What is your social type?

Are you still looking to find your place in the world of social media? 

Let’s spend some time learning how you can use the social web to your advantage! The original author is Doyle Slaton.

The following is a list of eight “social types”:

Contributors – We are in an age where people want to contribute.  They want to share their experience and expertise with the world.  Contributors believe they have a lot to offer.  They look for places where they can make the biggest impact… places where the maximum number of people can read and benefit from their ideas.

Promoters –  Promoters love people… especially those who impress them.  They go out of their way to tell everyone about you.  Promoters are givers.  They don’t do it for money or personal fame.  It is often more about building relationships with the people they like and promote.  They get great pleasure from making other people look good!

Reporters – Reporters build a following as a credible source of information.  Some are Publishers who write their own articles and stories, but many are focused on the being “The Source” of news.  Reporters work hard on being the first to find and post links on social networking, micro-blogging, and bookmarking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Digg.

Publishers – Reporters and publishers have a lot of similarities, but there are some clear differences.  Most publishers have their own blogs and web sites and primarily focus on their own content.  Many submit their articles to other sites as guest authors.  It is a good strategy for getting noticed.  Publishers who consistently produce great content build a strong readership very quickly.  Their sites become communities buzzing with ideas from like minded people.

Connectors – There are three types of connectors… those who want to be connected to everyone, those who want to introduce you to others, and those who like to do both.  Connectors are masters of networking.  They feel great pride in being well known… and just as importantly… they love being the person who can put you in touch with the “right” people.

Initiators – Initiators are thought leaders who like to create buzz and discussion.  They spend time in busy web communities posting questions, rants, thoughts and ideas that get everyone talking.  Contributors often keep a close eye on Initiators.  Those who share interests often fuel each others’ success.

Recruiters – Recruiters spend time looking for like minded people who will join their community or cause.  Unlike Spammers, recruiters draw positive attention by using a combination of all the Social Types listed above.

Spammers – Yep… you knew we would get to these people.  Spammers bounce around from site-to-site and group-to-group posting advertisements and links for the sole purpose of getting as many clicks and visitors as they can.  Most of them have no value added content to contribute.  Although some do try to mask their advertisements with a short blurb… when you visit other sites, you see the same post there… and there… and there it is again.  Some of them are working under their real name and profile, while others are operating under an alias. (This does not include people who submit to aggregators who publish articles from guest authors.  There is nothing wrong with submitting your articles to multiple publishers.  Just make sure you are not spamming from forum-to-forum inviting everyone to come read your article. )