Just one week into a new decade, we have already seen Apple acquire a mobile advertising firm and the launch of the Google Nexus One.  Speculation over the fate of Google and its move into retailing reached a fever pitch prior to the launch, and has proved that this year may well be the year that social media presents its business case. With the number of mobile web users predicted to reach one billion in 2010, the time has come for those who are yet to embrace social media to dip a toe into the murky waters. Here’s our guide to getting started if you haven’t already.

I will sign up to Twitter

No amount of reading will help you get started better than signing up and getting involved. Anyone can join twitter, it’s free to use and highly addictive!

I will get involved in the conversation

Now that you’ve posted your first tweet and said hello to the twitter universe, it’s time to start interacting. By now you should have started to follow industry experts and commentators, and with some luck will have followers of your own.  Start by replying to these people and retweeting relevant and interesting tweets.

I will attend a social media seminar

What better way to meet like-minded people than at a social media seminar? These are run up and down the country and offer a great opportunity to hear from industry experts and put forward those questions which you’d like to get off your chest.

I will identify which bloggers are active in my sector and subscribe to them

Undoubtedly, you already subscribe to trade magazines and keep up to date with the latest news in your industry.  Blogs are an even better way to hear news and opinion on the latest events. Find out which bloggers are prolific and respected in your industry and more importantly, start reading them.

I will read a relevant book

Reading a book is a good way to expand your knowledge further and discover how to add to your already improved social media skills.  Anything from The Little Book of Twitter (Tim Collins) to The Social Media Bible (Lon Safko & David K. Brake) will be beneficial.

Good luck and please leave a comment if you’d like to add to our list.