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Measure Social Media Influence with Poetry, Not Algorithms
I am preparing to nominate several more people for the Inman News 100 Most Influential Leaders. I’m weighing criteria about influence. Influence is not just about the numbers. Random House Dictionary offers this definition:
in⋅flu⋅ence /ˈɪnfluəns/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [in-floo-uhns] noun, verb, -enced, -enc⋅ing.
–noun
- the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others: He used family influence to get the contract.
- the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others: Her mother’s influence made her stay.
There has been a lot of discussion about measuring influence in the real estate social media space.
2009 finds my name on several lists:
- Swanepoel’s 2009 Top 50 Most Influential Women in Real Estate
- Proxio’s 2009 25 Most Connected People in Real Estate
- 100 Influential and Interesting Real Estate People
- 50 Most Influential People on Twitter
- Roost.com’s Top 50 People to Follow on Twitter in August
Recent “influencer” discussions in social media see a blend of authoritative and subjective selection by leading visionary Stefan Swanepoel, brilliant mathematical algorithms by techno-geeky real estate blogfather Dustin Luther, and introspective challenge on all fronts by brand manager and thought leader Marc Davison. The most insightful discussion about influence occurred recently in a rapid-fire exchange of 140-character bursts of passion and opinion between Davison and Luther. They volleyed for hours: What is the value of the number of followers and connections in social media? What relationship does the number of followers have, if any, to real estate production volume?
I consider those questions as I develop my 2010 business plan this weekend … my life is taking new directions and I wonder:
What does this really mean?
What value do I deliver to people in the real estate industry and in social media to earn the right to appear on these lists?
In some cases, my appearance on lists is a function of the number of people with whom I am connected. I am a long-time participant in social media and an early adopter in the Blogosphere and Twittersphere, giving me a large sphere of influence in online communities.
I do not think my value lies in sheer numbers. I do not aspire to win a numbers game. I shudder each time I receive an invitation to apply new technology to automate my engagement and grow my Twitter list to thousands in a day.
I do not want followers who are attracted to me because an algorithmic cyberbot directs them to my link. I want social media friends who are attracted by words and thoughts and poetry … I am attracted to words and thoughts and poetry … numbers are almost meaningless.
I see Twitter more an extension of the human soul than a technology tool.
Facebook was transformed into an online chapel this week as friends prayed for a young Tucson girl as she received a new pair of lungs. Facebook sharing was prayerful, teary-eyed, and breathless as we waited. The same space issued relief, gratitude, and joy when the young girl rebounded and sat in a chair two days after surgery. Yesterday saw her back on Facebook, thankful and loving. This kind of engagement has nothing to do with numbers. Sharing was about collecting prayers, not new Facebook and Twitter friends.
I measure the gist of human engagement when I consider influence. Does someone move me (or others) to action? Am I inspired and moved? Does someone make me tether my thinking cap with a string under my chin so my cap does not fly away in the wind?
Those are the measures I will use when I make these nominations. Those are the measures I use when embrace a new social media friend.
Imagine that online engagement is all about poetry and has nothing to do with numbers, What difference would that make in social media? … in our lives?
(I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein.)
San Francisco Mayor Reaches Out to Trulia Voices Community
San Francisco Gavin Newsom Asks a Question on Trulia Voices
When Mayor Gavin Newsom has a simple question, “When deciding where to live, what local information do you want at your fingertips?” where does he ask that question? The answer is a logical choice, Trulia Voices, a rapidly growing community of real estate professionals and consumers.
Newsom posed that question to the Trulia Voices Community yesterday and dozens of real estate agents and consumers have answered the question with thoughtful answers. I love to see a thread of insightful answers on a real estate question-and-answer platform. So far, there’s no misbehavin’ on this thread, no personal attacks, no antitrust or fair housing faux pas. Ahhhhh! This thread (so far!) is a textbook example for real estate agents about the correct way to answer a question in a discussion forum.
I used to work at Trulia (I am still a devoted Trulia Evangelist) … I blog about online behavior … I confess my own sins and ask the community for forgiveness … I recently launched a series of BUSTED articles here to shine a light on unsocial, illegal, and unethical behavior on the real estate Net. Much of my attention these days centers on growing tendencies of REALTORS to make a mess of the Net. There’s another side to the coin, and that is about the magic of connection when the connection is responsible and contains rich sharing and transparency.
Consider this post a rant. Rants are not the province of a pointed bony finger of blame … rants are also useful to say, “Dig (or Digg) these outasight REALTORS and consumers who took time out of their day to share their thoughts with Mayor Newsom.” I just LOVE to see social media meeting its true destiny on the real estate Net. (Can you tell?) What have you shared with the world today?
StepRep Is New Web Tool to Manage and Build Online Reputation
StepRep is a social networking tool designed to help users monitor what people are saying about them online; manage their reputation by promoting favorable links, and build referrals by connecting with raving fans.
