In April 2012, I wrote a piece that explored online social behavior and its impact on commerce and decision-making. The work was inspired by a series of studies based on the work of Robert Cialdini that identified six universal heuristics that shoppers use to make decisions. The importance of social psychology can not be overstated. This branch of psychology deals with how people think about influence and how individuals relate to one another. The social economy is shaped by how…
How do you increase social influence? Don’t think about the score
Influence: The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. Digital influence is a controversial topic. At the heart of the matter is this idea of influence and it raises questions and doubts as to whether or not the ability to cause effect or change behavior is truly measurable. Regardless of the answer, we are introduced to a new reality of social networking, an era where our actions and…
The Bank of Facebook: How will Facebook interact in the global economy?
What follows is a guest post by Venessa Miemis…I’ve asked her to share insights from a developing research project she’s currently leading, The Future of Facebook Project. I recently took part in the project as I believe this discussion is more relevant than we currently imagine. There has been much speculation recently about the role Facebook Credits could play in becoming a global virtual currency, and even the possibility of Facebook becoming a bank. In many ways, it already is…
Welcome to the EGOsystem: How Much Are You Worth?
What’s your Klout score? How many people follow you on Twitter? What’s your authority on Peerindex? How are peers rating you on Honestly? What’s your rank in Quora? Are you tracked by Traackr? The answers equate to a market harbinger that’s both alarming and telling…how much is your digital persona worth in today’s social economy. We’ll explore the nuances and the impact on brands and personal brands live on stage at SXSW. Join me, Ad.ly’s Sean Rad and Arnie Gullov-Singh…
Video: Introducing the 5th “P” to the Marketing Mix — People
I recently sat down with Chris Beck, founder of 26dottwo, a digital media agency in the San Francisco Bay Area for a in-depth discussion on the state and future of social media. We examine a broad range of topics that explore the impact of the social economy on business, culture and the democratization of influence. In this installment, we discuss “people” as the 5th “P” in the marketing mix. While this is a subject that’s been discussed over the years,…
Social Capital: The Currency of the Social Economy
The convention for creating financial opportunities is evolving and changing the way we seed prospects, promote our expertise and prowess, and connect with those who can help us learn and advance through the facilitation of strategic and mutually beneficial alliances. Digital capitalization is laying a foundation for expanding the need to cultivate and participate, not only in the real world, but also in the online networks and communities that can benefit us personally and professionally. In an era of democratized…
The Benevolent Acts of Reciprocity and Recognition
Source: Shutterstock I believe if Social Media warranted a mantra, it would look something like this, “Always pay it forward and never forget to pay it back…it’s how you got here and it defines where you’re going.” This is the credo I live by and something that has only been reinforced as part of my daily regiment, online and in the real world. Paying it forward and paying it back is the balladry of reciprocity, the undercurrent of social media…