This is a proposal and gathering page to discuss TagChannels for Twitter and not a final document.

This page should capture thoughts and fill out a proposal for TagChannels on Twitter.

The syntax

• follow #tag: subscribe to all updates tagged with #tag
• follow username#tag: subscribe to all updates tagged with #tag from a specific user
• leave #tag: unsubscribe to a tag; you will still get updates with this tag from your friends
• leave username#tag: unsubscribe to a specific from a specific user
• remove #tag: completely remove all incoming posts tagged with #tag, even from your friends
• #tag message: creates a status in the #tag channel
• #tag !message: creates a status that is only visible to people subscribed to channel tag #tag

Ideas

• Feeds for #tagchannels would be a no brainer making it really easy to follow certain topics without having to follow everyone posting on the topic
• It'd be very easy to capture status updates about events if a tag is set before the event... for example #sxsw or #barcamp
• Rather than messing up your friends list with Twitter deal accounts (cpcoupon, applestuff, dealtwit, amazondeals, etc), you could simply follow #deals if they all use the #deals tag convention.

Issues

• concerns?

Relevant blog posts

(Chronological order, oldest to most recent)

• Groups, Groupings, and Taming My Buddy List. And Twitter by Stephanie Booth
• How I created a TwitterGroup for Gnomedex by Kosso
• Groups for Twitter; or A Proposal for Twitter Tag Channels by Chris Messina
• Hash tags for Twitter by Stowe Boyd
• The Twitter Group Debate by Kyle Flaherty
• Channels will improve Twitter by Brian Solis
• Playing Tags by Eran Hammer-Lahav
• Twitter Channels by Greg Narain
• Groups : Twitter, Pownce and Jaiku
• Hello Tagbot (A Riff On Twitter Tags) by Gene Smith
• Groups for Twitter; or a Proposal for Twitter Tag Channels and on the Importance of Listening to Your End-Users by Luis Suarez