After reading this article, I couldn’t help but think about the points discussed in your April 16, 2009 article, We 2.0 is Better than Me 2.0. There are many interesting parallels from that article that dovetail with this one.

When one engages other Twitter tweeps with a We 2.0 attitude (versus being a Twitter Taker), he/she reap tremendous professional benefits. I’ve been using Twitter since March 2009, and it’s my favorite social media channel for sharing and learning professional knowledge (along with LinkedIn). I gain worthwhile knowledge everyday from the trusted folks I follow. They are often a better source of content and professional learning than what I can efficiently locate with my own Google Search.

Therefore, I hope that I’m returning mutual value by sharing content that also benefits them professionally. When someone RT’s one of my tweets, I feel like I accomplished something worthwhile. I feel like I actually helped someone professionally (and I might not even know this individual personally or he/she could be halfway around the world). I mean how cool is that!

Yeah, I know that everybody says that digital media tools are cutting-edge, new school, sexy and blah blah blah. But guess what, there’s a real-life person at “the other end”, and he/she appreciates thoughtful engagement. When using social media, old school rules like civility, good manners, and generosity still apply.