My 7 Habits of Highly Effective Social Media

Here's my list of 7 habits that make social media effective for advocacy:

1. Post often - The more you say, the more followers and friends you will gain. One caveat: Your comments must be related to your key topic and not constant trival stuff no-one cares about.

2. Short statements - If you can't say it in 140 characters or less, social media tools aren't right for you.

3. Have an opinion - Be interesting, be provocative and say something that matters. Statements of fact are a good start, but facts coupled with opinion move people to act.

4. Keep it clean - Shouldn't have to mention this, but refrain from swearing, drinking and general debauchery online if you want to be taken seriously.

5. Create a personality - If you don't already have a great personality that can shine through online, create one! Be interesting. Be consistent.

6. Link often - Followers want to trust your judgement and instinct to narrow the whole world of information to what is most important. Link to other credible opinion leaders to amplify your message.

7. Have fun -- Social media can be fun. Activate the masses with interesting fun approaches and techniques. Injection of humor always makes public policy and politics easier to relate to.