Social media optimization (SMO) is a set of methods for generating publicity through social media, online communities and community websites. Social Media and User Generated Content (UGC) are the most powerful evolving trends that will shape the future of Internet.

Social media optimization is in many ways connected as a technique to viral marketing where word of mouth is created not through friends or family but through the use of networking in social bookmarking, video and photo sharing websites. In a similar way the engagement with blogs achieves the same by sharing content through the use of RSS in the blogsphere and special blog search engines such as Technorati.

Five Rules for conducting Social Media Optimization are:

• Increase your linkability
• Make tagging and book marking easy
• Reward inbound links
• Help your content travel