From the moment I stepped into the room at CWC I started looking around for familiar faces. And I found them. All over the place. Ladies I had seen virtually every day in my Twitter stream. Even if I hadn’t met some of them in person I knew what they did, what their latest blog post was, what they were looking forward to about the conference.  When we met in person we started with common ground already in place. It was so much easier to work the conversation around doing business together – the ultimate goal of a networking function.

It reminded me of growing up in a small town. When you went to the grocery store you saw people you knew. Eating out at restaurants was fun because the people at the next table were your friends and neighbors.

By Twittering during the event we got to know each other even better. Throughout the whole day there was constant chatter on the hashtag #cwc09. (See it here.) This extra layer of conversation during the event made it so much richer. As people were learning and networking we were talking about it. It made it entirely possible to talk with everyone in the room and get to know people who were sitting at different tables. It made the whole day dynamic.

By contrast when I walked into the MMA room I looked for familiar faces and found only a handful. The folks I had met in real life at other functions. Of course it was great to see them but everyone else was a complete stranger. I knew nothing about anyone – where they worked, who they were. Nothing. It made walking up to someone to say “Hi” seem uncomfortable. Just like networking used to be all the time.

During the meeting we sat there listening to the presentations in our own island. No one knew what anyone else was thinking about the topic. No one was commenting about how smart the speaker was so that people who didn’t attend the conference could check out their site and make a connection. The people running the event who were trying desperately to get more feedback and input missed out on the natural flow of feedback that could have been there.

For me this is proof positive that social networking is so much more powerful than we give it credit for. It adds a layer to business that feel s like breathing when you are used to it.

If you are interested in learning more about Social Media and how to move yourself forward with this powerful set of tools, please look into the Social Media Telesummit starting next week. I am just one of dozens of great speakers and you will find your business so much more dynamic because of it.

At the BlogWorld Trade Show these new media producers will find all the latest tools and technology to blog smarter and use new media better. Of course, networking face-to-face with social network friends is sure to be at the heart of the event for everyone.

I just hope that the biggest new media of all – mobile – is not missed in the presentation line up. After all, over 3 billion people (roughly half the world’s population) use mobile phones. Not just use them, we embed these devices into our daily lives like no other mass media in history.

Because of this 365/24/7 link to our mobile devices and how easily they integrate with other new media, mobile is arguably the most powerful participation and creation device for new media. Whatever you are doing in the new media space is impacted by mobile and you need to be aware how to integrate what you’re doing with mobile.

If I were given the chance to speak at BlogWorld I would cover:

• How bloggers, podcasters and videobloggers can effectively reach their audience via mobile
• The tools available for integrating mobile with new media
• How to work with these tools in a cost effective way

My talk would be fun, interactive and power-packed with usable ideas.

When I speak at other conferences like The System Seminar and in my own workshops I am always asked how to get started in mobile. My handout would contain a list of resources that audience members could use to launch into mobile quickly and easily. Without being promotional at all, but so that the audience would know I knew what I was talking about, I would list my upcoming book The Mobile Marketing Handbook as one of the resources.

And, if I were living in the alternate universe where I am a biker-chick, I would drive to Vegas on my Harley so I could cruise up and down the strip with Derek Semmler.

TWITTER DOs

Be Yourself.
Tweet what you want about whatever topics you want. It is up to your Followers to decide whether or not they want to join in. If you have a multifaceted life (like we all do) it is OK to tweet both personal and work related topics. I would suggest finding a balance if you are using Twitter for professional reasons or you might drive away work-minded followers. But don’t be afraid to share some of yourself too.

Think before you hit Update.
Even if you are being yourself, sometimes it is best to remember that every tweet you send will be there forever, on it’s own webpage and in the minds instantly of all who follow you. If you are feeling emotional, angry or confrontational and aren’t 100% certain that you won’t regret your statement maybe just let it sit for a few minutes before you hit send. Imagine your grandma, your children, your boss, your pastor (or other religious figure) reading your Tweet. If you’re OK with that, hit Update.

Use @ liberally.
It is very easy to strike up a conversation with someone in Twitter. Do it. It’s fun and can be rewarding. These are people with whom you really wouldn’t have a chance to connect with any other way. Whether it is someone who lives in your local area who you wouldn’t have gotten to know or whether it is a high-powered person in your industry, you can talk with people here.

Follow the number of people you want.
You don’t have to follow everyone back who follows you. Certainly not the bots or the spammers, but even real people. Maybe someone tweets about something all the time that is simply not of interest to you or maybe contrary to what you believe. Just don’t follow them and don’t feel guilty about it. They chose to follow you. Also, it is OK to give yourself a limit of how many people you want to follow. (Just see the Don’t below about bragging about how many follow you.)

Check in at different times of the day.
Twitter is world wide and it is fun to see people across the globe waking up when you’re hitting the hay for the night. Or discovering that your favorite blogger is awake and twittering to few folks and can @ you back in a minute.

Ask questions.
If you need a resource or want input on something, go ahead and ask. You may or may not get a bunch of answers, but it is always a great idea to ask.

Say what you’re eating (if you want).
A lot of people say that this is a don’t. I personally like to know when someone is making a delicious dinner and shares the recipe. Or says what they are eating when they are out on the town. Not that I want to have something like this every day, I think it is a part of life and fun. Also, I’ve gotten some great ideas for dishes to make this way. If folks don’t want to know what you’re eating they can either ignore the occasional food related tweet or unfollow. No biggie either way.

TWITTER DON’TS

Only use Twitter for your new blog updates.
It’s not that it is completely wrong to do this, but it means you miss out on the real power of Twitter – conversations and meeting people. Plus, you will not attract many followers with this technique and thus will defeat your purpose in sending out your blog post links anyway.

Don’t brag about how many people follow you but follow very few people yourself.
Counting Twitter followers is not the same as counting blog readers. These are different tools. A blog is a method for disseminating your information and if people want to comment they have the opportunity. A blog is like a newspaper, people read it and can send a letter to the editor if they want. Twitter is a conversation tool. It is like a cocktail party or networking event. You don’t walk around a cocktail party and only speak to people, but not listen.

Frankly, I’m surprised at how many people follow the A-Listers who do this yet think nothing of not following an unknown person who does it. I say don’t feed the ego of anyone who does this. Especially when there are A-Listers who DO follow and converse with lots of people.

Ask people why they unfollowed you.
Using the same analogy as the networking event, it would be like walking after someone when they said, “Well, its been nice meeting you,” and asking them why they ended the conversation. It is OK if someone stops following you. You won’t please everyone who follows you, so let it go. Also, sometimes people just realize they have joined the wrong conversation and move on. It is OK.

Monopolize a conversation.
If you tweet a bunch of times (more than 3)in a row just seconds/minutes apart about a single subject you should write a blog post instead and link to it with one tweet.

Ask for a Digg/Sphinn/Stumble for every single post.
There are folks I follow who ask for a Digg or suggest they be Stumbled occasionally. These folks get my love more often than those who ask for it all the time. Save your requests for the posts that really merit it.

What are YOUR Twitter Do’s and Twitter Don’ts?

BTW, if you want to follow me on Twitter, here I am.