We're all Majorettes

On Facebook positive posts generate more likes while negative posts generate more comments. Yes, feedback comes with two spins. We already knew that, however it’s important to consider the difference between likes and comments in more than sentimental terms. Social gestures are the currency we use to pay for life. Likes are pennies. Comments are dollars.

How much is a tweet worth?

This is not a rhetorical question. It seems people have put a great deal of time and effort into solving this problem. Over at whatsyourtweetworth.com my tweets are valued at $3.33, an arbitrary value that kinda feels that way too. A little more than a year ago Toyota was paying $500 for tweets from new Toyota buyers. If you took your company’s twitter account with you when you quit, that company might sue you $3 per twitter follower. However, Eventbrite has the most comprehensive study on the value of sharing taking into account users sharing content with other users on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. If a tweet is worth a penny, then a share on LinkedIn two cents and a share on Facebook is a nickel (exact figures are considerably more).

Penny for your thoughts

The reason I ask about the value of sharing is that I’m the kind of guy who does a lot of it. I don’t really think about it in terms of how can I be compensated. Nobody does. If we did, then we’d constantly question the motives of the person who’s doing the sharing and be much less likely to follow their recommendations. The value I get from a share is tremendous. A like tells me you’re listening. A comment tells me you’re engaged. Unsolicited sharing tells me you have passion for a thing. That’s how I rank those. In social currency, Likes are pennies. Comments are dollars. Shares are priceless. I can tell you that some of my most popular shares were quickly followed by tons of comments and not a few likes. Shares are the gift that keeps on giving.

Tipping is a Place in China

I was at Starbucks this morning praying to the green and white goddess for inspiration on today’s post. I looked around and saw some colleagues talking. Beyond them, students engaged in morning gossip. I had dropped of the kids and overheard the ladies at D’s school talking about the waves today on Sunset Cliffs. I heard the surf report a few days ago and noted to myself (not a surfer) that I should probably make an effort to see these waves too. Hearing D’s teachers comment on the waves sealed the deal. I drove by and, sure enough, half of San Diego was in my neighborhood watching the waves crash into our cliffs. Poke fun if you will, but it struck me how local news plays a key role in this. I listen to NPR. They do a great job of zooming into local and state news even though much of the programming is national in scope. They gave me a local tip. So did the fine ladies at Merry-Go-Round. And there I was, in Starbucks, contemplating this post, getting ready to share the power of unsolicited sharing. Great tips are indeed priceless. Especially the local ones.

You’re in a Parade! Smile and Wave!

There’s an adage in our business that goes like this: “if you are not paying, you are the product.” It’s easy to get upset at Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for using users for profit. It’s also easy to see how our lives are made better by having social networks in them. This post is not an effort to debate that. What I do want to point out is another adage a friend to 3ones espouses: “The event is neutral.” It’s a new-agey nugget of wisdom that we’ve used to help us understand how to handle stressful situations better. It means, don’t react automatically. Stop, look and listen. It’s OK to be emotional. It’s OK to react. But do it in a way where you can step back from the event a bit and know that you have the tools to make the experience what it should be: better. Good or bad events should always strive to be made better. I’ll share an example:

Every summer in Lincoln, New Mexico, there’s a 4th of July parade that blocks up a stretch of highway connecting Roswell to Ruidoso. It’s a two-lane highway and during that time of year there are convoys of West Texans looking to place bets at the race track and casinos a bit farther down the road. If they happen to have bad timing they are going to wait an hour for the parade to finish before they can go on. Once the parade ends they can only go at parade speed through the town because the parade is still walking its way down the highway. Becky, our good friend and a permanent resident, makes a point of walking up to each of the cars that’s been waiting saying, “Smile and wave! You’re in a parade!” One by one, they follow along. Not everyone appreciates Becky’s zeal. But you can watch the faces of these Texans unfold from despair to glee once they realize they were looking at the experience the wrong way. “Smile and wave! Smile and wave!” And what do you know? Most people do. It’s a hoot.

When you’re the product, embrace it. The world is better off when you’re magnanimous.

Thanks for sharing

So that’s the value of sharing. It changes your day. It changes your perspective. It gets you in the parade. It gives you cause to like.