Tis the season for giving and sharing, so with this in mind I implore you to follow some of the cardinal rules to social media.

• Comment on someone’s blog today. Share an opinion on their post, tell them it’s insightful, tell them it’s mislead or tell them it’s a half-formed idea – but tell them something (constructively). Let them know you’re out there, because comments create discussion and that’s never a bad thing.


• Respond to Tweets, comments, questions, emails – don’t leave people hanging. For anyone that follows @unmarketing you’ll definitely have seen this tweet many times and it’s a very insightful and important piece of advice.


• It’s a community and you only get out of it what you put in. When I first started using Twitter I’d sign to my account and stare blankly at the screen, wondering why no one was sending me messages. I quickly learned that unless you give people something to comment on or engage them, you’re not going to get much out it.

• More often than not the most social aspects of life happen off line. Sometimes you need to turn it all off and interact with people face-to-face. If you’re looking to find like-minded people who share the same interests, industry, etc., try Meetup.com. It's a fabulous way to find out where people are organizing, build connections or start an event yourself.
  

I hope you’ve all had a great 2009 and are looking forward to the new year with as much anticipation as I am. And I hope that you've learned some new insights from reading this blog.

Thanks for reading and have a happy holiday season.