The Things You Can Do On Twitter

One of the more popular hobbies for folk on Twitter is the hashtag game. On Twitter, a hashtag (#) when placed directly in front of a word, or words strung together into one, creates a link which when selected will pull up a list of all tweets by all users who have the hashtag in one of their tweets. As an example, if you have a Twitter account (and if not, you need one), try searching the hashtag #insurance sometime. You'll get some interesting results.

The game aspect of hashtags comes when someone makes up one and it catches on. Occasionally they can be rather risque, but for the most part they're harmless.

One that's been going around today is #tweetyour16yearoldself. It's a way of doing what we all wish we could do; namely, warn ourselves about what we should and shouldn't do during our hazy, crazy teen years. It's also providing the opportunity for some rather witty statements:

• Do NOT alienate that history teacher! It will cost you an extra year of high school. You never listen. Ever.
  
  
• I think if I could just meet Rick Springfield, he'd see we were meant to be together! (Good Grief!)
  
  
• Try being a miserable teenager now instead of when you're 20 - it's much more socially acceptable.
  
  
• It gets better... but your hair doesn't.
  
  
• Keep putting money into $AAPL and don't sell. Trust me on this one.
  
  
• Irrespective of what your PE report suggests, learning to throw & catch is not an essential life skill.
  
  
• For the September 4th, 1986 lottery drawing, have Mom buy a ticket with the numbers 3-14-17-23-39-47.
  
  
• Keep the supermodelling up. You'll need something to fall back on if the neuroscience & astrophysics don't work out.
  
  
• Write a novel about a boy wizard learning magic at an old British boarding school.
  
  
• Keep ALL of your old video games and consoles. No point buying them twice, you idiot.
  
  
• Trust me, you'll be glad you grew up before the age where everyone has a cellphone camera & twitter account.

And my favorite thus far:

• #tweetyour16yearoldself has reminded me of what a self-pitying, self-righteous, whiny, know-it-all little snot I was at 16.