If you’re a Serious Entrepreneur who’s been involved in Internet Marketing for any length of time, you’re learning that using social media is a great way to promote your business for free.

However, you have to be kind of careful with dealing with those who have power on the World Wide Web. Pissing off the people at Google, and other people who are your online “Friends” can result in having your accounts shut down, and leave you crying in the dust. And those are just your Facebook and Twitter accounts!

That’s because you’ve now been branded as a SPAMMER!

Online social networks are great, especially for our rapidly advancing technological world. People can use them to stay in touch with loved ones who are away or out of the country, meet new people who have the same interests online, make friends, spend time chatting, and much more. Unfortunately, as of all good things on the Internet, some evil monster figured out how to twist these blessings and use them for evil.

An Internet property is basically any kind of web page, and any Internet sites that allow people to people interaction is considered online social media. Web 2.0 is another term referring to sites that in some way allow people to contribute rather than just read from it.

So MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and all those other great sites where you can blog, put pictures in, upload songs to, advertise, and what-have-you are all web 2.0.

And as the Internet became more popular and more people started using it, businessmen came to realize that they could promote their business through the web, and thought it was “This is free? This is soooo cool!”

Well, the problem comes: it isn’t cool!

Social media is an extended term that includes plenty of websites. However, there is what you call online etiquette that provides guidelines to which Web 2.0 sites allow you to gain a portion of Internet property that is for your own disposal or for your business – without getting other people mad that would lead you to lose your credibility as a serious businessman in the world of network marketing.

Take a look at it this way:

It’s the weekendtime to forget about work, catch up with old friends, make some new friends possibly. So you go to a party. You’re having a great time. Then someone comes up to you, introduces himself, and immediately tries selling you on some business opportunity.

Oh come on! It wouldn’t be surprising if you suddenly hurl your drink at his face – at the very least. This is pretty much what happens when you use social media sites in ways that they’re not supposed to be used.

To truly be a Serious Entrepreneur, understand that social media is not about making money; it’s about making friends. As a marketer on the internet, do business exactly how you would conduct business in person. There’s a time and place for “business” – social media is a way to connect and let potential business contacts learn what you’re about.

Nobody likes to be force-fed. Building lasting relationships takes time and requires a mutual respect, and so does building a loyal following for your business.