Below is a draft of my Social Media Love Manifesto. I have created a “living” version of this document on a Wetpaint wiki so that anyone can edit and contribute to it. I seriously hope you will take a moment to visit the wiki and contribute.

Social Media Love Manifesto

While many claim that Web 2.0 and social media have brought with them new and uncharted terrain, where etiquette is defining itself with each advance and new rules are being written every day, the line between the online world and the real world was largely erased a long time ago, and there is no longer any reason for two sets of moral and ethical guidelines. The people we “meet” in our online interactions are real people. They probably own a computer or two, write a blog or participate in a social network, and through the social media filter we see only glimpses of them, but that does not mean that they are not real, or that we are in any way excused from treating them like any other person we would meet. I have therefore resolved that when writing on my blog, or when using any other form of social media, when calling into question the conduct of a specific, identifiable person, I will:

• Base my comments on the facts, and make reasonable efforts to gather all of the relevant facts before weighing in on a controversial discussion.
• Weigh carefully the value of any comments I choose to make against the potential for harm.

And I will not:

• Make assumptions about people’s motivations.
• Generate controversy for its own sake.
• Join others by superficially “piling on” when someone is under attack

I will always strive to:

• Treat people online with the respect and kindness I would extend to a friend or colleague.
• Take time regularly to leave a supportive comment on a blog or acknowledge someone positively in a public forum.

Also, check out this awesome post by Brett Borders on 10 Simple Ways to Show Kindness Online. This is what it’s all about.