I think it’s obvious that I’m passionate about social media. It’s proven by my activity on all different platforms, how I follow trends on Mashable, and then there’s my Twitter handle: hashtagmaggie. Yes, hashtag like the # for Twitter.

My twitter handle has caught on and a ton of people call me “Hashtag” now, especially the Michigan Athletic Department (they were the first to call me it so shout-out to them!).

But I’ve never actually told anyone why it is the way it is.

So here you have it folks, an exclusive.

Behind the Name

I am an avid Jimmy Fallon fan. Anyone that knows me knows that I absolutely adore Jimmy and every weekday that I have time, I always flip to his show at 12:30am on NBC. I think he’s hysterical, I love how he seems so personable and he laughs at his own jokes which I find great. 

On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy does this game called “Hashtags.” Basically, he’ll come up with a weird hashtag like #mysiblingisweird and he’ll say the funniest responses on his show. His hashtags always trend worldwide and I’m always amazed by it!

Jimmy Fallon is the reason I joined Twitter.

He pitched every night for a while for people to get on Twitter. And so….I did. And played some hashtag games for Jimmy Fallon. And I thought, what better name than @hashtagmaggie to not only pay homage to Jimmy, but also to play the fact that I think the things I say on Twitter are important and are influential, and I like to see things catch on like wildfire…just like hashtags can be! 

And so there you have it. Behind the Name. Thanks Jimmy.

Hashtags are the most abused tool of Twitter. So I’m going to clear up 3 unwritten rules by….writing them down. :)

1. #You #Dont #Have #To #Hashtag #Every #Word #In #Your #Sentence. Yes, believe it or not it’s true. You don’t have to do this. I just want to put that out there.

2. Symbols don’t work in hashtags. If you’re going to hashtag the word “don’t,” do it like this: #dont. Apostrophes, &, $…none of those will work with a hashtag. Also, if you’re going to hashtag a number, it won’t work unless you write it out or attach a word to it. For example, #2012 <—that won’t work. But #Year2012 or #TwoThousandTwelve, etc. will!

3. Remember that people think simply when it comes to Twitter. If you want to get your hashtag to catch on, make it short, sweet and clever. It’s harder to make a long hashtag work and it sure doesn’t help with your 140 character limit! 

Pictured above is Robby Ginepri, an American tennis player sponsored by none other than Under Armour. I am a huge tennis fan…and I mean HUGE. Played the sport for a good portion of my life and I’m the girl that will wake up at 5am EST just to watch the Australian Open. Yes, I’m crazy for sports and I love it.

But this year, I did notice the lack of Under Armour at the Aussie Open. And it made me think…Under Armour needs to make a bigger presence internationally. Yes, UA is an American brand but giving it even more depth by going international is only beneficial. And I think the best outlet for that is through tennis and of course…social media.

Tennis is by far one of the most international sports. It is the top individual sport in the world and one of the most played sports as well. The thing about sports to remember is that it isn’t tickets that is making the most money for the sports industry… it is Sports APPAREL. People play tennis. And although UA does sell a few tennis things, I think it is time for them to put more focus on the area because people trust the brand enough to start converting to UA for the sport. Sponsorship of more top tennis players on the tour is the ultimate start.

So how would Under Armour get the word out about their international self? Social media of course! The fastest, easiest and most widespread way to spread information. Getting the word out about new products, ways for international customers to purchase these products, when sponsored players are playing and making huge pushes to inform people on when those players win. Because winners are what Under Armour produces. Winners are who #ProtectThisHouse

It’s true. Around the Michigan Athletic Marketing Department, I am known as “Hashtag.” I am introduced to people by staff as “Hashtag, aka. Maggie Chang.” After the full time staff began to follow me on Twitter (@hashtagmaggie), they realized how much I loved it with my constant postings about social media and my excitement about sports too, which led them to associate social media and I together. And I absolutely love it.