CES Hashtags Have Been Hijacked! You'll Never Guess Who Did It!

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opened its doors yesterday in Vegas, and the floodgates of new tech releases and product launches opened too! 

But before I cover all my favorites (Don't worry! I will cover them, check out AppChick.com.) there's a little snafu happening on social media concerning CES that is just too ridiculous not to talk about!

The CES hashtags have been hacked!! Okay, not REALLY hacked, but hijacked at least!  See, strip clubs all around the area have been using all the #CES hashtags nonstop since the conference started earlier today.  So much so, that you're likely to find just as many ads for strip clubs when using the hashtags as you are finding actual Consumer Electronics Show content!

To be honest, it is not a bad marketing idea.  Companies and brands are smart to tap into large groups of potential consumers in their areas.  But when it is a strip club, it just seems different!  I don't need pictures of girls in skimpy bikinis when I search for cool CES information!

Do you think strip clubs should be allowed to use this hashtag hacking tactic!?

Facebook/Twitter War Continues!

Or, shall I say, #TheWarContinues

The Twitter vs. Facebook war- that heated up at the end of last year with the Instagram debacle - is still raging.

The latest line of defense to be violated may be Twitter's infamous icon, the hashtag.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Facebook is working on fully incorporating the hashtag into the site. 

First reading this, I was unimpressed.  So what!? People already post tweets to Facebook and replicate the hashtag in their status updates, right?  Why does this matter?

But think about it, Facebook doesn't really DO anything with the hashtags that end up on the site. They are just there as a leftover from a tweet or a byproduct of an automated service that lets users update statuses and tweets simultaneously. Now, it looks like Facebook is realizing the goldmine that these leftover hashtags could create.  According to the article, the hashtags will soon be used as a way to group conversations within Facebook.  So, similar to Twitter's current hashtag capabilities, you will soon be able to click on a Facebook hashtag and pull up all posts about similar topics or events.  The hashtag also will serve as an index to conversations around trending topics.  Note that this could ALSO allow Facebook to better develop user conversations about those topics, increasing the chances for advertising on the topic's main pages.  And of course Facebook is under enormous pressure from Wall Street to increase its revenue streams.  

I'm still not sure if this seems like a breakthrough plan.  Facebook already groups conversations and has pages devoted to just about everything.  But it definitely shows the turf wars going on between the two social media giants.

What do you think, are #hashtags really valuable to Facebook? 

Could This Be The #Trendiest #Babyname Ever?

Quick, what do these words have in common: Apple, Sparrow, Bluebell.

Yeah, crazy celebrity baby names.  We all get a kick out of them, but I've never understood going for shock value when naming a baby.

This week, my friends, we have what has to be the #trendiest baby name of the #Twitter generation.  I'm giving you clues.  Any guesses yet?

Hashtag.

I'm not kidding.

Last Saturday night, baby Hashtag was born and her proud mama posted this pic of the precious child onto Facebook, announcing her birth and her unique name.  Granted, this Facebook post isn't an official birth announcement, but the story has blown up on Twitter and transferred to more mainstream sources including Huffington Post. 

Sigh, I don't even know anymore.  I thought we'd gotten to a new low last February when the family in Egypt named their son "Facebook" to honor the website's role in igniting Egypt's revolution.  That was different, but at least tied to a worthy cause.  Hashtag?  Someone please tell me why that is necessary or meaningful!

I'd recommend to this girl to start going by "Ash" as quickly as possible.  Otherwise, recess teasing might get pretty rough.

Know of any other crazy baby names? Share your strangest below!