The above might make you cringe, but it’s exactly the kind of thing you see in cyberspace!

Here are some ways in which you can play nice in the sandbox.

Social Media Etiquette – the rules of engagement

Be nice: Isn’t that easy? I mean being nice should be second nature to all of us, so, you’d think that this one was easy. In reality, it is one of the toughest things to be.

You see, to ‘be nice’, you have to act with a great deal of courtesy. For instance, you need to:

1. Listen first, talk later. To start off on the right foot, with your friends or your clients, you have to listen to them from start to finish and understand what is being said.
2. Allow others to finish what they’re saying before you dive in. A whole lot of misunderstandings can be avoided that way. Do not shout others down.
3. Say ‘Hello’, ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’. You’d be amazed at the power of these words.
4. Send out replies in a timely manner. No one likes to wait on your good humor forever.
5. Take the time to greet people. Acknowledge their presence and let them know you’re happy to have them with you.
6. Speak positive. Others will love listening to you.
7. Avoid being a badmouth. Period.
8. If you have a different point of view, by all means express it. Just do so kindly; and never do it because you want publicity.
9. Be regular. You can’t post thrice an hour for a week and then, just disappear.
10. Never ignore a contact who takes the time to write to your personally. On the other hand, if someone sends you a message without any indication whatsoever of how they know you, then it’s alright to ignore them. You need to use your discretion here.
11. If you reject an invite, it’s always a nice idea to explain why you rejected them. Maybe a simple explanation like, ‘I do not deal in this kind of business’ would suffice.
12. If you are sending out a friend invite, be very specific about how you know the other person. Many people just cannot remember you even if they’ve been introduced to you.

Keep away from hard-core selling: Let us go back to the party situation above once more. Imagine, that instead of playing, you were to stand up on a chair, get everyone’s attention and ask them to line up and pick up a business card from you, one by one? Can you imagine what your friends would think of you?

Many small businesses are doing the virtual replica of this when they troll in targeted communities within social networks. When you try to sell your commercial interests without adding value in any way, your online presence becomes nothing short of obnoxious. In other words, you’re spamming and sooner or later, someone is going to ask you to ‘Get Out!’

Add value: Many people believe that it’s enough to participate in a conversation. Sorry, that is simply not true. You need to add value.

Your aim is to build a community that benefits from your presence. Figure out how you can become a resource. Earn respect. That’s one step away from earning their affection. It is also the easiest way to becoming indispensable.

Cooperate: ‘You scratch my back, I scratch yours’. That’s the philosophy. Social media gives you ample opportunity to build your business. You can use it to take advantage of people power. But, you need to do it in a direct and forthcoming manner. Ask people directly about what they want, what they think and how you can improve to help them. This is the best way to gain important feedback and valuable insight. They’re your friends. Let them help you – and thank them for helping you!

Social media is a wonderful tool that helps you extend your business network. It opens up the whole world to you. But, a lot of people make the mistake of looking upon social media success by counting the number of contacts they have. Actually, it’s not the quantity that matters. Quality is what counts.

If you want good friends, be a good friend yourself. It’s that simple! Or, is it?

Resource:

Dos and Don’ts social media etiquette

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© 2010, Tiffany Odutoye (@virtualpartner). All rights reserved.

How many times have you spoken, and realized that what was heard, was not at all what you said? Communication is part art and part science and must be practiced. There are four main goals: to inform, to request, to persuade, and to build relationships.

If we don’t master the art of communication, we may waste our time doing pointless activities that amount to, well, pointless activity.

For example: is your social networking NOT working? Has your sphere of influence and reach expanded? Chances are you are not building the type of relationships that benefit from your influence. Perhaps you are talking to the wrong people. So, what can do?

Take a look at this list and identify one or two items that fit your objectives for communicating (informing, requesting, influencing, or building relationships). Try them right away and be sure to pop back on this page to share your comments and stories. I want to hear them!

Article Resource: 99 Ways to Improve Your Communication [http://www.getinfrontblogging.com/communication/99-ways-to-improve-your-communication/]

Additional resource: Lynne Waymon founded an organization called: Contacts Count. Check out some of the resources she offers for effectively connecting and building relationships (communicating) at live events.

Find them at http://www.contactscount.com

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• Making Your Words Count (ismckenzie.com)
• Social Media Q&A: Is One-Way Communication an Oxymoron? (socialmediatoday.com)
• Communicate effectively (slideshare.net)

© 2010, Tiffany Odutoye (@virtualpartner). All rights reserved.