Social media isn’t Twitter or even Facebook, it is a conglomerate of millions of communities building upon each other. Understanding one is important, but understanding them all is so much more powerful, and tends to be more simple then provoked. From bookmarking services, to forums, to open blogs, to social networks, social media is a cornucopia of information and positive back-and-forth dialogue. Getting familiar with all of these communities can seem a daunting task, but as long as your remember some basic skills you will do fine no matter what new network you are researching. Here are some easy steps to take before starting your profile on any social media platform.

1. Figure out what you are trying to accomplish with this new social media website. Before anything you must understand why you are entering into another realm of social media. Is it going to be for personal uses, or are you going to use social media for business purposes. If you are going to set up a business account (which most are), you need to know what you are going to achieve from it. Will you have time to be an active member of this community? What will the ROI for this social media campaign be for your company? Will you be concentrating on a local city/state population or a worldwide audience? Is this community going to benefit your business in the long term? Questions like these are important for anyone launching a social media campaign in unfamiliar territory.

2. Go somewhere else and learn about the social media community you are researching; this will give you a better perspective of what others think about the particular website. Create a Google search for news, or blog articles that pertain to the URL of the site you are interested in. Read through the articles and posts; what are other people saying about the site? It’s usually better to hear an explanation of the website you are investigating through outside sources. Not only will this teach you whether or not it is a social network that will last, but it will introduce you to creative ways to best utilize the community.

3. Learn the site and listen to others, spend your first few hours watching how other people are using the website. Pay close attention to the ’seemingly’ most successful users; what are they doing that you might try to accomplish. Say you are a real estate agent, and you are trying to understand a real estate forum. First thing you should do is search for other real estate professionals and study their effectiveness. Learn the different ways you can use the features and tools of the website to help immerse yourself within the community. Read the FAQs and guidelines of the website, and educate yourself on what kind of marketing behavior is considered acceptable.

These are just a few steps to take when investigating any new social media platform, before you even set up a profile, it’s best practice to develop a plan and goals for your campaign. Social media can be used for endless possibilities; use your imagination and creativity, have fun, and simply try to better understand why you are doing what you are doing.