spectrum of online friendship
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SPECTRUM OF ONLINE FRIENDSHIP
What can brands learn from people who are good at making friends on the internet?
by Mike Arauz
Some people are really good at making a lot of friends on the internet.
A few examples:
Chris Brogan Julia Roy*Gary Vaynerchuk David ArmanoZe Frank
*Full disclosure: Julia and I work together. And she’s awesome : )
2009 Mike Arauz
They don’t just have large audiences, they have loyal audiences who feel invested in their success.
2009 Mike Arauz
Digital technology has enabled us to create fans who feel like friends.
2009 Mike Arauz
What is a friend?The definition of friendship has evolved. Digital relationships (just like non-digtal ones) are not absolute. They are fluid.
Online friendship is better described along a spectrum defined by the actions people take and how we feel about them.
2009 Mike Arauz
SPECTRUM OF ONLINE FRIENDSHIP
I follow your work, visit your site, read your blog, follow you on Twitter, etc.
PASSIVE INTEREST
ACTIVE INTEREST ADVOCACY INVESTMENT
I’ve voiced my inter-est in your work by leaving comments, posting Twitter replies, posting Facebook wall com-ments, etc.
PUBLIC DIALOGUE
We exchange public messages through referrals on our websites and profiles
PRIVATE DIALOGUE
We exchange private messages through email, IM, direct messages, etc.
SHARING
I publish links to your work on my own websites and profiles
I explicitly encour-age my friends to follow your work
Your wins are my wins because I share your arguments, and I care about the success of your ideas
2009 Mike Arauz
Passive InterestThis is the easiest level of engagement. It asks the least of your friends, and achieves the least commitment from us. But, it’s the crucial starting point. I follow my curiosity to you, I’m interested in what I find, and I choose to pay attention. e.g. repeat visits, blog readers, fans, followers, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz
Active InterestThis is when I care enough to let you know that I care (in a nice way, not in a stalker way :-). It’s a small step, but a big opportunity for you to iden-tify key members of your audience who are can-didates to move along the spectrum. e.g. people who leave comments on your blog, wall comments, @replies on Twitter, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz
SharingYou and your work become part of my identity as I use it to talk to my own friends about what in-terests me. I also have made myself more valu-able, because I am now partly responsible for the spread of your ideas. e.g. social bookmarking, retweeting links, posting links and content to my own sites and profiles, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz
Public DialogueThis is the first phase that requires action on your part. You foster a relationship by responding to my interest in a public forum. By doing so, you make the rest of your friends aware of my existence, and welcome me to the group. e.g. public @replies, referrals in a blog post, and references posted to our various sites and profiles, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz
Private DialogueWe begin to transform mutual interest into mutual trust. We are willing to share directly. We trust each other with direct access, which has increasing value in an increasingly always-on world. e.g. exchanging email, TXT messages, IM, and direct messages on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz
AdvocacyAdvocacy looks a lot like Sharing; but, Advocacy means that I am making an explicit recommen-dation of you to my friends. I choose to risk my own reputation to convince my friends to check it out. e.g. same tools as Sharing, but differ-ent language; usually entails recommending the person or brand, and not just a specific piece of content
2009 Mike Arauz
InvestmentThe brass ring of online friendship. This is the most difficult achievement to recognize or quantify. But it’s the most important because it represents the willingness of your friends to take action on your behalf. e.g. Your wins are my wins. “I know it when I see it.”
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart
2009 Mike Arauz
PASSIVE INTEREST
ACTIVE INTEREST ADVOCACY INVESTMENT
PUBLIC DIALOGUE
PRIVATE DIALOGUESHARING
The deeper you go, the more valuable your friends become.
2009 Mike Arauz
Investment is only one dimension of online friendships.
Investment: To what extent does this friend feel committed to your success?
Time: How long has this friend been engaged in their relationship with you?
Social Activity: To what degree and frequency is this friend active within their own network?
INVESTMENT
TIME
SOCI
AL
ACT
IVIT
Y
2009 Mike Arauz
Online brand equity is a product of:– The investment that your friends feel in the
success of your brand online
– The amount of time they’ve spent being your friend
– Your friends’ levels of social activity within their own networks
2009 Mike Arauz
ONLINE BRAND EQUITY
I T Sa= x x(Investment) (Time) (Social Activity)
2009 Mike Arauz
So, how can brands move friends from acquaintanceship to “best friendliness”?
2009 Mike Arauz
Have a unique point of view, and don’t be afraid to be opinionated about it.
2009 Mike Arauz
Measure the actions that create value, not just the actions that are easy to measure.
2009 Mike Arauz
Reallocate time, effort, and money to cultivating deeper online friendships.
2009 Mike Arauz
Mike Arauz is a Strategist at Undercurrent, a New York based digital think tank.
I’d love to tell you more about this. Email me:
speaking@mikearauz.com
Let’s connect on Twitter: @mikearauz
I left the rest of my thoughts on my blog: www.mikearauz.com
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