23 Rules of (Social Media) Engagement
Week two of the social media class and we were discussing (emphasis on discussing, not just lecturing and listening. These students are a great group!) the rules we should follow when engaging in social media. Specifically we were talking about blogging but I suppose they could be applicable anywhere. Rather than put up a long list of the do’s and don’ts of blogging I thought it would be interesting to see what they could come up with on their own. My thoughts follow theirs:
JB 4520 Rules of Social Media Engagement (in no specific order)
- Stay on topic
- Be yourself, don’t fake it.
- Be honest
- Be elementary
- Be simplistic so anyone can read it
- Watch your language. There is a time and place for everything. Know those times.
- All that being said, communicate to your audience
- Listen to your audience
- Know your audience
- Be open minded
- Care
- Have fun
- Be passionate about your topic
- Be patient
- Do a little research. It isn’t all off the top of your head.
- Don’t be redundant
- Be engaged, be proactive
- Be original (which isn’t the same as being redundant)
- Be transparent, don’t be a pseudonym
- Be respectful and respect people’s comments. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion
- Be tactful
- Respect your position or implied position
- Don’t be self centered, comment on other blogs
- Break the rules
I suppose there are a few rules I would add but I can also say they came up with a few I didn’t have on my short list. One rule I want to highlight, the last one, “Break the rules.” While we were creating this long list, one student (I won’t name any names but his rhymes with Axe and he can be found on twitter here) seemed to be upset by these rules and voice his opposition. “I don’t want a bunch of rules, I want to say what I want to say” or something along that line.
Rules separate man from animal but I have to agree with… Axe, especially as we work our way through all these new tools. Break the rules! Better yet, create a new set of rules
My plea to all those PR/Mass Comm/Adv/etc. pros out there, help us build this list. What should be added, what should be removed. Post your comments below and we will update continually update this list.
Twitter Comment
23 rules of social media. [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
What do I think? I think all you need to do is know how to speak the dialect of whatever community you’re in, then fake it. When you talk yourself into a corner, hey that’s what we’ve got wikipedia for.
Social media is still in it’s infancy, and well really, so is the internet. So yes, break the rules. How many things in human history were once social unacceptable, but are now the norm?
And if you are one of those people needs rules, here is a loose one for social media (and life):
Act and treat people how you would want to be treated.
Apparently Chris Brogan feels the same way – http://www.chrisbrogan.com/youre-doing-it-wrong/
Hey, I came over here from YPRP. I have one to add to “research your topics” — READ!! Read books, newspapers, other people’s blogs, twitter, transcripts from radio/tv interviews (okay, you can listen/watch too…).
Not only will you know what’s going on in the world, but you’ll be better educated to comment on it, know what others have already said (so you have a unique perspective), and come up with more ideas on what to write about. Perhaps those ideas won’t even be related to what you read, but something that was said will spark a thought in your own mind.
in reference to twitter: know when to respond and when to stay silent
Twitter Comment
@DGM885 You should check out @billhandy – he’s a prof that has a class on social media. He posted [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher