Until now, nothing had haunted my memories more than the mullet my mum cut me as a kid.
But what I am about to describe, was a literal ghost at the feast. The feast being an actual feast. A splendid spread, a brilliant banquet, call it what you will but it was an impressive affair.
This, my friends, was my wedding feast.
Conversation, amongst other things, was flowing when, from the corner of my eye, I spied him.
Not a guest I recognised, definitely not one I had invited.
My eyes followed him around the shadows of the room, taking time to adjust as his form darkened between the flickering candle flames. A gate-crashing ex? The chef in plain clothes?
“Excuse me,” a white glove removed my plate, obscuring my vision for no more than a few seconds.
But a few seconds is all it takes. To miss something.
I tried again to find him, scanning the room of great-aunts and cousins thrice removed, their faces stuffed, feasting. I realise, sadly, that I couldn’t name half of them.
And I swear, he was there one minute, gone the next.
Naturally, what popped to mind next was, “Who ya gonna call?”
As fast as my fingers could twitch, I searched: #ghostbusters
Aha! There they were, all 2.1 million posts just asking to be followed. The faithful power of the #hashtag making paranormal investigatory services discoverable since 2007.
It spooks me every time. How the once humble “number sign” has transformed into a cool and cultural symbol which dominates social media.
When used correctly (ahem) they give powerful global recognition to key movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo.
When used incorrectly (millennials and baby boomers, #I #see #you…) then BAM! Gone. Lost in the darkness. Forever.
So whether it’s #ghostbusters or #ghostwriters you want to uncover, the #hashtag is the secret to your content being found and recognised. Believe me.
A word of caution: just don’t overuse them or they might just come back to haunt you.
For more tips on how to hunt for and not be haunted by the hashtag, give me a call. On second thoughts, best make it an email. #ThatsSoEighties
