The difference between # (hashtag) and @ (at) is confounding. Most people think that one stands for a number sign while the other for ‘at’ symbol, which is true, but there’s more to it than just that!

Hashtags are words that categorize your posts into different topics. They’re designed to make it easier for people with similar interests to connect with each other and be used in any way you want. You might use them on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

The @ symbol is a shortcut to a person’s username. It’s used in Twitter and Facebook because it saves time typing out the username every time you want to reply to someone.

What is Hashtag?

A hashtag is a word or phrase, usually with no spaces and starts with a hash sign, preceded by the symbol #. Hashtags work like metadata tags on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to identify and classify messages and their content for social group discussions about one main topic (e.g., #AppleNews).

You can search hashtags to see what people have been saying around it. Also, if you add a trending hashtag to your post, your post will appear at the top of the trend so more people can see it.

Hashtags are commonly used on social networking sites such as:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Pinterest

 What is Social Tag (@)

This small symbol has important meaning in the world of social media.

That little “@” symbol allows people to tag others in posts on Facebook and Twitter. When someone uses an “@” before another user’s name in a post (e.g. “@tom”), anyone who clicks on that tag will see all of the posts that mention both Tom and the tag.

When Should You Use Hashtags?

Hashtags are a great way to get your content in front of new audiences. If you’re not sure when to use hashtags, keep these 3 things in mind:

• You want the hashtag to be relevant to the content you post, so it is more likely that people will engage with it and share it.
• Use hashtags sparingly; they can clutter up your posts and make it difficult for readers to understand the point of the post.
• The best time for using hashtags is when you need help finding relevant content or want support from other users on Twitter.

 When You Should Use @ Symbol

The @ symbol is used in social media to reference a person. You can also use it for Facebook groups and pages, as well as Twitter hashtags. For example, if you wanted to tag me, you would type “@BrainCandy6” so that I receive the notification on my page.

Note: It is only appropriate to use an @ symbol when you are replying to someone or to tag them in a post.

Hashtags Examples (#)

• #wrestling
• #olympics
• #savewater

Social Tag Examples (@)

• @john_cena
• @sundarpichaai
• @Nestle

 Summing up

Hashtags (#) and At (@) symbols are two major social media tools that work differently. One is used to classify messages for group discussions about a topic while the other allows people to tag others in posts on Facebook or Twitter. If you use hashtags, make sure they’re relevant and aren’t too many! Use both if your brand or page wants to be found online by more than just their followers.