Photo by Mrs Magic

Outside of building your own social media homebase , it’s important to interact on some of the social media sites out there to build your social web presence. Some of the most popular include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Myspace, and LinkedIn.

There is probably a new social networking site launched every week. You need to explore which ones are the best fit for you. Rather than jumping on every new site, do some research to determine which sites fit your niche and prioritize the top two or three sites you think will have the biggest impact for you. Anytime you join a new community, here are some points to take into consideration:

Go Where the Crowds Are

When you’re choosing what social networks to use, you want to be active where there are the largest pre-existing communities. You want to go where other people are already congregating to get the biggest return on your time investment. For example, if you want to release videos , YouTube is probably the best general-focus video network with the largest userbase.

Read the User Manual

Make sure you explore your new social networking site. Read about the features, watch the intro videos, visit the FAQ page, and make sure you and your staff understand each new community before you get started building your presence there. If there’s something you don’t understand, do a Google search for video tutorials that solve your problem, and chances are someone has made one.

Complete Your Profile

Make sure you completely fill out your profile. You do not want to set up a profile just for the sake of it and leave people with nothing but a bare-bones, empty page. That will leave a bad first impression. Additionally, be sure to use a profile photo. Pages with photos will always get more traffic and interest than those without a user photo.

Go Public

Most of these sites allow you to make your profile private, which can be useful if you just want a profile that only your personal friends can see. If you’re trying to use social media to cultivate business though—take Twitter for example—a private account that people have to ask permission to see will completely defeat your purpose. You need to make sure your profile is public for everyone to see.

Be Open and Honest

Let people really get to know you. Do not be afraid to share, but at the same time know what is proper to share and what is not. Don’t lie about yourself or pose as someone you’re not, because that can destroy your reputation.

Choose Your Friends Wisely

On any social network, you’ll usually have people that want to connect or become “friends” with you. You should properly vet requests to make sure that you befriend people who share your interests. Don’t just approve everyone who asks, take the time to check out each request and make sure your values are properly aligned. Especially with more professional-oriented sites like LinkedIn, you want to make sure the people you connect with are people you can vouch for and associate your reputation with.

Beware of Spammers

Hackers and spammers are common on many social networking sites and you need to remain alert. If your profile gets hacked, chances are they will send spam messages through your account to your friends, which could cause problems for you. Never share your login credentials with anyone, and be wise about the emails and requests you get. If you see you are hacked, try to notify the site admins immediately and make sure that you let your friends know your account was hacked.

Link To Your Site

Do not forget to put up a link to your website. You can easily get caught up in networking with new people and fixing up your profile, but make sure that you still think about sharing targeted content. You can still help increase your search engine rankings through the social network sites, so think smart.

Add Content With Care

Make sure that everything you put on your page represents your core values and supports your central message or value proposition. Make sure the things you share are professional and won’t tarnish your brand image in any way. Make sure you understand that you are dealing with the general public, which may include children. The last thing you want to do is promote or get involved with anything discriminatory, offensive, or even remotely questionable.

Connect With Others

Understand the demographics who frequent the site and make sure you or your organization are a good fit. Many sites provide a way for users to connect in sub-groups based on common interests. Take advantage of groups as a great way to reach your target market and find the kinds of users who would be interested in what you have to share. Groups can also be a great way to build up your connections.

Follow the Rules

Every online community has its own rules, and you need to make sure you know and follow them. Some sites can be strict, and if you break the rules you may get banned. Twitter, for example, is careful to patrol for users that autopost the same content time and again or share the same hyperlinks multiple times in a day, which might result in a suspended account if you’re not careful.

Don’t Hard Sell

Avoid outright selling and unsolicited messages. This can be a violation of some sites’ terms of service, and could result in your account being banned. Instead simply share a link to your company in your bio and talk about what you do. Share examples of great work you’ve done, complimentary things your clients say about you, and interesting trends or news in your business.

Keep It Updated

When you decide what networks to concentrate your time on, make sure you keep everything up to date. Visit the site often and interact on a daily basis by participating in groups, making comments and posting new information often. Do not let people see a neglected profile. You need to interact and thank people for their support and messages if you want them to keep coming back.

Cody is a nomadic entrepreneur & lifestyle designer who helps social changemakers & other remarkable people spread their message on the web.

Tags: audience, community, Facebook, friends, LinkedIn, links, myspace, sales, sharing, Social Media, social networking, spammers, TOS, traffic, Twitter, youtube