Do Unto Others (in the Social Mediaverse)...

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

It's a phrase we all have heard a million times. Maybe we teach it to our kids, strive to live by it in our personal (or maybe even our professional) lives. But do you think about this maxim when you're in the social media-verse?

Because it's a good mantra to apply to your social media life as well as your real world life.

The whole idea of social media is building community, encouraging interaction, creating conversation, etc. And on a conceptual level, that should be your and your company's goal.

But on a practical/selfish level, when you create a Facebook page for your company, you want people to like your page and comment on it or post pictures to it or otherwise engage with you. When you create a Twitter account, you want people to follow you and to retweet things you say. When you blog, you want people to read what you're saying and encourage others to do so.

But are you personally doing that for others? Are you commenting -- as an individual -- on the Facebook pages or blogs for brands, companies, etc., that you like? Are you retweeting what others are saying and responding to their tweets? Are you engaging in conversations in the comments sections of blogs? (I can answer "yes" to all of those questions. But there was a time I couldn't!)

I think a lot of us get so caught up trying to further our own corporate goals and further our own corporate outreach that we forget the importance -- and the strength -- of being a good community member for others. The good will you create by being active for others will come back to benefit your company down the road. Trust me. (This social media world, as vast as it is, is also surprisingly small/connected.)

So the next time you're on Facebook or Twitter or reading a blog, make sure you become an active member of that organization's community. Do unto others...