HashtagsIRL.

So, I'm a twitter-er and like any good twitter-er should, I love hashtags. I love them so much, I have perfected the art of hashtagging.  Yes, perfected. I'm claiming it. Don't believe me? Go ahead & challenge me to a hashtag off. You WILL be sorry. But, uh, thanks for reading my blog.


I'll admit my hashtagging skills were a bit rough at the start of my twitter phase. (A lot like this blog currently is, come to think of it.) But with time and a lot of studying, I found the perfect balance of snark and emphasis to give me the hashtagging edge. I'm even known to triple or quadruple hashtag without cheating with "twitlonger" or some such crap. All I'm saying is, if hashtagging was an Olympic sport, I'd be suiting up to kick some 13 16 year old Chinese butt. It is that serious, but enough about how awesome I am.


After I perfected hashtagging, I started developing some hashtagging withdrawal symptoms in my non-twitter world. I tried throwing the hashtag down on some witty Facebook statuses, but explaining to my 3rd grade VBS teacher's half-sister why it says "#NeedABlowtorch" at the end of my status was a buzz kill. Then I had a moment of brilliance that was so dazzling, I amazed even myself: Hashtags IN REAL LIFE!


So, you don't think my idea is brilliant or even particularly inspired, right? Well, you're wrong and I'll explain why. HashtagsIRL are the perfect way to get all that hilarious snark out of your head & out into the world for others to enjoy, without all the hassles & drama caused by just outright saying what you think. (For the record, we usually call that being b*tchy.)


Still not convinced? Here's an example: You get a late evening phone call from the obnoxiously perky & adderall jazzed room mom in your child's class, asking you to please send him to school with 8 dozen organic, gluten-free cupcakes tomorrow. You choke back the "WHAT?!?" climbing your throat, and calmly reply "Of course, the cupcakes will be ready for tomorrow!" And here is when the HashtagsIRL come in, you add "#OrganicMyRear #WalMartToTheRescue". You are satisfied, have avoided spending all night making cupcakes that taste like cardboard and you got to tell PerkyMom just how much you care about her approval. As an added bonus (and to avoid having to find your child a new school), because it was only the hashtag that was rude/snarky/insensitive, she can't even be mad at you. WIN!


OK, maybe that last part is a stretch, but I still think HashtagsIRL is a brilliant idea. I plan on bringing it to the global level, so be an early adaptor and set the trend!






(If this post/idea sounds vaguely familiar, it is probably because I discussed the idea briefly when the amazingly talented Purse Blogger interviewed me for her "Favorite Lady of the Week". She is an awesome writer and a great bloggy friend!)