Social Media Won't Work if You Are Not Social

I'm a member of 17 groups on Linked In. That's not impressive or anything. In fact, I created 4 of the groups myself. Luckily, others have joined me in all of the groups.

Some of the groups have hundreds of members all over the world. The smallest group is for a specific MasterMind, which only includes 4 of us. Some groups are specific to an industry, such as Professional Keynotes, while another is for a hobby, like Notre Dame football. There are hundreds of other groups I am not in and know nothing about.

The point is: if you want to be in a group of like-minded people, there's a group for you. Or, you can create one in about two minutes.

What is the benefit of joining a group, especially one with hundreds of members?

I am pretty sure someone will not think, "I need to hire a keynoter, so I'll scroll through the 776 members of the Professional Keynote Speakers group." So, if not for being selected for business, what is the point?

If someone joins a community, what is their obligation to it?

Is it okay for someone to join and reap the benefits but not participate? Not share ideas or resources?

I am trying to contribute better to the communities I commit to. A new author posted about the release of his new book. He didn't ask for advice, so I just congratulated him. Next thing I know, he's offering to help me network and we're meeting for coffee next week.

In another group someone asked for advice about training in the health care industry. I replied that I have some experience in that area and would gladly speak with him. We spoke for 13 minutes yesterday. He was so grateful and could not believe I gave him the time. Plus, I had some good ideas for him, if I may say so myself.

In every group, there are discussions without replies. Why not?

Why join the group but not participate in any discussions? Everyone does not need to reply every time, but if you join a community, look for ways to contribute to it. Offer advice, compliment and congratulate others, and do more than take expertise offered.

If you use social media, be social so you get something out of it--and allow others to as well.