Social media professionals like to tout the advantages of integrating social media for corporate or even personal use. As the relationship between technology and marketing continues to evolve, the ability to create and reach out to specific communities, develop relationships and networking skills, and build Web 2.0 friendly skills will remain a top priority. It also means that social media will continue to grow and be a hot topic.

It’s easy to say all of these things when we’re on the inside. Someone who is new to social media can easily get obsessed and become wrapped up in “A-listers“, technologies and tactics, and end up getting burnt out and disengage before even getting anything out of it. So, what’s the bottom line, what is the top benefit to engaging in social media?

Relationships.

The best takeaway from engaging in social media is the social part. Forget reaching out to communities and starting conversations, the real gem is in developing your own personal relationships, beyond the web.

Take these examples:

• Aaron Brazell aka Technosailor shares his experience in forming a real friendship in an Internet-centric world. He follows up to say that when social media gets to be too much, the real value can be found in shutting down the “online” relationships, and bringing it to the “real world” and real life.
• Toby Bloomberg says that business IS personal, and that the best way to have successful and meaningful relationships is to physically get together with clients and business partners; laugh, talk, listen and learn from and with one another.
• Jeremy Pepper calls on us to look at what really matters, and step outside the box to see what the very people we talk about reaching as an “audience”, are really saying. Take notice of what is important to others, and how they interact.
• Brian Solis talks about social media “experts” who really observe from afar, without really becoming a true member of the societies they are striving to become a part of. Engagement is one thing, but developing relationships built on trust and loyalty are another.
• Kyle Flaherty talks about the “human voice” of social media, and how at the core it’s really about “reaching out and touching someone”, building relationships and also providing the technology to stay close to existing ones, when you may be separated by distance. That is a tangible benefit that anyone can understand.

The old adage that you attract more bees with honey than vinegar rings true as well. If you are genuinely interested and sincere in your relationships, taking the time to look beyond your immediate need (we must be blogging, commenting, Twittering, Facebooking, etc.) and moving towards the bigger picture, you will have more success.

Take the relationships you have online through social networks beyond the web, make it personal, meaningful and fun. That will give you the most return on your investment.

The true value of social media is that these tools and technologies allow us to do the things that we have always done; meet people, find out what they are about, develop rapport and form relationships that help you in both business and personal life.

It’s up to you to take social networks a step further, beyond the computer screen, and turn them into real, tangible relationships.