||| October 26, 2025 by Tim Frick

“Return on Engagement” Series: Engage…and be nice

One-sided conversations are painful in real life. Why should they be any different online? After you have done a good deal of listening, research and strategy, add your own voice to the conversation.

There are about as many ways to engage as there are social sites on the internet, but it helps to start simple. Here are some basics:

"You would be surprised at how being nice on the internet just doesn't come naturally to many people."

• Follow people with similar interests on Twitter
• Connect with people you know on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social networks
• Connect with people on niche social sites built around common interests (such as this one)
• Comment regularly and consistently on blogs relevant to your interests
• Share information you find personally interesting
• Offer information of value: industry information, news, tips, references, etc.

 Perhaps most importantly, be nice. And trustworthy. That may seem like obvious advice, but you would be surprised at how being nice on the internet just doesn't come naturally to many people. A little bit of healthy criticism is fine every now and again, especially if you offer a viable solution to an existing problem. Complaining for the sake of complaining, however, is not only uncool, it can be the impetus for all sorts of nightmare legal actions. Just ask the Chicago tenant who was slapped with a $50,000 lawsuit for tweeting a complaint to her 20 followers (source: Chicago Bar Tender )

 If you’ve got the ‘nice’ part down pat already and you engage communities in thoughtful discussions, you will find your online presence moving forward at warp factor nine. Maintaining the momentum over the long haul, well, that’s another story. And another blog post.

Tim Frick is owner and Creative Director of Mightybytes and author of the upcoming book  'Return on Engagement'

Tags: Internet Marketing, Return on Investment