It’s official: personal
invitation brings lurkers out of the closet!
My last post, ‘Heroes or hoverers’ (06 September),
produced over 20 comments from hitherto silent lurkers. Why did they declare
their presence? In most cases, because of personal invitation via email or
Facebook.
It’s a tried and tested
model of public relations
success: there’s nothing like personal invitation for evoking interest and
engagement in a potential respondent. It works every time, especially on
social media, explains MELISSA GALT, Australian born motivational speaker and
designer, at
And the next step? Once members are engaged, we need to
encourage their activity. How do we create ‘sticky' members – those who keep
coming back? See
Among other things, the
socialmediaaexaminer site foregrounds the importance of strong leadership. This
is as vital to a virtual community as it is to a ‘real’ community.
More about 'sticky' members Thank you to the many commenters on my own
blog who have highlighted other essential producers of ‘stickiness’. As
you’ve said, social media users will come back to a site if it offers
them the chance to:
* communicate
creatively (25 Aug post-Rox)
*
engage (06 Sep post – http://vzrethinks.wordpress.com; 31 Aug
post - http://academondownunder.wordpress.com/) *
listen (ozmediaphiledotcom)
* connect (22
Aug post-Sally Morgan)
* collaborate with
others with niche interests (25 Aug post –Donny; 02 Sep post-Naomi)
* talk
the same ‘language’ (25 Aug
post-Aiza)
* be acknowledged
(23 Aug post)
What makes YOU return to
the same social media site again and again?
Please comment–name the
site, and your reason for being sticky!
In my case, having my family and friends overseas, social media gives me the opportunity of sharing what's going on in my life with them and know what's going on in theirs.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes me keep retuning to Facebook? Hmnnnn ...
ReplyDeleteAs I've said before, I have a love/hate relationship with the social media in general, but after much inner turmoil on this issue, I've come to accept that it's part of contemporary life. I could easily live without it, but as long as I'm living 'in the world' so to speak (rather than in a secluded community), I accept that it has its place.
At first, however, I often felt as if it was an open sewer pouring all sorts of negative energy into my life (which, really, no-one needs!). In that light, I had to ask myself a very important question about the social media: if the aim of meditation (which I practice daily) is to calm the monkey mind, why am I allowing the monkey mind of the collective into my life? Needless to say, it isn't an easy question to answer ...
Long (long!) story short, I accepted that I had needed to go through a period of experimentation when this new communications platform appeared on the scene (especially as I work in communications), and I now use social media more carefully (astutely?) than I did at first. I now use a number of different platforms regularly, mainly Facebook, Blogger and LinkedIn.
Another long story short, I only used Twitter while I was still doing civil society advocacy work, and shut down all of my Twitter accounts when I stopped doing that. Twitter really is the monkey mind of the collective, and I personally don't need that energy in my life.
As for FB, though, it's a forum that's put me in touch with a lot of long-lost friends (Avril being one!), which is wonderful, and it enables me to keep in touch with family members around the world. It has also given enabled me to deepen my relationships with selected clients and members of my community, which has been incredibly valuable.
As I now manage my FB presence a lot more carefully than I did at first (I was an early adopter, so I kinda just threw myself into it), it's also a source of information, fun and even joy to me. I see a lot on FB that I wouldn't otherwise be exposed to. And, yeah, it provides intellectual stimulation too. I wouldn't be writing this treatise if I hadn't first seen a request on FB and then received a follow-up request by inbox.
On a spiritual level :) I feel FB can also be used to reach out to others in need and to spread good energy into the quantum field. And having pruned my friends list rather dramatically, it's now like having about 70 great penpals. :)
The 'monkey mind of the collective' - what a great statement, Lee. I think you're implying that those brief outbursts of chatter invoked by Twitter are not real instances of communication?
DeleteWhat do others think about this?
- Avril
:)) I nevertheless have to say that I feel Twitter obviously has a role to play in contemporary communications, and I've previously used it very successfully in social advocacy work. On a personal level, though, it brings WAY too much 'stuff' (a lot of it negative, confrontational and even combative) into my personal space, so when I stopped doing social advocacy work at the end of last year, I stopped using Twitter. I guess you could say I've learnt to guard my space, my mind and my inner peace more carefully than I did when social networking first made its appearance on the scene.
DeleteOh yeah, and I've also started using FB as a place to keep a record of books I've read, films I've seen, TV shows I like and music that 'speaks' to me ...
ReplyDeleteWhat keeps me returning to social media sites? I guess I just don't want to miss out! Knowledge is power after all. For me it also fills a gap when I am bored or waiting in a queue or on public transport. Some youtube links are interesting and give a quick laugh or cry and that makes me interested in returning as well.
ReplyDeleteNaomi
This post was really quite thought-provoking. I wonder about personal invitations to communities. Sure, they're effective for getting people involved, but can they be detrimental?
ReplyDeleteAs for what makes me return to social media, I find the biggest incentive is how it allows me to stay connected and updated to things I care about, be it family and friends, music, news or any other interest. As a 19 year-old living halfway around the worls from his normal home, social media that aids connection to people I'm not with is vital.
Great question. I only stick to a site or a channel when I can get something out of it. For instance, Facebook is for me a sort of journal and intermittent creative outlet, as well as a means to keep in touch with far-away friends. Other sites I read regularly, like cracked.com, are entertaining, intelligent and brilliantly funny.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that all users are all sticky all the time, even for the best of sites. People do tend to come and go, ebb and flow, for many, many different reasons - most of which are out of our control as producers of content. I guess our only aim can be to provide not just good content (there are heaps of places on the net with good content), but a *compelling reason* from them to constantly come back.
Of course, what counts as compelling differs from person to person, so maybe the best way is to figure out who our publics are and then cater to them. Otherwise, get friends and family to contribute - the fact that they love you should be compelling enough! (hopefully!)
What keeps me coming back to social media? Interesting question, as I think it's changed over time. When I was travelling, I used FB religiously, keeping up with friends and family and keeping them up to date on where I am. However, as I've settled down, I don't feel the need to update things as much, and therefore don't really go to FB nearly as often. When I do, it's for the combination of novelty (seeing what arbitrary people are up to) and making superficial contact with acquaintences. I know it sounds a bit cynical, but as I think about it, it seems to be the truth.
ReplyDeleteAs for other social media outlets like YouTube (if you can call those social media outlets), I return to them again and again as the content is continuously updated. Additionally, I feel content sites like YouTube call for more structured content (that is to say, it isn't just someone complaining about their morning commute), and I think of it, perhaps, as more reliably entertaining.
Thanks for sharing your reasons for returning to social media sites. More responses are very welcome! Our listof reasons is fast increasing. Intersting that these sites are used for information seeking at the one end of the spectrum, and creativity at the other - versatile medium, this! What do you think? No replies as yet from those who use these media to promote commercial objectives ... more posts on this area soon. - Avril
ReplyDeletePretty pictures and inspiration make me return to a social networking site and also the opportunities to further my travel aspirations and make more friends internationally.
ReplyDelete