Cas FickNov 22, 2022
Jenn (she / her) 🍁

The arguments for using #camelCase(Capitalizing the first letter of each word in a #hashtag): (Or #PascalCase)

It's inclusive for people using assistive technology

It makes the hashtag easier to parse for everyone - especially people learning a language, and those with learning disabilities.

The primary argument against it is simply that hashtags have traditionally been all lowercase.

Let's make accessibility the norm rather than the exception. #Accessibility Matters

Nov 16, 2022 at 2:46pmWeb
Show threadch1m3r4c0mpl3xNov 16, 2022
@JennAnnis Coincidentally, when I first started using social media in the early naughts, I used camel case as a default mode, TIL it has a name.
Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 16, 2022
@ch1m3r4c0mpl3x I knew it had a name and then I forgot and was reminded recently. I have done it by default for awhile now but it was a habit I needed to learn.
Show threaddana 🏳️‍🌈🦖💾Nov 16, 2022

@JennAnnis did you know there are two variations of this? If every word is capitalized, it's #PascalCase and if every word *except* the first is capitalized it's called #camelCase. In normal life they are pretty interchangeable but each type of capitalization represents different types of objects in certain programming languages. Oh and there's also one called #SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE.

#theMoreYouKnow #sorryForWellActuallying #hashtagsShouldComeInThrees

Show threadJoeNov 16, 2022
@mxmarsh @JennAnnis I should have read all the comments before making mine! 🤦‍♂️
Show threaddana 🏳️‍🌈🦖💾Nov 16, 2022

@gRootAreWe @JennAnnis haha! I beat you by a whole 8 minutes which is about how long my pages take to refresh sooo *insert shrug emoji*.

Not complaining btw : I love there are so many of us that we have this problem.

Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 16, 2022
@mxmarsh @gRootAreWe There.. edited the post to include both. :)
Show threaddana 🏳️‍🌈🦖💾Nov 16, 2022
@JennAnnis @gRootAreWe #teamworkMakesTheDreamWork
Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 16, 2022
@mxmarsh Yeah that makes sense. Another reason I'm glad I'm not a programmer.
Show threadJoeNov 16, 2022
@JennAnnis love this idea!
If you are advocating for the first letter to also be capitalized, this is also known as Pascal Case. The primary difference between the two is that with Camel Case, the first letter does not have to be upper-case. ❤️
Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 16, 2022
@gRootAreWe For my screen reading purposes it really doesn't matter if the first letter is capitalized or not - but it's good to know there's a difference. I generally try to avoid multi-word hashtags because of the difficulties several neurodivergent friends have reading them.
Show threaddana 🏳️‍🌈🦖💾Nov 16, 2022
@JennAnnis @gRootAreWe I didn't know this. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Show threadneurotic owlNov 16, 2022
@JennAnnis and you avoid embarrassments like #susanalbumparty!
Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 17, 2022
@NeuroticOwl very true
Show threadBrainPilgrimNov 19, 2022
@JennAnnis If all you have is tradition so what?🤣
Show threadVAWeismanNov 21, 2022
@JennAnnis THANK YOU! This is such a problem! When I use #CamelCase #CamelCaseHashtags if I don’t type out the full hashtag (and risk misspelling it #FatFingers) it autocorrects to lowercase. Also, why is it called Camel Case? Or do I want to know?🤨
Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 21, 2022
@vaweisman the capitalized first letters look like a camels humps
Show threadVAWeismanNov 22, 2022
@JennAnnis Thank you!!
Show threadDylanNov 21, 2022
@JennAnnis as a developer, I have a habit of using camel case as I type hashtags, and then “correcting” it…guess I won’t anymore.
Show thread🌶akeNov 21, 2022
@JennAnnis Agreed! Do you know if there's any way to get mastodon to not default to all lower case when it recognizes a hashtag?
Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 21, 2022
@fury no. It's a problem everywhere... i get around it by not letting it autocomplete
Show threadRosieNov 21, 2022
@JennAnnis Thank you.
Show threadgreenwayfoodsNov 22, 2022
@JennAnnis I had no idea about this, so have tried to capitalise all my hashtags.
Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 22, 2022
@greenwayfoods and now you know better so you can do better. :) it's always good to learn new things.
Show threadRockyNov 22, 2022

@JennAnnis you might also want to consider not using inline hashtags, because the way screen readers read them is very jarring and hard to follow.

For example, your first sentence would be output as, “The arguments for using hashtag camel case (capitalizing each word in a hashtag hashtag): or hashtag Pascal case.”

I put my hashtags at the bottom for this reason.

Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 22, 2022
@rockymcrockerson I think that depends on the screen reader. Neither screen reader I use has an issue with inline hashtags. It's no more jarring than how a sighted person reads it - but I do appreciate that some people prefer it at the end.
Show threadRockyNov 22, 2022
@JennAnnis you’re right. Some folks with other screen readers have said it can cause issues. I don’t use a screenreader but I also find it jarring to read due to other reasons. Thanks for clarifying.
Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 22, 2022
@rockymcrockerson I don't use them all the time but i have a couple of them for work testing and because sometimes they're far easier on my brain. I do tend to stick hashtags at the end.. but only because I forget about them.
Show threadDr Suzanne she/herNov 22, 2022
@JennAnnis Omg, I just realized why it’s called camel case.
Show threadJennie BlakeNov 22, 2022
@DrSuzanne @JennAnnis it genuinely took your comment for me to realise!
Show threadJenn (she / her) 🍁Nov 22, 2022
@jnyrose @DrSuzanne I love those aha moments.