Interesting article on PaidContent, titled ” What Are A Million Social-Media Followers, Friends or Subscribers Worth.?”

These are such new phenomenons that brands are struggling to understand if there’s specific monetary value in all these lines of communication. I say consider them as conversations with people you care about, rather than potential revenue streams. The value to be had from those conversations is persistent and two-way. It’s not about squeezing money. It’s about learning, helping and evangelizing.

Here’s how I approach the thousands of followers I tweet and ping on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace:

• Keep it relevant; seasonal content, new contests, fun stats
• Solicit input: ask for opinions, gauge responses
• Offer help: see someone with a problem? follow/friend/fan them, and offer solutions

Avoid spam. Don’t over-tweet. I some people I follow tweet 50 times a day. It’s just too much. I don’t have time to read it all. I keep tweets to no more than three or four a day. That may change as we progress, but that seems right.

As for messages (Facebook) and bulletins (MySpace) those are more infrequent. They feel more formal, and spamming in those forums is not recommended. So when there’s something specifically relevant to those users on those sites, I’ll send an update/message. But keep it relevant. Always.