Streams, Walls, and Feeds: 109 Design Guidelines for Improving Notifications, Messages, and Alerts Sent Through Social Networks and RSS

Chapter . Getting Started on Social Networks

The guidelines in this report (starting on page 50) provide details about having a usable presence on social network sites. Before joining a social network, however, there are some larger issues to consider. These issues are further discussed within the guidelines, but are summarized here to assist companies considering joining these sites.

• Join for the right reasons. Don’t create a presence on social networks because your competitors have one, or because it’s a trendy thing to do. Be sure you can support your presence with relevant, useful, and timely messages that will be valued by recipients.

• Allocate resources to manage your presence. Users expected companies to provide regular updates and respond ...