As we jingle into 2010, there are a few points I’ve been making about social media and social media marketing all year (well, for longer than that, but who’s counting?); and I want to share them all in one place.

Here they are Letterman-style:

10. Develop a social media “schedule” and stick with it. It’s easy to get caught up in reading interesting blog posts or playing Mafia Wars on Facebook. Figure out your on and off days and stick with it no matter what your friends say. If I can do this and I’m a social media strategist, you can do it. You’ll thank me later.

9. Building on the previous point…If you aren’t using any form of social media yet and you don’t have a REALLY good reason – like your hands are broken and have been for years – you need to get with the program. If Oprah and Bill Marriott can get their organizations to commit to social media, you can get it going, too. Go ugly early!

8. Kill the braggathon. There are many, many ways to toot your own horn without bragging. If you don’t know how, Google “Twitter without bragging”. Learn them and use them wisely.

7. Don’t get over-zealous in your sharing. Recently someone posted some information about a call they had scheduled with me on Twitter. It was no big deal, but be careful. Don’t inadvertently put someone on blast with your social networking updates. Avoid the Noid.

6. Chances are if you’re boring offline, you’ll be boring online. Dig deep, find out who you are and what sets you WAY apart from the pack. Hint: Unless you’re Zappos, it ain’t your stellar commitment to customer service.

5. For those who are worried about what people might say about you once you start using social media. Two thoughts: a) they already are talking about you (gasp!) and b) To quote Dr. Seuss, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.”

4. Get a “social media birthday”. Most social networking sites ask you for your date of birth. Unless I’m trying to get into the State Dinner at the White House (whoops, can’t use that example anymore!) or you are a close family member or friend, you don’t need to know when I was born. I always give these sites the same information – January 1. You might want to as well.

3. Social media and social networking are business tools. It’s not a popularity contest. I realize this might bring up some “high school stuff” for many people. It did for me when all the people who never spoke to me in high school all of a sudden wanted to connect on Facebook. Do what I did – come to grips, do whatever you need to do and deal with it. Never allow personal crap to interfere with living your passion.

2. Be personable without being personal. People don’t have to know all about you to do business with you online, they just need to think they do. This is not about being inauthentic, it’s about keeping your personal life…well…personal.

1. If you’re a woman, you need to approach social media differently than a man. So dispense with the winking emoticons in your Facebook and Twitter messages to men. Stop changing your Facebook picture every other day. Quit talking about your boyfriend or other S.O. in every blog post. People don’t care and it’s tacky. Don’t shoot the messenger.

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Lena L. West is the CEO of xynoMedia http://www.xynoMedia.com a company that helps growing companies profit from the power of social media & the Internet.