Updated 13/06: Facebook has confirmed it will be rolling out hashtags for users, starting from today.

The latest news out of Facebook HQ (it seems like there's something new every week at the moment!) is that the social giant is considering trialling the use of hashtags, the now ubiquitous topic grouping symbol popularised by rival Twitter.

If Facebook does go ahead with the idea, rumoured to be intended to work alongside the new graph search feature to make topics and conversations easier to find, it will join Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and its own sepia-soaked photosharer Instagram as a user of the device.

Bearing all that in mind, we thought it would be worth having a refresher in how best to use hashtags for marketing on all the major platforms. Of course to really get to grips with marketing on Twitter, Facebook and the like, our Social Media Workshop is ideal.

If you want to see hashtags in action, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

So how do we go about using hashtags for marketing? Well firstly we need to distinguish between two different ways they are used by businesses across social media:

1/ Using Existing Hashtags

One very simple and popular way to use hashtags for marketing businesses is to find trending hashtags related to your specific niche and use them in your posts.

If for example, you write about Project Management, you could use the hashtags #pm #pmot to open up your posts to a wider audience who may be searching for content placed under that grouping.

Going down this route is generally seen to be the 'safest' option when using hashtags but you still need to be careful.

OK - so your business is increasing its Social Media presence (well done!). You have been working on your Search Engine Optimisation, and you've created a Fan Page for your business on Facebook, but the URL for your Facebook fan page is ridiculously long and impossible for anyone to remember.

If only there was a way to get a nice, short, snappy URL.

Well guess what? THERE IS! Facebook calls this a vanity URL.

But - it's a bit of a fiddle. So - read through our simple step by step guide below...

Unsure what to do with the Facebook Timeline? Check out our Complete Guide to Facebook Timeline.

How to Change the URL for your Facebook Fan Page

The URLs that Facebook allocates Fan Pages by default are RUBBISH!

Ours was www.facebook.com/pages/Silicon-Beach-Training/150912562754 - mmmm catchy!

However - we've shortened it to www.facebook.com/SiliconBeach MUCH better!

Here's how...

OK - so your business is increasing its Social Media presence (well done!). You have been working on your Search Engine Optimisation, and you've created a Fan Page for your business on Facebook, but the URL for your Facebook fan page is ridiculously long and impossible for anyone to remember.

If only there was a way to get a nice, short, snappy URL.

Well guess what? THERE IS! Facebook calls this a vanity URL.

But - it's a bit of a fiddle. So - read through our simple step by step guide below...

Unsure what to do with the Facebook Timeline? Check out our Complete Guide to Facebook Timeline.

How to Change the URL for your Facebook Fan Page

The URLs that Facebook allocates Fan Pages by default are RUBBISH!

Ours was www.facebook.com/pages/Silicon-Beach-Training/150912562754 - mmmm catchy!

However - we've shortened it to www.facebook.com/SiliconBeach MUCH better!

Here's how...

Below you'll find a comprehensive list of Social Media Tips,Guides, Plugins, Platforms, Analytics Tools, Apps and other great Social Media resources. This list is designed as a reference guide for delegates who have attended our Social Networking training or SEO training courses in Brighton, Sussex - but it would be mean of us not to make it available to everyone. We also provide creative courses like Photoshop Training and Leadership and Management Training like PRINCE2 Training and Business Analysis Courses. Enjoy...

Below you'll find a comprehensive list of Social Media Tips,Guides, Plugins, Platforms, Analytics Tools, Apps and other great Social Media resources. This list is designed as a reference guide for delegates who have attended our Social Networking training or SEO training courses in Brighton, Sussex - but it would be mean of us not to make it available to everyone. We also provide creative courses like Photoshop Training and Leadership and Management Training like PRINCE2 Training and Business Analysis Courses. Enjoy...

The Google+ communities uptake seems to have been staggering but the roll-out hasn't been without its issues. The site seems to be struggling with the amount of activity - so far we've had crashes and glitches galore, but hopefully that won't be a long-lasting issue.

As we've been creating our own Community pages today, we've been learning ourselves how and what to do with them.

Make sure you know your G+ from your LinkedIn by trying our Social Media Courses.

So to help you avoid some of the mistakes we made (believe me, there have been quite a few!) we decided to put together an FAQs post about how to use Communities. We hope this proves helpful but if you do have any other questions, feel free to comment, Tweet or even get in contact on g+ itself and we'll do our best to give you some answers.

The Google+ communities uptake seems to have been staggering but the roll-out hasn't been without its issues. The site seems to be struggling with the amount of activity - so far we've had crashes and glitches galore, but hopefully that won't be a long-lasting issue.

As we've been creating our own Community pages today, we've been learning ourselves how and what to do with them.

Make sure you know your G+ from your LinkedIn by trying our Social Media Courses.

So to help you avoid some of the mistakes we made (believe me, there have been quite a few!) we decided to put together an FAQs post about how to use Communities. We hope this proves helpful but if you do have any other questions, feel free to comment, Tweet or even get in contact on g+ itself and we'll do our best to give you some answers.

On Sunday 14th October, Felix Baumgartner jumped out of a balloon 24 miles above the planet, breaking the speed of sound and a few world records to boot. It was an impressive feat, pushing the human body to new limits and showing what people are capable of achieving.

Watch the jump!

Not loading? Click here to watch on YouTube.

Red Bull Stratos was a collaborative event, with the previous record holder for sky diving - 84 year old Joe Kittinger - guiding Felix from the ground, a whole team supporting and organising the jump, and just a bit of help from the sponsor Red Bull. It was also what I believe to be the first truly global social media event. Read on to find out what I mean by that...

If you want to find out more about the jump itself, head to the Red Bull Stratos website or the BBC where it's proving quite a popular subject today, claiming 4 out the top 5 most shared stories:

Want to publicise events like Red Bull? We offer tailored social media training packages. Combine our social media, content marketing and WordPress courses to learn how to build a website and create and marketing content using social media.