Why do Twitter users make good panelists?

Why do Twitter users make good panelists?  Because they learn to talk in soundbites.  Ever get bogged down listening to a panelist drone on and on while the one you really want to hear is fidgeting in their seat but politely not butting in?  Problem solved if you invite four well-versed social media users from the local media to sit on a panel about Media Branding: How to Get Attention! 

Last night I attended a panel put on by personal branding guru, Dan Schawbel.  Dan is the managing partner of Millenial Branding LLC. Although many might know him from his book, Me 2.0.  Barbara Quiroga of BQ+A moderated and the panelists included:

• Mel Robbins - syndicated radio host.
• Ted McEnroe - director of digital media for NECN
• Lisa van der Pool - staff reporter for the BBJ
• Lyla M. Alphonse - editor/writer for Boston Globe

Some of the best soundbites of the evening included the following (and my apologies if I paraphrase - I actually hand wrote these and this morning I can barely decipher my handwriting).

How to stand out on social media and with the press:

1.  Own your own content.

2.  Make sure your content is original, interesting and valuable.

3.  Know your niche.

4.  Know who the core people you want to reach are.

5.  Understand that social media relies on give and take.

6.  Social media is not just a "broadcast" to an audience; it's a community with whom you share.

7.  If LinkedIn is your business card, Twitter is scribbling on a napkin, then MySpace is kind of like writing on the bathroom wall.

8. Twitter has a shorter shelf life than Facebook.

9.  Whatever you put out there in social media (no matter what your privacy settings are now) they are there to stay and part of the public domain.  Be conscious of how you are representing yourself to the world.

10.  If you work for a company, you have to understand that when you tweet you are representing that company too.

11.  When you are pitching a story to the media -- consider whether you are "pitching a story" or really just asking for free advertising.  (the latter never works.)

12.  Even if you don't have original material, you can still excel on social media if you become a trusted curator of content.

Those were just a few of the highlights!  Read more at BostInnovation.