36 Rules of Social Media

In the September 2012 Fast Company magazine, there was an illustration of 36 Rules of Social Media.  Let me pull out a few that caught my attention:

• Everyone says they don’t want to be marketed to…Really, they just don’t want to be talked down to.
• Always write back.
• People would rather talk to “Comcast Melissa” than Comcast.
• If fans distribute your content without your permission, offer to help.
• If you don’t see financial results, you wasted your money.
• People don’t want to shop where they socialize.
• Don’t use ads to accelerate boring content.  Use ads to accelerate successful content.

But, I think the one that summarizes it the best is – If you’re bored by social media, it’s because you’re trying to get more value than you create.