A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill
Last week, I wrote about how to be an upstanding citizen of the Twitter and LinkedIn worlds. But what if youâre venturing farther into untested waters? What if youâre pointing your canoe toward some of the newer and less-traveled areas of the web?
When a new social tool arrives on your map, it is even more important to mind your manners, especially if there are natives who have been there for a while already. Pinterest, Google+, Quora, Tumblr, EmpireAvenue and others were populated with early adopters and beta testers long before the rest of the Internet discovered them.
If youâre considering planting your flag on new territory, here are some tips that will ensure you are welcomed with a feast, and not eaten for dinner.
Listen & Lurk
My golden rule for approaching a new network is to listen for at least a week (more, if you have time). Read lots of content, and get a feel for the tone of the network.
Be Honest
Donât try to pretend youâve been there since the beginning if you havenât. If thereâ an âintroduce yourselfâ area, take advantage of it to break the ice.
Take it Slow
Until you get the lay of the land, treat lightly. Donât try to âspeed dateâ your new connections. Share little tidbits at a time, and donât flood the network with a million updates all at once.
Find a Buddy
One trick Iâve used to get acclimated quickly is to find a network âmentor.â Find someone whose behavior you admire, and follow them. Rather than âfriendingâ 100 people at the outset, try to establish one or two stronger connections and build from there.
Look for Clues
Many networks have guidelines, either formal or informal, stating the rules of the road. And if there arenât any on the website, try doing a quick Google search for âinsert social network name + etiquette.â Youâll find tons of resource blog posts that detail behavioral norms for you. Here are a few official resources:
Pinterest Etiquette: http://pinterest.com/about/etiquette/
Quora Etiquette: http://www.quora.com/Quora-Etiquette
Google+ Etiquette: http://insidegplus.com/2011/07/google-etiquette/
If youâre looking for a buddy on any of those networks, Iâd be happy to help! You can find me obsessively âpinningâ at http://pinterest.com/rhogroupee/, enjoying the Q&A on Quora at http://www.quora.com/Rosemary-ONeill, and building my empire at https://www.empireavenue.com/rosemary. Come introduce yourself 🙂
_____
Author’s Bio: Rosemary OâNeill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
_____
Thank you, Rosemary!
You’re irresistible!
ME “Liz” Strauss