Etiquette Is Key In Social Media
Let’s take two scenarios for example,
Conversation between John and Jane in the Real World,
Characters : John – a writer
Jane -editor of a well known magazine
At a party
John : Hi Jane! It is really nice to finally meet you. I have seen your editorial column in [magazine] and I truly enjoy it.
Jane : Ohh hi! Glad you enjoy my writing. Its always nice to get positive feedbacks.
John : So, what else is new? Anything new coming up for the magazine?
Jane : Not at the moment. But we have a few things planned which might take a while to implement.
John : Ohh ok. By the way, I was wondering if you would consider my article on [topic] for the next issue. It would be very kind of you.
Jane : I will see what I can do. I have got to run at the moment but it was really nice meeting you.
What happened in the scenario above is Jane ignored John as soon as he asked for a favor. This is because she can clearly see that the only reason he was talking with her was simply cause he wanted to get something out of her. Before we ask for anything we need to let the relationship mature. This is how it works in the real world when we connect with people face to face.
Conversation between John and Jane on The Web,
Characters : John : New blogger
Jane : Established blogger and an influential figure on the web
On Twitter
John : @Jane Really loved your article on how to build a community around your blog.
Jane : @John Glad you enjoyed it.
John : @Jane I have been following your blog for a while and it has been a great help
Jane : @John Thanks! I am glad you find my tips and suggestion helpful.
[John sends a Direct message to Jane on Twitter] – Hi Jane! Would it be possible to get a link back to one of my articles from your blog. I would really appreciate it.
John : @Jane Sent you a DM. Hope to hear back soon from you 
What happened in this scenario? Same thing as the first one. Once Jane sees John’s DM, she decides to ignore his tweets. Once again she can clearly see that its all about what he can get out from her rather than building a solid relationship.
When it comes to networking, what works in the real world is exactly how it works on the web. Carry real world etiquette to the online world and you will be able to gain attention and be noticed. Its as simple as that.
Wow, if only everyone would practice this in either world. the era I grew up in demanded proper etiquette. Now a days, one could just as easily beat ones chest, stick out a banana, and get all the girl chimps talking.
Good little post
Phil
Excellent article Phil.
The two examples perfectly demonstrates how we can leverage social media correctly.
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Cool summary, and very true. The difference between the real world scenario you used and the online one is that; in the real world the relationship matures over time by repeated physical contact like chance encounters or bumping into someone at the same events.
Online, your presense is ubiquitous so the relationship never has time to mature and people rush to stay at the top of mind with someone they have recently ‘met’.
I think etiquette is often overlooked in both real life and online conversations. I can see how it would be very beneficial to use this in social media.