Pharmaguy interviews digital consultant Len Starnes about the use of medical conference hashtags by the pharmaceutical industry.The conversation covers these issues and questions:What sparked this discussion about pharma's use of medical society conference hashtags?The authors of the analysis describe Twitter conference reporting as a 'backchannel', implying that it is somehow covert. Is it?Do you agree with the analysis that pharma disproportionately influences HCPs on conference hashtags?Do you support the authors of the analysis that all pharma tweets on conference hashtags constitute ‘detailing’?Should medical societies try to control conference hashtag use - is it possible or desirable?What exactly are the authors of the analysis proposing?Is self-regulation a better option for the pharma industry?