Dispatches from a Cyber Mt. Sinai - The Ten Commandments of Social Media

We here at YouJustGetMe are firm believers that people are people, online and off. However, when you're Facebooking in your pajamas or Tweeting from the bathroom (ew!) it's easy to forget that the other people in your social network are real too. 

Social media and design blog Noupe decided to nip this trend in the bud by publishing their Ten Commandments of Social Media. While the rules aren't exactly written on stone tablets, the first two in particular are worth a reminder.

The first commandment: Thou shall not be a narcissist. "Social media is not all about you," explains Noupe. "It's about people. It's about being social, hence the name. Take the time to engage others in conversation. Don't simply sign on and post something about yourself and leave." They propose that you follow a 1 to 3 ratio - for everyone one post that you make about yourself, you should post three more that engage people in conversation. Even clicking "like" on a few of your friend's posts helps to enhance the experience of social media for everyone.

The second commandment: Thou shalt listen to what others are saying. "Actively participating in conversation helps build relationships and listening is the most important part." Noupe suggests that you consider using a program like TweetDeck or a web-based interface like Brizzly to get a clearer visual of conversations. 

To see the full tablet of commandments - including such pithy reminders as Thou shalt say something of substance and the easily-forgotten Thou shalt not be a friend whore - check out Noupe.