I was working on a “best practices” blog post I thought might be of interest to advertisers getting ready to dip their toes into social media . . .

(Grip has had a lot of success in this channel, thanks largely to learning we’ve gleaned from our Young Adult initiatives for brands such as Kokanee, Budweiser and Bud Light.)

. . . but no sooner had I begun to hone my list of “dos and don’ts” when Colin Craig, Associate Partner, Creative (and designer of this here blog), flipped me this: How to suck at Facebook.

Cartoonist Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal describes nine social media personality fails: people who make Facebook worse for everybody. He’s spot on – and I’m not just referring to his “Desperate Marketer” example.

Each of the social media behaviours Inman lampoons offers important lessons for advertisers and marketers venturing into social media.

How do I figure? Because in this new and powerful channel, brands are no longer sponsors underwriting the cost of programming. They are fellow citizens and they’re expected to behave and conduct themselves accordingly.