A friend and I were discussing social media last night and how to share social media with marketers in our company.  What is social media?  How can they use social media to grow their business?  We started talking about the popular “Social media is like a party” analogy, and then it struck me: social media is exactly like real life, just faster and more intense.

If social media is exactly like real life, then I should behave myself just like I do in real life.  It’s not OK for me to try and sell every person I meet in life, so why is it OK on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace?  The answer is it’s not OK, but plenty of people do it. I know I’ve been guilty.

My best advice to new marketers in any company, and to myself, is to follow real life rules when you take the social media plunge.  The rules that I learned in kindergarten—to share, to play fair, say I’m sorry, to live a balanced life—they all apply online.  And if “living” online is a faster and more intense version of real life, those rules become even more important.

Before you tweet, before you post that Facebook update, before you create a profile on MySpace or join a network on Ning, think about those important life lessons you learned in kindergarten.  Follow them and you’ll be highly successful.  Ignore them at your peril.

Looking for a great way to get started with social networking? Created yourself a Twitter account and dive in by participating in “follow Friday!“

What is Twitter? What in the world is micro-blogging? Is it worth my time to invest in yet another social media tool? Can I really grow my business using Twitter?

Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing Is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online answers all of these questions and more. As soon as I got my hands on a copy (thanks to @CharlyRambin!) , I dove in and read the book cover-to-cover.  What a fantastic learning experience!

The back cover of Twitter Revolution promises to teach the reader:

• How to attract a flood of Followers/Fans/Clients
• How to make yourself Follow-Worthy
• Time saving applications to increase your Twitter efficiency and improve your user experience
• How to market, brand yourself and increase your influence using social media as a free PR tool

Twitter Revolution accomplishes these goals in a mere 250 pages of social networking goodness.  Twitter Revolution is not only an invaluable handbook, but also a quick read that is fun and engaging. It’s invaluable as a Twitter reference – you’ll find yourself referring to Twitter Revolution time and time again. This isn’t a book you want to borrow from a friend, so make sure to get your own copy!

Twitter Revolution is the brainchild of authors Deborah Micek and Warren Whitlock, a social media dynamic-duo who bring their considerable expertise to the topic of the Twitter phenomenon. Perhaps the coolest fact about Twitter Revolution is how the authors engaged the Twitter community and allowed their fellow twitizens to make significant contributions to the book.

Twitter Revolution was especially important to me as an internet marketer.  My temptation as a new Twitter user was to tweet endlessly about my product and my brand without considering whether anyone really cared.  The sheer volume of my tweets would make them care!  I learned how my initial instinct was the absolute worst way to achieve success on Twitter. Twitter is a great place to gain new clients and build a brand, but my initial concept of how to accomplish success was not only misguided, but extremely counterproductive!

Twitter Revolution taught me the most important factor in growing my business on Twitter is building solid relationships with the Twitter community.  It taught me to bring value to my followers, to engage with the community, and to build lasting relationships with my fellow twitizens.  Attracting new clients, building my brand, and converting followers into loyal customers and product evangelists is a side effect of the relationships I cultivate, and not the result of endless 140 character “BUY MY PRODUCT NOW IT’S THE BEST YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT” tweets. Admit it, you’ve done that. Don’t feel too bad, so have I, more than I care to admit.

What else will you learn from Twitter Revolution? If you haven’t gotten involved yet, Twitter Revolution will answer the question, “What the heck is Twitter?” and teach you how to get started (it’s really easy to get started on Twitter!).  The chapter “Ten Steps to Attract a Flood of Followers” teaches you how to grow your Twitter network the right way. Confused about all the Twitter jargon?  Make sure to dive into the “Glossary of terms for Twitter” chapter.  Having problems with jerks on Twitter?  You need to read the advice in “21 Tips to Terminating Twitter Trolls.”

Twitter Revolution is an invaluable resource for the both the Twitter novice and the Twitter expert. No matter how little or how much you know, you’ll find some nuggets of wisdom you’ll wonder how you ever lived without. A fast, engaging read, Twitter Revolution entertains and teaches at the same time. Twitter Revolution was especially useful to me as an internet marketer, teaching me how to build my network and my business the right way. What are you waiting for? Pick up your copy of Twitter revolution today!

About the Authors

Warren Whitlock is a #1 best selling author and entrepreneur.  You can find him online at http://WarrenWhitlock.com.  Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WarrenWhitlock.

Deborah Micek is an author, columnist, speaker, and all around social media guru.  Find her online at http://DeborahMicek.com.  Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CoachDeb.

Let’s Connect!

With all this talk about Twitter success and building relationships, I’d be honored if you’d consider joining me on Twitter.  I’m @GimmeBluFrog, and I’d love to meet you.  See you in the Twitterverse!

Connect with Others!

Looking for another great way to connect on Twitter? Make sure to get involved in my favorite Twitter day, “follow Friday!“

or, Why Fridays on Twitter are 24 Hours of Awesome!

Everyday on Twitter is a day when you have the opportunity to connect with new Tweeple, learn something you didn’t know the day before, and generally enjoy yourself by goofing off with your buddies.  Friday, however, is a very special day on Twitter: it’s Follow Friday!

Follow Friday, or #followFriday, as it’s commonly referred to, is a day to recommend your friends to the Twitterverse.  What does #followFriday mean to me?  It’s an opportunity to give back to my friends and followers, to lend a hand to the new guy (to the extent that I can), and to expand my network by forging new friendships.

What does Follow Friday mean to you?  Let me know in the comments, or you can let me know on Twitter by replying to GimmeBluFrog.  Looking forward to hearing from you!

Further Reading

• You might also enjoy All I Really Need to Know about Social Media I Learned in Kindergarten
• Learn Twitter from the masters by reading Book Review: Twitter Revolution
• Here’s a great place to learn more about Blu Frog Energy