#Shamrocking introduced as McDonald’s new St. Patrick’s Day meme

McDonald's has struggled with social media in the past, but it is trying again with a St. Patrick's Day Shamrock shake

Last year we saw many memes including planking, owling, batmanning and Tebowing. Now we have one just for a holiday - #Shamrocking.

There seems to be some disagreement on the actual stance, but basically you strike a pose like you are doing an Irish jig while holding a McDonald's Shamrock shake in the air. Of course, you must get a picture of it. AdWeek describes it as a poor man's Captain Morgan pose.

McDonald's recently got the meme going after posting on BuzzFeed many photos of people participating. "The Irish jig has been an expression of joy since the 16th century, and thanks to the hot new viral trend #Shamrocking, it's making a modern day comeback," reads the sponsored post.

The minty shake, designed to commemorate St. Patrick's Day, was first introduced in 1970 and after a long hibernation returned to Canadian menus last year.

While McDonald's is trying to claim shamrocking as its term, according to Urban Dictionary, the word already has three meanings. It's the double-handed action of your local bartender topping off a Guinness with a shamrock motif. It's also when you put on a veterinary cone, shake a beer and drink it as it pours on your face. A sore loser who loudly complains after failing is also said to be shamrocking.

McDonald's hasn't had the most luck creating hashtags. In January, Forbes reported its hashtag campaign became a "bashtag" when the company started #McDStories with hopes of people tweeting stories about their experiences. Instead, people tweeted stuff like this: "One time I walked into McDonald's and I could smell type 2 diabetes floating in the air and I threw up" and "#McDStories I lost 50lbs in six months after I quit working and eating at McDonald's."

On Saturday, most people of legal drinking age will probably favour a green beer instead of a green shake, but we'll see how many are #Shamrocking.

The Shamrock shake isn't available at all McDonald's locations, but a site has been set up to help people indulge in this treat that seems to have a somewhat cult following. Shamrockshake.com allows people to add in locations where the shake is available and the search can be specified to any province or state.

(Photo courtesy of Pete Kidd on Twitter)