As Social Media gains popularity, we start to see newfangled ways of automating an online presence and creating short cuts to maintaining a virtual existence.

While automation may have a small role in our online strategies, it’s important to remember that good manners and common courtesy have more to do with a thriving online presence than scheduled tweets and automated blogs posts.

Here are four extremely simple points to keep in mind when building your own online presence:

Reciprocity.The heart and soul of social media is the act of reciprocity. If someone says hello to you, take a moment to say hello back. If someone retweets one of your tweets, return the favor. Respond to those who initiate communication with you and do it promptly. It seems simple enough, but you’d be surprised how few people actually take a moment to give back. The art of reciprocity will help you develop relationships with your online community.

Respect. Think twice about sending automatic direct messages. It’s disingenuous and downright tacky. Instead, think about sending a personalized message manually and leave out the business details, allowing people to get to know you first. If Friends and Followers sign up for your newsletter, make sure that you’re not inundating them with emails. We all get a lot of emails and the last thing you need is to get five emails in one day. Time your emails in a way that won’t be perceived as spam.

Courtesy. Without a doubt, a simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way. Take a moment to thank people for posting to your Wall, retweeting your links, and commenting on your Page. Acknowledging people and showing appreciation is the best marketing tool to date. If you want people to continue engaging with you, it’s important to acknowledge them and interact with them on a one-to-one basis.

Consideration. Wish people a happy birthday. Ask people how they are doing. Post links to your friends’ Walls that they might find interesting without any regard to business. Be friendly and help others without thinking about the bottom line. Business will come from these simple gestures. Be consistent and take a genuine interest in people. They don’t call it Social Media for nothing.

“Friends and good manners will carry you where money won’t go”.

Margaret Walker

Twitter for Blackberry Smart Phones – 1.0 – User Guide