Maintaining credibility in the world of social media is a tough job. As more people flock to social networking sites and gain friends, the whole thing can sometimes seem like a numbers game. How can we tell the difference between an influencer and a collector?

In our offline lives, we can generally name someone who greatly influences us and the lives of others. Unfortunately when we get online we are a little harder to see as clearly.

While we may want to agree that someone is a thought leader because of the number of friends or followers they might have, can we ever be sure? How many of those accounts are actually active and participating?

Online, we see social media as a place to discover, learn and share content. We think that the numbers behind an account reflect a persons expertise. The reality is we really don’t know.

While I don’t consider myself a pessimist by any means, I do think that the only way we ever truly know something is if we are prepared to do the research ourselves, and form our own opinions.

With that said, it is crucial that brands take the lead on creating their own credibility in the social media space. Having a company Twitter account or a Facebook fan page does not have the same effect as having a real person attached to it.

1. Presence
If an employee of your company isn’t monitoring and moderating your social network, you might as well just slip in the ear plugs and wait for the next ice age. Be present in your space, not overwhelming, but be known.

2. Speak up
Don’t be afraid to engage users and have an opinion or a comment. Normal people do.

3. Pants on fire!
Be honest, straight forward and clear: Full disclosure. You will be respected for it.

4. Quality over quantity
While I can assure you quantity won’t hurt - you want people to come back, right?

5. Mind your manners
You would be surprised how far some level headed, friendly and polite conversation can get you.

It’s called social networking for a reason. If participants can’t relate to you, or your community they will simply find somewhere else to go.