Learn From The Fumbles and Grace Of Others

Samir Balwani on Left The Box has a really interesting article about the impoirtance of learning how to use social media before leaping in. He says in the article:

You should answer the following questions before entering the social sphere:

• Are you able to build a Facebook page or setup a Twitter account?
• Do you understand the idea of transparency and online public relations?
• Have you actively used a social network, social sharing, or social news site?
• Do you have a strategy for your social interaction?
• What are your goals for interacting online?
• Do you understand the basics behind blogging, micro-blogging, sharing multimedia, and social media press releases?

–Don’t Rush Into Social Marketing, Think About it First

He wrote this article in response to Seth Godin’s article If TV ads were free where he says,

. . .new media is largely free. So why teach it in school as if it were a scary theory? Why encourage people to be afraid? Just do it. Build your own platform.

I would have to agree with Balwani though. Yes, you can dive right in and make a ton of mistkaes on your own, or you can find someone who has already made those mistakes and learn from them. Making strides based on the success and failures of others is the smarter path.

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Tagged as: Facebook, On the Web, Online Communities, Public Relations, seth godin, social media, Social network, Twitter