There’s no rulebook, and what works for you might not work for me. But it can help to keep a few basic points in mind.

I recently ghost-wrote an article for a client about how businesses in a particular industry can — and should — use social media to enhance their overall marketing and branding efforts. My target audience was people who knew very little about how things like MySpace, Facebook, and blogs really work. My task was to help them start figuring it out.

Because the article will eventually be published with someone else’s byline, I can’t republish the whole thing. It’s just as well because a lot of it wouldn’t be generally relevant. However, a good chunk of it is worth sharing. Specifically, the “do” and “don’t” section, which I wrote with the idea that anybody could use it as a nice baseline set of things to consider. So with that in mind, here you go:

Do participate on a regular basis.
Signing up and establishing a profile is just the first step. Users who stop there will get virtually nothing out of social networking. The best strategy is to designate a small amount of time each week to do things like browse for contacts, send messages, and seek out other members with similar interests. Being active means getting noticed, and that’s the whole point.

Don’t expect a miracle.
Participation in social networking is unlikely to lead to a “big splash” benefit. Instead, think of the benefits as valuable intangibles. Becoming a respected participant in a social networking community helps build your brand and establish your credibility. It’s a way to enhance your overall efforts, not replace them, and patience is key.

Do be genuine.
Active social networking users can spot a fraud a mile away. Don’t attempt to represent yourself or your business as something you’re not. Transparency is huge in the virtual world. Understand its value and don’t hide from it.

Don’t ever spam.
There is no faster way to ruin your reputation in an online environment than by spamming other users. Don’t ever subject them to unwanted advertising of any sort. If you want to offer your services in a setting where they make sense and offer real value, that’s perfectly appropriate. Sending messages to everybody in your contact list is not.

Do offer real value.
The best way to participate in social networking is by focusing not on what you can get out of it but on how you can influence what others get out of it. Offering free advice or services, contributing intelligently to the conversation, and generally being a welcome addition to the space will do wonders. Asking for or expecting a quid-pro-quo isn’t automatically a bad idea, but choose your opportunities very carefully.

Don’t forget that “social networking” is still networking.
Just because you’re online doesn’t mean that the rules are completely different than they are in the real world. Don’t do or say anything on a social network that you wouldn’t do at a cocktail party with valued associates.

Do embrace risk and change.
The new media landscape changes constantly. Uncertainty and risk come with the territory, and anybody who wishes to participate has to understand that. Seriously conservative and/or risk-averse users would be better off not participating at all.
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Did I miss anything? And what about you? Feel free to fire away in the comments with your own suggestions about how to get the most out of social networking.