First step, RESEARCH

I didn't jump into the social media world blindly, I did some much needed reading. "Twitter Power 2.0," "Crush It!", and "Trusting Agents" are great books I can recommend. But be advised, much of what you learn on social media is not always in the books. For instance, "How do you respond if someone says something harshly about you?" "How do you respond if someone says something harshly about YOUR COMPANY?" "What do you do when your information gets marked as spam, but you are just trying to get your brand name out there?" Books won't help you deal with individual cases, but experience will.