My top 10 tips to build robust online communities from my Power Talk at Social Media Camp Victoria 2012 #SMCamp

Rarely do I wing a talk, but since this was supposed to be a facilitated discussion, I ended up sharing what I think are some of my top 10 tips to build a robust online community using a variety of platforms. Thanks Mia for capturing them for me to reshare!

1. Share others’ content
If you want others to pay attention to you, show them that you are paying attention to them. Being generous first usually leads to others’ reciprocity.

2. Tell a good story – Make sure that that story is interactive and multimedia
A community is built around interesting content. Storytelling in social media, and in particular interactive, multimedia storytelling is a really powerful tool.

3. Be authentic
This is pretty self-explanatory. Nobody likes fake.

4. Follow etiquette rules
In other words: NEVER send an automated Direct Message “Thank you for following me. Read more of my content here”.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask
Social media is an evolving medium. Ask if you don’t know if the route you are going is the best.

6. Go where your community/conversation goes
I try to garden all of my social outlets, but the vast majority of conversation for me happens on Twitter, so that’s where I focus and where I channel redirected content.

7. Crosspost so there’s value
If you are going to use my method of gardening all your outlets by crossposting, make sure that what you crosspost has meaning in BOTH platforms.

8. ALWAYS credit
In photos, disclose your material connections, be ethical.

9. Follow hashtags
Specific communities like Mental Health and Social Media emerge around hashtags (#mhsm is the particular one for this)

10. You set your own privacy levels.
Nobody has the right to tell you how open you should be on social media. Only you can decide that.