Image courtesy of bartmaguire

This week is the wonderful Tweetsgiving event. I love that it gives me an opportunity to express my gratitude and also benefit a great organization and cause.  As I pondered exactly how I would express gratitude, I began to think about how I would do it in the context of a social media conversation. The beauty of social media is that expressions of  thanks and appreciation are built right into the medium.

Each social media platform has its own unique form of allowing users to express gratitude, and we are given “virtual karma points” for saying thanks to our social network.

Twitter

Retweet someone’s comment: Sometimes I retweet people I follow because it’s great info for my network. Sometimes I retweet people because I feel like I haven’t recognized their general contribution to my twitterverse in a while – and it’s good information. A retweet is recognition of someone’s value to you. That’s a form of thanks.

Tweet someone’s article/blog post/informative essay: they’ve said something really interesting and you’re recognizing it publicly.

Add a person to your Twitter List: I’m so incredibly honored that some people have put me on their list, and made that list public. If you have created groups using TweetDeck, or CoTweet, or another Twitter client, why not make those groups public now through your lists? Let everyone else know how awesome these Twitterers are.

Public recognition via #FollowFriday: The #FollowFriday (or #ff) participation is declining, and I think it’s a result of both fatigue and the rise of Twitter lists. However, the #ff recommendations I’ve received have warmed my heart tremendously and I am extremely grateful for them.

Give a shout out: Why not just tell someone how grateful you are to know them or what you learn from them? Here’s a tweet I sent out 6 days ago.

Facebook

You can “like” an update, news story, or just about anything else. It tells people “hey, I appreciate you putting that up.”

You can become a fan of a Page, Cause or Group. But more importantly, you can write on the wall of these places and thank them for the good work they do.

You can also thank people for joining your Cause or Page or Group. They are now stakeholders, and they love to be thanked. Here’s a “thank you” I received for joining the  Buy Local cause:

Reddit

You actually earn “karma points” for adding stories, voting on stories and commenting on stories in Reddit, which is a way of encouraging you to show your appreciation of others’ posted stories.

StumbleUpon

If you like a story, “stumble” it! As a blogger, it’s an incredibly wonderful thing to have one of my stories “stumbled.” It sends a lot of new folks to my site, and more than anything else, I know stumbling is not a task undertaken lightly. Stumbling a story means it is really, truly worthwhile. I am so appreciative of every stumbler. Do the same for someone else and show your gratitude for a great piece of information.

Linkedin

The very best way to express gratitude on Linkedin? Recommend someone. It takes less than five minutes and adds weight and credibility to their profile. If a connection performs a great service for you (your mechanic, your advisor, your real estate agent), write them a recommendation. I received one completely out of the blue last week and I still smile thinking about what a treat that was to receive it! All you have to do is click “recommend this person.” Do it today!

Blogging

If you have a blogroll, adding blogs that offer value to others is a deep honor to them, and public recognition of your appreciation of their blogging efforts.

When you comment on someone’s blog post, why not also add what was particularly great about the piece as well?

Subscribe to the blogs you want to read regularly. Show the blog owner/writers that you appreciate their work that way. Socially share blog posts that you love on all of your other social sites.

Don’t forget to assign credit to everyone that you reference in your blog posts. I like to “litter” my posts with all sorts of outgoing links to offer my readers more information as well as give credit to those who contribute to the development of a blog post.

Just thank them. In a blog post.

I’ve thanked contributors to posts, contributors to conversations that inspired posts, and in fact, I’m going to thank a few people who have inspired this post: Mama Lucy, Stacey Monk, John Haydon and Avi Kaplan for inviting me to participate in Tweetsgiving, the team of amazing bloggers who are also joining in this effort. I also want to offer special recognition in particular to two bloggers Ching Ya and Aviva Victoria Bruekner who, once I asked them to participate, put more than 100% of their energy and gratitude into this project and vigorously publicized it to their networks.

I haven’t even touched on all the ways we can thank someone, express gratitude, or show appreciation on social media. How do you do it?

This post was created as part of a global groundswell of gratitude called TweetsGiving. The celebration, created by US nonprofit Epic Change, is an experiment in social innovation that seeks to change the world through the power of gratitude. I hope you’ll visit the TweetsGiving site to learn more, and to bring your grateful heart to the party by sharing your gratitude, and giving in honor of that for which you’re most thankful.

photo by Jaycross

There seems to be a favorite type of blog post addressed to the new social media user: “What To Do On… (name of social media network).” Along with blog posts, there are FAQs on almost every forum, listserv, and social network. Why do we need these posts? Each participatory media has its own culture and cultural norms. Part of the beauty of participatory media is that the participants actually want you to participate and reap the benefits of participation.

The culture of each social media network is entirely different. I would never write a blog comment with the same informality with which I’d write on a Facebook Wall. Not even to the same person. A Facebook friend always starts his updates with “…has just updated his professional blog. Check it out!” He acts similarly on Twitter. He doesn’t know that participatory media means…participating and not advertising.  A little bit of cultural orientation would probably increase his business three-fold.

Non-profits often make the same mistakes as people. Many smaller non-profits that I work with are just beginning to dive into social media, but are intimidated by the cultures.  They want to engage meaningfully, but don’t know how to start.

I want you to create meaningful conversations with your stakeholders.  I have compiled a list of etiquette and cultural orientation advice about using each of the  major social media networks and tools on the web.

Enjoy and, if you appreciate these tips, pass them along. If you have additional links or tips, please let me know.  I look forward to conversing with you on the web!

Twitter Etiquette

14-Point Guide to Twitter Effectiveness (and culture):Writing My Twitter Etiquette Article: 14 Ways to Use Twitter Politely

Chris Brogan: Social Media Is No Place for Robot Behavior

Mashable’s Top 10 Reasons I Will Not Follow You In Return on Twitter

Great cultural tips from Twitip (and a good twitter resource): Use Twitter for Your Business the Right Way

Blog Etiquette

Good overview of blog etiquette: Blog Etiquette

The cultural norms for blog comments: Blog Etiquette and Commenting

Nice roundup of blog etiquette from several blogs: Blog Etiquette or Blogtiquette

Good tips on making your blog look & conform to the cultural norm: 10 Mistakes That Could Be Killing Your Blog

Culture of blog linking: Why No One Links to Your Blog

Facebook Etiquette

A whole blog only about Facebook etiquette here!

A personal coach’s experience of the two cultures: Twitter vs. Facebook culture

Friending on Facebook: The Facebook Commandments

Facebook etiquette for the college crowd:The Dormdelicious Guide to Facebook Etiquette

MySpace Etiquette

Suite 101 Roundup: MySpace Etiquette Tips

Nice perspective from the college crowd: Cyber Etiquette: The Do’s and Don’ts of MySpace

Bebo and MySpace etiquette: Bebo and My Space–Yes, My Love…There are Rules

LinkedIn Etiquette

From a reputation management expert’s perspective for both the business and the individual LinkedIn Etiquette: Five Do’s and Don’ts

Good LinkedIn and Networking Etiquette Post: Etiquette for LinkedIn and the Professional Networking World

From LinkedIn Blog: 7 Rules of LinkedIn Etiquette

Social Bookmarking Etiquette

Mashable’s great tips on using StumbleUpon and understanding its community: How to Get the Most Out of StumbleUpon

Thoughtful guide to social bookmarking etiquette, in general: Social Bookmarking Etiquette

YouTube Etiquette: Be A Good YouTube Commenter

Podcast Etiquette

Podcast Etiquette: How To Make Your Guest Look Like a Star

Very comprehensive overview of Podcast Culture (note: cannot find more recent information): Podcast Culture — Made by Podcasters

What NOT To Do On Social Media Sites

Interactive Insight Group’s Superlist of What Not to Do

What not to do with each social media tool: The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook

Additional Reference

Interactive Insights Group’s 100 Resources to Boost Your Social Media Savvy in 2009 is a wonderful resource for using social media.

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