# #charitytuesday reaches Twitter top ten in two hours

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/05/12/charitytuesday-reaches-twitter-top-ten-two-hours/
- Published: 2009-05-12T08:59:41+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Twitter can be wonderfully fast and light. It was first begun just a week ago by
[Lovebox](http://twitter.com/loveboxuk), “your digital wristband that raises awareness
and money for international causes that matter to you”.

 

It takes the idea of the #followfriday hashtag which is an opportunity for Twitter
users to recommend another Twitter user(s) that they think their followers would
find interesting, or simply to say a public thank-you for the useful messages they
have been published. Of course, messages with the #followfriday hashtag should only
be sent on a Friday.

## Advertisement

 [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/)

 

#charitytuesday has really taken off this morning, after John Carnell at [@bullyinguk](http://www.twitter.com/bullyinguk)
spotted its potential. Within two hours this morning it has ‘trended’, meaning that
it has become one of the top 10 most use words or phrases on the Twitter network.

 

You can see the [latest messages with the #charitytuesday hashtag](http://search.twitter.com/search?max_id=1771758639&page=8&q=%23charitytuesday).

 

You can see the [analysis of the use of the hashtag](http://wthashtag.com/wiki/Charitytuesday)
or view a screenshot of it:

 

 [⌊#charitytuesday hashtag trends on Twitter within two hours⌉](http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardlake/3524329803)

 

Note that 75 messages with the tag have been posted this morning so far. Note also
that you only need 75 or perhaps a little fewer messages with the hashtag to achieve
a Twitter trend! Has that helped you think how quickly your charity could obtain
an albeit brief global presence on the Twitter homepage? I hope so.

 

(Yes, I know. On other busier news days it could take a lot more than 75 messages‘
to trend’ on Twitter).

 

So congratulations to [Lovebox](http://www.lovebox.org.uk) for coming up with a 
straightforward idea that offers charities and individuals the chance to promote
similar organisations or themselves, and it takes off within minutes.

 

Of course, this rapid spread might not be a good thing if the topic were damaging
or inaccurate comment on a charity, but the lesson is that Twitter can be used in
this way.

 

Of course, it can be abused. Hashtags rely on everyone playing by the rules. Of 
course, not everyone does, and I’ve already spotted a Twitterer promoting their 
news item, admittedly about charities, with the hashtag.

 * **[Twitter URL shortening service to raise funds for charities](https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/05/18/twitter-url-shortening-service-raise-funds-charities/)**(
   18 May 2009)
 * **[Twollars – a Twitter based fundraising currency](https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/05/31/twollars-twitter-based-fundraising-currency/)**(
   31 May 2009)
 * **[Computer Aid Twitterthon aims for 1,000 PCs donated in four hours](https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/06/12/computer-aid-twitterthon-aims-1000-pcs-donated-four-hours/)**(
   12 June 2009)