Frankly, I'm talking with clients, friends, colleagues who feel a little overwhelmed by the urge to participate in Facebook. I am, too!  But I think it is important to remember that "moderation in all things" is not only good advice but the key to being a responsible and considerate social network participant.

My friend Gabriel Marguglio of Destiny Tech had some great quick tips for participating on Facebook as a form of conversational marketing. I've copied his blog entry below, but I'd like to add a few more thoughts.

1. Listen and watch the conversation a bit first before you jump into any network and start "selling" your own message. In fact, don't think of it as selling.  Imagine you are at a giant cocktail party where many can overhear your conversation.

2.  Making a good impression includes relevant info in your profile as well as in your conversations.  Be relevant, be polite, and listen to others.

 Within the posts of this blog we’ll share news and thoughts about the world of PR and marketing in this mega-digital age. You’ll also find news about the clients we have the privilege to work with and the things we’ve learned while meeting their challenges. And, no doubt, we’ll comment on other things we find interesting and thought provoking.

I’m Gayle Williams, President of Vision PR & Marketing. While I can’t ALWAYS promise it will be my voice on this blog – I’ll share the microphone – but most of the time you will be hearing from me.

Here’s an interesting and humbling thought – we often assume we know exactly what we are saying and what we sound like to our audiences. We also make assumptions about their responses.  Sometimes we are right. And other times we are dreadfully wrong!