One of the greatest community and conversation-building features of Twitter is the ability to use hashtags.  Hashtags are words, phrases, or abbreviations prefaced with a number sign (#) — think of them as a way to categorize what you’re saying.  Once you enter a #hashtag, it’s automatically converted into a link that, if clicked, leads to Twitter search results for that phrase.  This is a great way to check out who else is talking about things that you’re interested in.

A few popular mom-related hashtags:
#bfing or #breastfeeding
#parenting
#family
#clothdiapers
#babywearing

Twitter also pulls together to support families that are going through tough times:
#Maddie
#Stellan

As well as raising awareness of organizations and causes:
#FriendsofMaddie
#MarchofDimes
#12for12k
#hiv
#iranelection

You will also find weekly events to encourage conversation among moms:
#gno – This stands for “Girl’s Night Out”, a chat that runs every Tuesday night from 9pm-11pm.  It is usually themed, and it’s incredibly active, with hundreds of participants.  You can read more about #gno over at Mom It Forward.
#ff or #FollowFriday – Each Friday, this tag is used to suggest people that you think your friends should follow on Twitter.
#kidsweigh – Every Tuesday @ 1pm EST, pediatrician Joanna Dolgoff holds a Q&A session about kid’s nutrition.  Each week has a particular theme, which you can find out about at her blog.

And very often, websites or companies will run contests, selecting a winner randomly from all those who use their hashtag:
#crocs4ever
#swaptree

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