Follow Hashtags

The follow hashtags feature lets members subscribe to topics they care about. Once a member follows a hashtag, a dedicated activity feed on their profile shows all activities containing that tag from across the community.

What it Does

• Members follow hashtags from their profile settings page
• A “Followed Hashtags” tab appears under each member’s activity section showing a filtered feed
• The admin bar gains a “Hashtag” shortcut linking to the settings page when logged in
• A “Followed Hashtags” scope option appears in the activity directory (BuddyBoss-based sites also get this as an activity filter dropdown option)

Following is opt-in per member. Followed hashtag lists are private - other members cannot see which hashtags you follow.

How to Follow a Hashtag

From a Hashtag Link

1. Click any hashtag in an activity update or comment (for example, #photography)
2. On the activity results page, the hashtag appears in the activity stream
3. To follow it, go to your profile settings - Profile > Settings > Follow Hashtags - and add the tag there

From Profile Settings

1. Go to your profile
2. Click Settings in the profile navigation
3. Click the Follow Hashtags tab
4. In the text field, type one or more hashtag names separated by commas (no # needed; it is added automatically)
5. Click Follow Hashtags
6. The hashtag appears in your list under “Following”

The field supports autocomplete suggestions if that feature is also enabled - start typing and existing hashtags from the community appear as options.

Viewing Your Followed Hashtags Feed

1. Go to your profile
2. Click Activity in the profile navigation
3. Click the Followed Hashtags sub-tab

The feed shows all activities that contain any of the hashtags you follow. It is updated in real time as new content is posted.

If you have not followed any hashtags yet, you see:

“You haven’t followed any hashtags yet. Follow hashtags to see related activities here.”

A link takes you directly to the settings page to start following.

If you are viewing someone else’s profile and they have not followed any hashtags, you see:

“This member hasn’t followed any hashtags yet.”

Managing Your Followed Hashtags

1. Go to Profile > Settings > Follow Hashtags
2. Your followed hashtags appear as tags in a list under “Following”
3. Each tag has an Unfollow button
4. Click Unfollow to remove a hashtag from your list - the change takes effect immediately (no page reload needed)

Admin Bar Shortcut

When a member is logged in, the admin bar includes a Hashtag entry under the BuddyPress account menu. Clicking it goes directly to Profile > Settings > Follow Hashtags.

This shortcut is hidden automatically when the follow feature is disabled.

Most Followed Hashtags Widget

Administrators can add the “Most Followed Hashtags” widget to any sidebar to surface popular followed hashtags to members.

To add the widget:

1. Go to Appearance > Widgets
2. Find #Hashtags - Most Followed
3. Add it to your sidebar
4. Configure:
   • Title - the heading shown above the widget
   • Limit - how many hashtags to show (up to 100)
   • Display - Cloud or List
   • Sort by - Name, Followers, Date, or Random
   • Sort order - ascending or descending
   • Show follower counts - optionally display the number of followers next to each hashtag

Each hashtag in the widget links to the activity search results for that tag.

If no one has followed any hashtags yet, the widget shows “No followed hashtags.”

Privacy

• Your followed hashtag list is visible only to you on the settings page
• The widget shows aggregate follower counts only - no individual follower information
• Admins cannot see which hashtags a specific member follows through the settings UI

Enabling or Disabling the Feature

1. Go to WB Plugins > BuddyPress Hashtag > General
2. Find Enable Hashtag Following
3. Toggle it on or off
4. Save changes

When disabled:

• The Follow Hashtags settings tab is hidden for all members
• The Followed Hashtags activity sub-tab is hidden on member profiles
• Follow buttons and admin bar shortcuts are removed
• The “Most Followed Hashtags” widget is unregistered
• Existing follow data in the database is preserved (not deleted)

When re-enabled, previously followed hashtags are restored.

Empty and Error States

Situation	What the Member Sees
No hashtags followed yet (own profile)	Info message with link to settings
No hashtags followed (other member’s profile)	“This member hasn’t followed any hashtags yet.”
Trying to follow a profanity-flagged hashtag	“This hashtag cannot be followed.”
Already following a hashtag	“You are already following this hashtag.”
Widget - no followed hashtags exist on the site	“No followed hashtags” text