The recent Diane Abbott Twitter episode highlighted a minor trend I’ve spotted in a few tweets recently – making long statements via #hashtags.

Here is the deleted tweet that caused the stir:

And then:

This isn’t a commentary on the subject-matter or author.  I just don’t follow the need to turn a statement into something that is a) difficult to read and b) too long for people to effectively re-use in other tweets.

By creating/using a #hashtag you are building on a foundation of the web – hyperlinks – to point to a place elsewhere.  With Twitter, you are either opening up, or adding to, a space for discussion or aggregation of opions (if you’re lucky!).  

Neither #tacticasoldascolonialism nor #dontwashdirtylineninpublic effectively do this imho.

It’s a minor point, but something I see more and more.

In other news, @johnprescott, listening to the interview with Cameron on R4, kicked off a trend with #cameronmovienames.  Granted, It’s a character-long #hashtag, but has prompted hundreds of responses….