p.s. I Love You, But...Aren't You Forgetting Something?

First, a disclaimer - I may be the queen of disclaimers.  It is important to note before I continue that, in the world of Social Media, I am not, by definition, an expert.  I believe that becoming a stand-out in today's vast landscape requires some very basic skills (not necessarily expertise)... the kind they don't teach in institutions for higher learning.  I am referring (once again) to manners aka "Twittequette".

And now, without further ado... When does one become such a BigTwig that they are no longer required or feel it necessary to acknowledge or say thank you to mutually influential folks who go out of their way to tweet, retweet, shout-out and generally spread the love about them?  Is it the sweet blue check mark?  Is it when you have become too busy traveling the world speaking and teaching others about Social Media?  Is it when you've authored books on the subject?  Hmmm, no, surely not that last one, because that would be like, totally *ironical* and contradictory right?

The clear answer is:  Never, especially when you have gone out of your way to solicit interaction with your audience.

Since joining Twitter in 2009 I have had the privilege of connecting with people from all over the world.  The common thread that keeps me connected and passionately tweeting and communicating with my modest 1,700 or so followers & those I follow is the fact that there is an effort made to share information in a mutually generous, mostly organic (i.e., non-automated), honest fashion.  I believe the smartest people in Social Media today are the ones who can see far enough past their own beaks to say those two little, but powerful words:  Thank You.

I've had the pleasure of tweeting with some insanely busy people, including mega celebs, moguls, major magazine publications, premium television networks, nationally recognized authors and fellow Social Media colleagues who are never too busy to say thank you publicly or privately.  These are people who despite working 12-18 hour days, understand the power of a Thank You. 

Recently, following a gathering featuring some "big" names in Social Media, I was thrilled to see that some friends had connected with a few of them and had even tweeted great pictures and quotes throughout their respective presentations.  I had a few "OMG" moments scrolling through their timeline, followed by a bit of "WTF" upon noticing that apparently, some are much too wrapped up in their own wonderfulness that they fail to notice their fellow Social Media man.
As it turns out, having an audience is a privilege... So, pay attention, remember who they are and take a moment to show some level of gratitude to those who are looking up to and being inspired by you. Unless you are receiving thousands of @ reply messages on a daily basis, acknowledgement in the form of a simple "Thank You" when you can legitimizes what you are preaching to all of us.