Intrigued and impressed by the hype around social media optimization, more and more companies are rushing out to “optimize” their own strategy when it comes to Tweeting, Facebook-ing, Stumble-ing and Digging. There are many experts out there who have been participating in social media since the early days, before web 2.0 was even a phrase, and they are offering innumerable tips on how to get social the right way…and use it to your advantage. But the realm of social media is not comparable to typical realms of marketing and advertising. When approaching a social media strategy it is important that businesses and their SMCs (social media consultants) know what users want to see and hear. Not pitches and selling points, but useful information and advice. You have to have the right attitude when it comes to sharing content. But that is by no means the only “rule” for using social media; there are hundreds of “17 Rules of Social Media” lists and articles already out there and this is just my own personal stab at the genre. Read the rest of this entry »