Some things are so good, they must endure.

Fundamental practices – classic, dependable and consistently effective – are among them. Every profession has them, including communications. And while the term “fundamentals” might sound old-school in the fresh and flashy world of social media, they can help us find our way, in a good way.

The adventure, potential and ease-of-use in social media sometimes make it easy to forget this. And when it happens, people notice. For example, I read a tweet calling on dad-bloggers to take more care in their writing so it looks better than what an eight-year-old would produce.

Another example is when a restaurant tweeted an attractive late-afternoon offer: It’s gorgeous outside, so come over and eat dinner on our beautiful patio. But on the call immediately afterward for a reservation, I was told, “Are you kidding? The weather is perfect, so we’ve been booked since this morning.” OK, then.

The more I participate in social media, the more I believe in the power and enduring benefits of the communications fundamentals I learned long ago. Following are four favorites:

Have a purpose. Do you want to make someone laugh? Influence or inform them? Compel them to hire you or buy something? Whatever it is, it’s important for you to know the purpose of your communications. It’s easy to spot who does know, and social media magnify this.

Know your audience. We can’t be all things to all people, so why try to be? It is confusing, and your message becomes diluted. Understand what your audience already knows and what they expect from you. And then deliver it with quality.

Write well. Tight, grammatically correct and error-free copy is a must, in my opinion. Always. If you practice it consistently, your writing improves and your readers appreciate it. A good post with links to resources on writing well is here.

Be courteous. Online should not be synonymous with indifferent. As you would in any social gathering, be polite, listen carefully and use manners. In addition, try not to repeat yourself, and be sure you can deliver whatever you promise.

Remembering the communications fundamentals helps everyone – contributors and readers alike – benefit from quality content along with strong online communities. Happy practicing!