Thanks to all who’ve responded the last few days. It’s been very helpful. I’ll share some of my views on yesterday’s question about tech savvy vs. people savvy.

I think that you need a moderate amount of technical competence to be successful in social media. I would say an average amount, but you have to set averages by generation. What’s average tech knowledge for a 19 year old is above average for a 65 year old. To be honest, the most important thing you need to know about technical things is how to find the information you need. There are wonderful step-by-step guides on the Web for just about everything.

What’s more important, and more difficult to come by, is people competence. Communication skills. Diplomacy. Understanding of what people want.

• Above all, you’ve got to have something to offer. If you’re a superstar athlete or famous actor, the mere chance to interact with you may be enough. Doesn’t work for most of us. For many, it’s knowledge. Information. Either you have learning to offer from your own experience, or you are very good at identifying and evaluating sources of information. Content is king.
• We have to remember that social media is a two-way street. It’s hard for many of us to get out of the mindset of traditional media, which was largely one directional. Social media is about giving the recipient a voice. They can comment. They can submit videos. They can do something that helps them feel a part of what is going on.
• Beyond merely being a two-way street, social media comes to focus on the recipient. That seems obvious, but so many people want to spend their time talking about themselves and their projects. That’s all right, but it needs to be made relevant to the audience. On Twitter, people “follow” one another, choosing to receive the information the other is producing. It’s common to “follow back,” to follow someone who starts following you. Many businesses and individuals seek to use this to their advantage. They follow others, then when the other follows back, they send them an advertisement. “Hi, thanks for following. Visit my website at www.timothyarcher.com.” Major mistake in my view. The best are those who say, “Thanks for following. I’m really interested in hearing your views.” The guy who commented on the name of my blog was a superstar in this regard.

OK, those are a few “best practices.” Want to add to the list?