PRMR Investigates: Facebook and the #hashtag

PRMR Communications Consultants recently attended the IABC World Conference in New York. Just before we left, everyone was buzzing about Facebook and the introduction of the #hashtag. Was this the move that would crush the competition from Twitter, Tumblr and other platforms? Or was Facebook losing focus?

At the moment, things seem to have gone a bit quiet and the jury is still out as to whether or not this was an ideal move. We took a look at some pros and cons to each side:

PROS

- Imagine being able to talk to the world! Twitter has now become the go-to site for breaking news. Users can share information instantly using one hashtag. By introducing hashtags Facebook can now pull together conversations and information on any one topic, establishing communities with similar interests and allowing for breaking news to be shared within seconds

- Hashtags have gone viral! Even television advertisements are promoting hashtags - just look at the ads from the last Superbowl. The introduction of hashtags could reinforce the popularity of Facebook and increase their coolness factor exponentially.

- The creation of a potential Social Media Superpower? If you can connect with people you know and even more people that you don’t know, share breaking news, shop and sell and pretty much do everything, then could Facebook become a true Superpower?

CONS

- Is it better to try and do everything or do one or some things really , really well? Can Facebook compete with Twitter without compromising their original plans? Facebook was seen as a the tool to reconnect with people you know but may have lost contact with - a little more intimate than Twitter’s global conversations. Can Facebook successfully do both?

- How much is too much? Will we get tired of hashtags? Will they become the trend of 2013 that is no longer ‘cool’ in 2014? Technology is changing so rapidly that nothing seems to stick around for too long anymore, is Facebook doing too little too late by introducing hashtags?

What do you think? Let us know!