Advice from social media camp

For those just getting started, here’s a sampling of dos and don’ts from Friday's Social Media Camp Long Island, held at St. Joseph's College:

--Don’t think of social media as a place in which to “force your business card” on others, said George Torres, at left, a social media and event planning consultant in Freeport, known on Twitter as @UrbanJibaro. Instead, get a sense of the topic of conversation and integrate yourself into it. “Be the person sharing information about what you do, without pushing what you do.”

--If you’re new and confused, start with the “lurk and learn method,” said Thomas Whitby (@tomwhitby), founder of The Educators PLN, a personal learning site for educators. But don’t lurk too long, he said. “The more you engage the quicker you learn.”

--Don’t be afraid to “ask for help,” said Louise DiCarlo, a virtual assistant (@LovelyLu), who led a session on LinkedIn basics. “The cyberworld is a helpful place.”

--Among the useful-for-newbies resources mentioned: Mashable.com,  Chrisbrogan.com, Briansolis.com. You can also check out an archive of all tweets from Social Media Camp at twapperkeeper.com/hashtag/smcampli

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