By Bob Speyer, Web Success Team –– 

I was participating in #socialchat a tweet chat that runs every Monday with social media professionals and the topic was Managing Your Social Communities. The conversation inspired me to write this post about the rules in social media. As the industry develops and social media agencies grow, we need a set of rules to live and work by. I did some research to get a general idea of what is important in our field to honor and obey. Sharing the 10 social media commandments that resonate the most.

1. Thou shall respond to important customer concerns: If a customer voices a complaint on one of the social media platforms, respond in a timely manner. Failure to do so could result in an overwhelming backlash.
2. Thou shall not steal: Always give attribution to tweeters by RT or sharing. Never steal someone’s content; be original!
3. Thou shall not kill – virtually: That’s a little strong, but kill means “delete”.  For Twitter, if you make a mistake, don’t delete, just tweet again with the correct information. Transparency is key to credibility
4. Thou shall not use hashtags in vain: Limit your posts to one or two hashtags, never three.
5. Honor your friends: Give your friends love.When they post great content worth sharing, share, re-tweet or hit the +1 button. Don’t forget to wish them happy birthday through Facebook. No excuses!
6. Thou shall not work on your “day off”: That’s what Hootsuite or Buffer is for; plan ahead and let automation do your work. Remember, technology will set you free! Warning: do check that your posts don’t fall out (technically that’s not working!).
7. Thou shall offer support and promote your connections: Offer tips and advice; people will view you as an expert and seek your advice and your business. Promoting your connections is good “karma” – what goes around comes around!
8. Thou shall not be dazzled by every new tool: We are inundated by new social media platforms or apps. Check out the band before jumping on the bandwagon.
9. Thou shall keep up with technology (right!): That being said, change is inevitable. Keeping up with everything but the Kardashians is critical to being an effective social media strategist. When Facebook changes its profiles or Twitter adds new toys, you may not love the designs and features, but keep an open mind, test, and see how best to integrate them.
10. Thou shall follow-up: Social media is about relationship building and taking it to the next step. Follow-up is good manners and good business. Never leave a friend or follower hanging or promising but not delivering.

These 10 commandments of social media will hopefully guide you to better engage in social media. I would “like” to read your comments and your own commandments. My isn’t the holy grail of social media. Even our Constitution added a Bill of Rights!

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