Check out Liz Straus' 25 Traits of Twitter Folks I Admire and 25 Folks Who Have Them.  These "traits" are in fact disciplines.  Achieving them on a consistent basis is work but work worth doing.  Use them to guide your way in the new year and your conflicts with your fellows will decrease and your fortunes rise!  Thanks Liz!  Click on the link above for the Twitter "Folks" who have these traits and follow them.

1. don’t seek to be the center of any universe.

2. find great conversations and get to know the people there.

3. realize that every venue has it’s own culture and rules.

4. do their own talking and their own listening.

5. talk mostly about the accomplishments of others.

6. ask intriguing questions that invite others to join the conversation.

7. don’t worry when folks don’t respond to something they say.

8. have time for new friends, talk to them, listen to them, read their sites and bios, ask them questions — avoid assumptions.

9. have a different conversation with every individual and every business.

10. take embarrassing or private conversations offline.

11. are inclusive and encourage folks who exclude people to exclude themselves.

12. shout out good news, help in emergencies, and celebrate with everyone.

13. say please, thank you, and you’re welcome, and mean them.

14. are incredibly curious about what works, what doesn’t work, seek feedback often, and look to improve what they do.

15. study the industry and trends, watch how things occur, share information about those freely, but never break a trust.

16. offer advice when people ask. Help whenever they can.

17. aren’t “shameless.” Ask for help in ways that folks are proud to pitch in.

18. are constantly connecting people and ideas in business conversations that are helpful, not hypeful.

19. get paid to strategize business, build tactical plans, but won’t “monetize” relationships.

20. ignore the trolls.

21. keep their promises.

22. can be transparent without being naked … most of us look and behave best in public with our clothes ON.

23. listen to the hive mind, but think their own thoughts.

24. send back channel “hellos” to friends when there’s no time to talk.

25. understand that the Internet is public and has no eraser.

The relationships with people — social in social media — is what is changing things. It makes a business experience worth looking forward to and turns a transaction into a relationship. It’s different online because I can’t see you. When I meet folks who make that distance and darkness disappear, I respect and admire them.