Basic Social Media Etiquette

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Whether it's you, your executives or your members that need help moving into this brave new world of social media, everyone needs to learn the basics. Remember when email came out and people lost their jobs for flaming their boss and hitting the "reply all" button? Today, everyone knows the Don't Email When Angry and the Don't Write It If You Can't Defend It On National News rules of professional emailing (well, almost everyone).

What are the equivilent rules in the land of social networking?

First off, in the new world of interactivity-at-lightspeed, which is social networking, these rules still apply, and then some. But in the new world, we need to add a few more. All of which basically boil down to this: act like you would at any social gathering.

1. Introduce Yourself: We're all anonymous personalities out here until we get to know each other. Start with a smile and a nice comment, just as you would at a meet 'n greet.
2. Ask Questions/Give Answers/Say "Thank You": Don't expect others to do all the talking. It's a two way conversation and you have to hold up your end. Whether people are agreeing with you or not, if they are participating and becoming part of your network, appreciate that they took the time to be social and say thanks.
3. Remember Your Friends: When you meet people and feel a connection, remember them. Watch their blogs and comment, friend them or put them in your contact lists so you can check back with them later. One of the coolest things about these new technologies is that they help you remember who your friends are so you can check in on them regularly - use the tools!
4. Give Credit - liberally: Just like in the real world, when you give people public recognition for their work, you help them and make them more likely/willing to help you in return. Introducing your friends and readers to each other and to good resources they can use will make you be appreciated by them all.
5. Be a Person: Despite being able to publish a picture or podcast of yourself, your online network can't see your nonverbal communication or hear the tone of your (non-digitized) voice in its natural state. So your personality and identity need to shine through your ideas and the words you use to express them. And just like in the real world, it pays to be trustworthy, honest and honorable online. However, unlike most of the business documents you write, where personality often clouds your ability to get your point across, in the world of social networking it helps to put personality into your online identity so people can "get to know" you in cyberspace. And unlike the real world where your words dissapear into thin air, most of these digital bits are recorded somewhere... perhaps for eternity; the advice never burn bridges has never been more true.

"Hey!" You say. "I do this stuff in the real world. How do I do it in Social Media cyberspace?" Simple.

Talk to People - When you find someone out there who says something interesting and there's a 'reply' or 'comment' option - use it! Comment on their blog posts, answer their questions on LinkedIn, participate in discussion forums on web sites and intranets.

Let People Talk to You -  Put yourself out there so people who think what you say is interesting can introduce themselves and start a conversation with you. Fill out your profile on sites where you have an account (include your email address!), make posts on blogs, ask questions and start discussions on your intranet, add your expertise to Wikis. Whenever relevant, put links and trackbacks in to take your readers off to meet others' whose work you respect. What goes around comes around.

Resources:

Another great post on this subject is Rohit Bhargava's article 10 Ways to Improve your Blog Karma. It includes good rules for blogging and good rules for life.

As I find other good Social Media Etiquette resources, I'll post their links here as well.