What are @mentions and #hashtags?

Use @mentions to notify others of your posts, and use #hashtags to make it easier to search and filter your posts.

@Mentions

An @mention is a method of notifying colleagues of your post. An @mention contains @username anywhere in the body of the post. Use the @mentions feature to mention specific colleagues and share your news with them. The users that you mention are notified of your post, even if they are not following you. You can use @mentions anywhere in the product.

This feature encourages other people to respond to your update and can result in a more engaging conversation.

If you include more than one @mention in your post, all those people see the post in their @Mentions filter. Make sure that you separate @mention entries with a space. For example, @JohnSmith, @MaryJones. When you start typing a username, the type-ahead feature provides available choices from the directory.

@Mentions that specify your @username are collected and are displayed in the @Mentions filter on your Homepage. You can only view @mentions that specify your @username.

Note: Your administrator can disable @mentions. For more information, see the Disabling @mentions topic in the IBM® Connections wiki.

Rules for @mentions

Symbols cannot be used in or following the @mention. For example, if you enter @John.123, your message is sent to the user @John, not @John.123.
The @ sign must be at the beginning of a post or it must have a space immediately preceding it in order for the @mention to work.

#Hashtags

A #hashtag is any word or phrase with the number (#) sign immediately preceding it. The # sign converts the word into a link that makes it easy to find and follow a conversation about that topic. You can use #hashtags in status updates and in comments about status updates.

Search for content that contains a specific #hashtag in one of the following ways:

Click a #hashtag in any message to display all the content that contains that #hashtag.
Go to the Advanced Search page, select Status Updates, enter the tag that you want to find, and select Search.

Rules for #hashtags

Use #hashtags only on posts that are relevant to the topic. It is suggested to use no more than three #hashtags per post.
Make sure that you separate #hashtag entries with a space.
The #hashtag must be preceded by a space. For example, if you enter 123#John or word#John, relevant posts are not displayed in search results for the #John hashtag.
A #hashtag must contain letters and numbers only, with at least one letter.