Social Media Optimization : 11 Rules of SMO

1. Increase Your Linkability : Think blogs, content, aggregation & linkbait.

2. Make Tagging and Bookmarking Easy : Include calls to action for users to tag, bookmark and Digg your stuff. I’d suggest the Sociable Plugin if you have a WordPress powered blog.

3. Reward Inbound Links : List blogs which link back to you via permalinks, trackbacks or recently linking blogs (like the Yahoo & Google blogs do).

4. Help Your Content Travel : Content diversification can lead to mobility of your content beyond the browser.

5. Encourage the Mashup : Let others use your content or tools to produce something a bit different or outside of the box with your stuff, even RSS.

6. Be a User Resource, Even if It Doesn’t Help You : Add value and outbound links, even if it doesn’t help in the short term, it will in the long.

7. Reward Helpful and Valuable Users : Give your contributors and readers the recognition they deserve.

8. Participate : Get in there and get involved in the discussions going on among the blogs and sites of others, and do it organically. Earn your rep on Digg.com, don’t try and force it.

9. Know How to Target : Understand your appeal and those people you wish to attract.

10. Create Content : A little bit of rules 1 & 4 here, but the underlying message is know the form of content working for you.

11. Be Real : Transparency pays off and no one likes a fake.