Taking advantage of participation inequality in social media
In 2006, well-known Web usability expert Jakob Neilsen, developed the Community Participation Pyramid, otherwise known as the 90-9-1 principle, which states...
- 90% of users are lurkers (i.e., read or observe, but don't contribute).
- 9% of users contribute from time to time, but other priorities dominate their time.
- 1% of users participate a lot and account for most contributions: it can seem as if they don't have lives because they often post just minutes after whatever event they're commenting on occurs.
As Seth says in his new book, "There's an explosion of new tools available to help lead the tribes we're forming... There are literally thousands of ways to coordinate and connect groups of people that just didn't exist a generation ago. All of it is worthless if you don't decide to lead."
With influence comes responsibility. We cannot take this issue of leadership lightly. We have a responsiblity to use our influence not for selfish motives, but to benefit the community as a whole. Those who take this responsibility seriously will be rewarded by the community.
Think in terms of what will benefit the community. Face it, most people don't really care what you or I have to say unless it benefits them in some way. You have to win the right to be heard. Think of the example of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Only when he had met his followers "felt" needs could he go on to meet their real ones. (think Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs)
I don't mean to imply that people are selfish by nature, but one thing is for sure, we are strapped for time. We only have time to consume the information that will provide the most benefit. If you're aim is to become an influencer, be the person that serves that function.
Don't take it personally. While social media is a personal medium, people will tend to value your content before they value you. For example, if I'm in the market to purchase a home, I'm probably going to search for properties before I search for a Realtor.
One of the people who best exemplifies the highest and best of the leadership ethic is Chris Brogan. But even he said via a that sometimes he feels "more like a service than a human." It goes with the territory and is one of the hazards of the job.
Research, research, research. There was a time when blogging was much easier than it is now. I could spout off, go on a rant or diatribe (still do from time to time) and be done with it. Blogging back in the day was much more anecdotal and off-the-cuff. I called it a "shoot from the hip, speak from the heart" means of communicating. It's less so these days.
On average a given blog post may take me as much as two hours to write. (Two hours! And some take much longer than that believe it or not.) That may be in part because I'm getting older and not as fast on my feet as I used to be, but I think largely its due to the fact I try to substantiate my commentary with appropriate documentation and cite a number of other resources.
