Who is that strange person following me?

Another Facebook friend request just "popped up" out of the dark...

Do I accept or do I run away in terror?  And who are all those people suddenly following me on Twitter?  And if I do that LinkedIn thing, will I be permanently fused to a total stranger like a mutant twin? 

Unlike many folks of my generation, I don't view all of these sudden social media requests as something terrifying.  In fact, I see them as an indication that other people may think I'm interesting, influential, cool, and worth knowing.  Similarly, I have set a goal of connecting with at least three to five new people a day.

In today's business environment, having the right kinds of business (and even personal) connections is invaluable.  Do not fear this scary new place known as social media...embrace it and you may just find that the people you meet are valuable new sources of great things.  Here are five simple "tricks," based on my experience.  Feel free to add more...

1. Set aside a certain amount of time each day as "the social media hour," much the way you would schedule in-person networking and meeting time.  Create specific goals regarding the types and numbers of people you want to meet.  Don't feel compelled to be a "power user" of all forms of social media.  But don't be afraid to experiment with new ones.
2. Decide whether you are comfortable mingling business and personal contacts in one social media place.  I have done it and, as far as I know, nothing heinous has happened from it.  (Just learn how to use privacy controls.)  I will be leading a roundtable discussion of the topic at a BDI event on November 12th.  Come join the discussion.  (Use "ONswitch" as your code, and get in at a discount rate.)
3. If you love Twitter, experiment with some of the cool applications for finding people with similar interests.  But don't feel compelled to follow everyone who is following you.
4. Do not feel guilty about hiding, defriending, or otherwise disengaging from people who prove to be overly aggressive in their posts (constantly promoting products) or annoying (No...I STILL don't want to play Mafia Wars with you).
5. Most important, just be yourself in the social media world.  Be entertaining, playful, collaborative, interesting, and helpful.  If you are, people will seek you out.  And, if you are none of those things in the real world...the social media world really isn't going to help you much.  Sorry.