For now, the @-reply is the only way to connect a tweet with another account, and the hashtag is the main way to connect with a topic. Without the @-reply, the person you're trying to mention in the tweet would not get a notification. Although keywords can sufficiently connect topic-based tweets, the hashtag is the strongest and most effective tool for the collection of tweets around a given subject area.
Schiller made the comment during a speech on Monday at the Newspaper Association of America mediaXchange 2014 event in Denver, according to BuzzFeed tech editor Charlie Warzel and editor in chief Ben Smith.
