Online academic communities are valuable spaces where participants can share information, find and provide support, and even be entertained. Online academic communities refer to hashtag-specific chats or other forms of affinity groups. Although these communities have been researched in the literature, more studies are needed to understand the uses, gratifications, and strategies that shape a social media hashtag community for the academic community (e.g., faculty, graduate students, and university staff). This research explores how participants of social media hashtag communities such as #AcademicTwitter use strategic messaging and informal learning strategies. It also explores the uses and gratifications members receive for participating in these hashtag communities. X (formerly known as Twitter) data on #AcademicTwitter from 2021 were retrieved and analyzed using a content analysis. This study found that members mainly encouraged material support using visuals and links as message strategies. Findings provide an empirically tested framework of strategic messaging and informal learning strategies that participants used to motivate others to participate and gratify them to continue engaging.