For example, !lemmy starts with an !, but why not start with a # symbol?

    • KNova
      link
      fedilink
      English
      71 year ago

      I explained that hashtags use the pound symbol already, and usernames use the @ symbol. Communities needed their own symbol.

      • @gylotip@lemmy.mlOP
        link
        fedilink
        English
        11 year ago

        Okay, but how does a hashtag work? Can you give an example of a hashtagged word where Lemmy uses a hashtag?

        • KNova
          link
          fedilink
          English
          21 year ago

          #hashtags don’t automatically work on Lemmy, but if I cross post this comment to another federated service (mastodon etc.) the hashtags should work there. #lemmy @knova@knova@dartboard.social

          • @gylotip@lemmy.mlOP
            link
            fedilink
            English
            11 year ago

            Okay, we have:

            • # for tagging something
            • @ for usernames
            • ! for communities

            But does a question mark have any purpose here?

    • Knighthawk 0811
      link
      English
      71 year ago

      probably because a hashtag is already a thing that means something else in other apps. making hashtag mean a community here would give it 2 meaning depending on the app and that’s not user friendly cause people will make mistakes if they move between apps.

      therefore a new character was chosen for communities to avoid such confusion