hashtags has recognized they’re being overused and dilluted and is now suggesting slashtags… but one man amongst 50 million tweets a day is getting lost in the #noise. As it would /seem.

[ gigaom.com: The History of Twitter Hashtags ]

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Photo of the Week: Running Through San Jose

Bruce Simmons — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:19:05 +0000

The Lone Runner and His “Path” of Resistance

This photo was taken from W. San Fernando St, looking N/NW, under the 87, looking along the Guadalupe River. The angle of the shadows, the spot where I was standing and how the columns on the left lined up caught my attention.

The lone runner coming up the path just seemed like a great image to try and capture. All runners know what this moment can represent. The feeling as you soak up your “me time” while challenging yourself to go a wee bit farther or just an tick faster PR.

The moment presented itself and the above photo is, as you can probably tell, as-is, or no post-processing was applied. It was taken from my Droid X 8.0 MP camera.

If You Haven’t Seen This… Lytro: Pretty Interesting Image Manipulation

Bruce Simmons — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:09:37 +0000

I don’t know if you’ve heard of this, but I’ve been shown something very very cool that looks like, if the tech goes mainstream, could literally change the world of photographic imagery, or at the least, image mastery and post processing.

It’s called LYTRO or the tech inside what’s called a Light Field Camera. It uses light to distill images into something much more than a regular image, beyond what photographers consider to be RAW images.

This is a new technology that could very well change the field of photography forever. This, I think, is akin to when film was invented to store images and goes beyond the tech of digital imagery that replaced film. It takes the artist out of the photo taking and puts the artist into the photo post-processor. Or it could remove the artistic experts in the industry all together when the general masses start to get a hold of this tech.

So take a moment and check out this new image technology where, no matter where you click, the image comes into focus at that point. Obviously these images have all the data necessary to refocus or zoom, no matter where you click, but I think its pretty cool.

There’s more after the break…

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If you want to know more, check out these links…. lytro.com ; lytro: picture_gallery

YouTube Page Turner… What a Hoot to Watch!

Bruce Simmons — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:14:44 +0000

Want to see something fun? It’s called a Rube Goldberg Machine or contraption. You have to have a slight appreciation for the plotting needed to make this kind of puzzle… and as far as I’m concerned, I don’t this this will work with my Kindle. I mean, I guess it sort of could, but I’m not about that… I can “turn” my own Kindle page… sort of.

Check this out… it’s a hoot (And thanks to John S. for showing this to me.):

And for the record, I read more than one page of a newspaper!

Here’s a creative use of one’s office-space. (Yep, they have lots of time on their hands!)

This is music video of sorts… enjoy!

Avon’s Walk for Breast Cancer

Bruce Simmons — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:34:08 +0000

On July 7th and 8th of 2012, Avon will once again hold another Walk for Breast Cancer event in San Francisco.

This walk to raise money to fight breast cancer will take the participant from downtown and into the wilds of Marin County as you will be able to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge and down to the Sausalito waterfront.

But don’t be fooled by that pretty outline. You’ll be getting your exercise to boot because you will also be getting a chance to see for yourself sites like Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard Street and lots of those wonderfully historic Victorian homes in the city.

Yea, that’s the sales pitch, more or less. But it’s not just a walk… it’s a weekend because this will be a walk that takes you over 40 miles of territory! Last year the first day took the walk from San Francisco to Corte Madera. Then on Sunday, you walked back!

But it’s a good weekend as participants will be doing this to help fight cancer, and in this particular case, breast cancer.

But I’ve been talking up the San Francisco walk because that’s in my neck of the woods. Avon is sponsoring other walks around the country…

Houston
April 21-22
2012

Washington DC
May 5-6
2012

Boston
May 19-20
2012

Chicago
June 2-3
2012

Rocky Mountains
June 23-24
2012

San Francisco
July 7-8
2012

Santa Barbara
Sept 22-23
2012

New York
Oct 20-21
2012

Charlotte
Oct 27-28
2012

If you’re wondering if these Avon walks have any impact, if you consider that the 2011 walks raised a few bucks:

Houston $1.8M; Washington DC $5M; Boston $5.2M; Chicago $6.1M; Rocky Mtns $1.9M; SF $4.2M; New York $9.1M and Charlotte $1.7 Million.

That’s nothing to sneeze at and that kind of money helps the fight immensely!

I always say it only takes the Power of $One.

What I mean by that is to never be afraid or embarrassed to contribute $1 to your favorite cause. I’ve chosen my fight for personal reasons, as many of you have chosen your focused charities of choice.

So whether it be against cancer, ALS or what have you, never be afraid to send a single dollar along.

My prime example was during a NASCAR race during last October, during Breast Cancer Awareness month, if every single viewer of that race sent a lowly, single dollar to the cause, that would have been a quick $4 million bucks.

So yes, every dollar can count, no matter where you send it.

Want to learn more? Head on over to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer website.

Thank you for coming by.

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March Against Cancer Charity Event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma CA

Bruce Simmons — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:33:44 +0000

For those of you interested in taking part in the one of many fights against cancer, Infineon Raceway, located in Sonoma, CA., is having a charitable fundraiser where you can run or walk against cancer.

The walk will take place Saturday, January 7th, on the 2.52-mile road course and that is NOT a flat track folks. It will be good exercise and for a good cause. In this case, the cause is raising funds for the fight against gastric (stomach) cancer.

Stomach cancer is the most common cancers in the world.

I remember from many years back in an environmental science class I took… there were fascinating correlations between the kind of cancer and where folks lived.

Societies that ate smoked food had higher incidences of stomach cancer, those who lived in cities with poor air quality had higher incidences of lung cancer, etc., etc..

If you want to participate in this cancer charity event, you can.

The entry fee is a “suggested” $40. This will let you on the track so you can either run or walk the track for one lap. Even thought it’s a 2.52-mile track, they will have a shorter course for those who don’t want to climb that huge hill off of turns 1, 2, 3, etc..

You will also get a T-shirt and they said they’ll have light refreshments afterwards. The Winner’s Circle will also be open for those NASCAR or road race fans that want to take pictures.

Registration begins at 8 in the morning and the march will start at 10 A.M.. They’re only taking cash or checks at the event. It’s beautiful territory out there and if you’re even slightly inclined, I think you will enjoy the event. Below is a photo I compiled from the track while covering a NASCAR event…

It’s all for a good cause… the defeat of cancer. For more details and additional info, like, um, where the track is, check out the following link for the Cancer Charity Event at Infineon.

Downtown Menlo Park Was Deserted For One Happy Day

Bruce Simmons — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:30:04 +0000

Twas the day of Christmas, and my wife and I took a leisurely walk through downtown Menlo Park.

The mood was not a very festive Christmas mood in Menlo Park… but that was because almost every single store or shop or restaurant was closed for the holiday.

Subway had a sign posted earlier in the week that they were going to be open on Christmas day, but alas, when we walked by, it was not. Walgreen’s was open but with nary a customer within. The BBC across El Camino Real at the end of Santa Cruz was open, but we did not investigate the interior count of patrons. We also learned that Applewood Pizza was opening at 4p.m. that day.

On this peaceful day, it was a very calming walk and in the process, I took a couple of pictures of scenes that I think no one will ever see on a normal day in Menlo Park. In the process, I whipped out my Droid and took some photos of a holiday in California, on a pretty blue day where the temps were sitting at a brisk set of 50 or so.

Anyone ever see the parking lot behind Draeger’s this empty… ever?

Here, we’re in front of Peet’s, (the 2nd Peet’s to open in the history of the franchise), looking down Santa Cruz, towards El Camino Real…

It was like a scene from a Stephen King movie, as we trespassed down the street, with the rustle of a breeze here and there, the echo of the lone car every now and then, reverberating through the town.

Here’s looking down the street past Trader Joe’s:

It was neat and weird all at once, to be able to stand in the middle of any street in downtown and, well, not have any cars bearing down on me! I could have almost started a solitaire game there. (For the record: I don’t recommend playing in the middle of any street.)

Well, that’s it for the super quick tour of the Christmas-deserted streets of Menlo Park! See ya all later!

Photo of the Week: A Holiday Greeting from Photographer Dave Nielsen

Bruce Simmons — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:12:59 +0000

Below is another one of Dave Nielsen’s photos. In this case, Dave is using this image to wish us all a wonderful holiday season with this image he has titled Rainy Pass Larches.

I like the expansive feel we have off in the distance, while feeling like we’re on the hill with the trees in the foreground. Though, oddly, I feel the need to toss a coat on right now!

Want to see more of Dave’s work? Check out Dave Nielsen’s Flickr Photo Stream.

Happy Holidays to One and All & Thank You

Bruce Simmons — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:58:43 +0000

I just wanted to take this moment to say Happy Holidays to one and all. Thank you to

Everyone who comes by to check out my eclectic coverage,
Everyone who chimes in to some of the conversations,
Who retweets or likes my articles,
To everyone who supports some of the causes I extol on the sidebar.

Now, more than ever is a good time to chime in and help those who are in need of help. Which ever cause or charitable organization best fits your focuses, whether it’s providing those new and unwrapped toys to the needy families, food for the starving, or money to research for a cause, it’s never too late or too little to pitch in.

I’ve always said “The Power of One” is the simplest and greatest act anyone can do.

It only takes one dollar from one person to help with whatever cause you favor. It doesn’t seem like much, but it can add up nicely, whether you know it or not.

IE: If every visitor who came by BruSimm believed that a mere dollar would help a cause and visited their favorite charity after visiting here, this site would have been responsible for close to $2 million in contributions to worthy causes over the last year.

So don’t you dare tell me that a single dollar doesn’t do much. It and you can do plenty and you should feel good about whatever amount you can or feel comfortable contributing. There are many who can’t or for whatever reason won’t, and it’s up to others like us to fill in where we can, if we can.

Again, thank you all for coming by for whatever reason!

Spare The Air Says No Fireplace Burns on Christmas Eve!!! Boo

Bruce Simmons — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 20:15:49 +0000

Can you believe that the one day of all days of the year, where families gather around the fireplace, where chestnuts might be roasting over an open fire, Christmas Eve, residents of the Bay Area can’t have fires in their fireplaces? Ug. Of all the bad timing, on December 24th, we can’t light up our fireplaces.

[Updated later on 12/24/11: I just received their official notice that wood burning is also banned for Christmas day. Double boo on The Grinch Who Stole Christmas fireplace moments!]

Read on, see why we can’t have our fireplaces roaring to life on this magical family day.

Here in the Bay Area of Ca., aka, San Francisco to San Jose and the regions in between, (The nine Bay Area counties) we have regulations in place to help with our air quality control called Spare the Air.

What the Spare the Air program does is disseminate a message by 2 p.m. from the Air District, declaring if the air the next day is forecast to be a potentially unhealthy day.

When an alert is sent out, it’s requested that citizens restrict their wood burning activities. In fact, it’s the law.

“Air quality in the Bay Area is forecast to be unhealthy. It is illegal for Bay Area residents to burn wood or other solid fuels in fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire-pits, or other wood-burning devices. This wood-burning ban will be in effect for Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, central and southern Sonoma and southwestern Solano Counties.

Winter air pollution is mainly caused by particulates or soot pollution from wood smoke. Smoke from wood-burning fires is linked to illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and lung disease, and is especially harmful for children and the elderly.”

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been seeing this message pop up more often than not, just in time for the weekends. I didn’t care, even if I would have enjoyed a nice fire every now and then on my weekends off.

But I received my email today saying we can’t have a fire in our fireplace on Christmas Eve. Of all days, you would wonder if they wouldn’t make one day’s worth of an exception and let residents enjoy the spirit of the season… just for one day.

I swear, The Grinch is behind this evil plot to overthrow Christmas yet again. But all I know is that it would be illegal to lite it up tomorrow dang it. Grinch, you win this one…

I’ll have to go git a DVD of a fireplace now!

UPDATE: 12:15 pm; 12/24/11: I just received the latest notice saying that all wood burning is banned for tomorrow, on Christmas day also.

[Spare the Air]

Brusimm » bruce’s thoughts

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