“Social media is revolutionising our world. It is changing the way we interact with others, and the way in which companies and individuals do business.” “The old ways are dead; long live Twitter and Facebook.”
Presumably this brave new world comes with its own set of new rules. In search of these new commandments I have pondered my time spent reading others’ interactions and have gleaned a few observations (I’m sure I’ve missed many more):
1. Be nice. Thank people when they promote your work, give credit to those whose work you share with your connections.
2. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Having a positive (while realistic) outlook on everyday issues will attract others to listen to you.
3. If you’ve nothing good to say, say nothing at all. It’s easy to sling mud, especially when hiding behind a veil of anonymity. Nobody likes to lose face, and stepping back before launching a critical tirade can often preserve the dignity of all sides.
4. Like it or not, we are judged not only by what we say but also by the words we choose to convey that message. Filling our communications with profanities inevitably puts the messenger in the spotlight at the expense of their content.
5. It is very easy to add labels to ourselves. Guru, expert, no.1 whatever. I look at the self-written descriptions of the widely recognised leaders in a field. None of these words ever show up. Why? Because they don’t need to tell anyone how good they are; their achievements speak for themselves. If I see a person describe themself as a guru, an expert, or ‘The Leading’ whatever, my immediate impression is not a positive one.
6. Friends come and go; they will follow others for as long as it suits them and drop them when they no longer serve a purpose; people have their own agendas and when yours coincides with that of another more inflential person you can make great progress very quickly; it’s best not to take these things personally.
7. Nobody likes being sold to, but we all appreciate others who can listen and provide an answer that meets our needs.
8. It’s easy for anyone to shout. Loud enough and people will hear. The challenge is getting them to listen.
If you hadn’t noticed, I never used the term ‘social media’ once in these rules, nor mentioned any technological platform. Isn’t that the point here? That the rules of how to use social media are in fact not at all new: they are the same rules that have applied to human communication long before the advent of electricity, the telephone and even the printing press.
Social media is not rocket science. While there are particular nuances to adapting our social skills to any new outlet, one basic principle holds true: whatever the next great new advance will be, the ability to communicate intelligently with others will always be the cornerstone to using it successfully.
Great post. I agree that the same “traditional” rules of human communication apply perfectly to social media and I think that your list of observations is a very accurate one. If you’d like to read some more thoughts and a see webcast on social media please visit: http://contemporarypr.blogspot.com/
Nice. (And I never follow anyone who defines him/herself as a “social media guru” or “social media expert.” That just sounds like a whole lotta baloney to me.)
Awesome points! It’s sad though that people need to be reminded to just be nice…
Fantastic post.
Everyone seems to think that there’s some kind of black magic involved in using social media – but as you so clearly explain, there isn’t. Many companies (and individuals) could do worse than have this as thir SM manifesto!
In fact, they should use this to guide all of their communications!
Thanks for sharing.
Adam
Thanks all for the kind comments.
Roxana, Happy to share the link. You have some very interesting material on your site. I enjoyed looking at the differences of Romanian and UK cultures.
Sophia, agree with you entirely. Same goes with SEO and in fact most things where someone can convince others that it’s too complex for ‘ordinary’ folk to understand.
Andi, isn’t it striking the number of situations where just being nice is the key?
Adam, cheers mate! When you meet with clients you must see how many really DO think this is some sort of black magic. Would you agree that it’s when they realise how simple it really is that they see how much value social media can bring to their business.
Great post Andy. Absolutely agree 100%. You summed it up nicely.
People can use this as a common sense base to their model. It’s exactly what I respond to and what we are trying to accomplish with our business. It’s doing all of the above and still trying to sell an idea which we are finding difficult but we are getting there. Thanks for the post.
Thanks for the kind feedback Geoff. Love the Camping Ninja name by the way
As you said in the conclusion note, communication is the cornerstone in all the facets of our lives, in private as well as business matters. And you learn your life long! Social Media is a great tool to enrich ourselves, both personally and also professionally. I can agree to all your points up to number 6. “friends come and go”….I am not sure what you exactly meant here…:)
Thanks, Andy.
Thanks Michela. Re: no.6, I was drawing a parallel that in ‘the real world’ we make friends, and in the course of our lives we lose friends, and it’s often quoted advice to accept this as the inevitable course of life.
In social media, whether it’s friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter, people also come and go, and our connections with them are often far more superficial than in the real world. So it’s even more important not to take it personally (I hear of people getting very upset over being un-friended on Facebook!)
This is a great list. I especially like your remark about people referring to themselves as leaders or experts.
oh i love no.3 .. if only everyone lived by rule no.3 fewer wars would be started. if only there was a switch in our head that made us wait 24 hours before reacting.. sigh.. great 7 rules
grandpa would be proud 
eight! sorry i meant eight. it’s 5am here.. forgive me, the coffee has not kicked in yet! LOL
Thanks CIki! What are doing replying to blog posts at 5am? You need to write a blog about insomnia I think