Posts tagged as:

social media

Brian

Using Facebook to Build Your Company Culture

Sometimes in life we just need a simple point in the right direction to finally get a major undertaking off of the ground.

I’m the type of guy that refuses to paint a picture by numbers. I don’t like to follow the directions when it comes to building Legos, and I eat my dessert first when it comes to dining. Those things being said, do not mistake me for being the type to dislodge someone’s suggestion or helpful hint! On the contrary, a gentle push or suggestion on how to do things should always been heeded and considered.

How does your company utilize social networking?

At Incept, you may have read how we have built our company culture up, and it all comes down to one very well-known word: Facebook. I can literally see the difference, both in a dramatic increase in internal company communication and a huge increase in generally positive morale among employees.

But why do I recommend using Facebook as a starting point for your company culture? What are the benefits? How long is it before you see a change in the cultural makeup of your corporation? I’m here to lend some insight, in the form of a few very easy and powerful steps, into using the biggest social network (currently known to man) for the betterment of your business:

  • Your company’s image is reflected on your page. Do people know what your business is about or what type of service you offer? One crucial thing to remember – something that we live by at Incept – is that our Facebook page must reflect who we are as a company. There is nothing wrong with fun (and professionally appropriate) content and employee engagement. However, at the end of the day, our professional demeanor needs to transcend from the office to our page, and ultimately people need to know what services we can offer and what we can do for them. Remember this: your company Facebook page is an open invitation to your employees, clients and even future clients to engage.
  • Everyone likes a good pat on the back. Do you remember being in little league and making an awesome play? You’d hear your coach scream, “Good job! Good hustle! Keep it up!” When it comes down to it, everyone likes to be appreciated for what they do. Chances are that your employees are no different. At Incept, Program Results Coaches and supervisors can be found posting about how good any given Incept employee did that day, thanking someone for putting in extra hours, and more. It is a very simple and thoughtful way to increase positive relationships among coworkers.
  • Are you posting engaging and thoughtful content? Anyone can set up a Facebook page, but can you actively keep it up-to-date with interesting content? Do you make videos about what is going on in the company? Do you post articles that are related within your industrial field? Even something as small as asking your employees a simple question such as, “Did anyone see an interesting movie this weekend?” or “What are you excited for this spring?” are recent examples of simple questions that we have posted on the Incept Facebook page that really drove people to respond and engage. It is all about staying connected with your audience and being personal. When all feels right with a conversation, even a simple starter question, all will go with the flow.
  • How long will it take to see results? At Incept we’ve had our Facebook page up for a little over a year. In that short time we have more people who like our page than we employ! We currently have 830+ people that currently like our page (formerly known as “fans”), and the number is still growing. It should be understood that in dealing with social media and social networking, things can be compared to taking care of a plant: you have to water it and take care of it before it blossoms. Posting quality content and actively engaging (daily) on your page is what is going to help it amplify and grow, but the conversations you have online behind that engagement are what matter most.

There are many more benefits, and I could probably go on and on, but the above are a few significantly real examples. The social media bus has not left town yet, and it is still very early in the game. You are still able to reap the benefits of something as simple as setting up a company Facebook page.

How does your company engage with social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.? How has your company culture changed because of social media?

Photo Credit: http://img.timeinc.net

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rweiand

The Power of Social Media for The American Red Cross

On Tuesday, I received my daily email newsletter from the Social Media Club and something

Every 80 Seconds Homepage

really caught my eye.

The American Red Cross recently launched a new Fire Awareness Campaign, and what they are doing truly makes an impact. With this campaign, Every 80 Seconds, once you connect through your Facebook account, six random photos from your profile are burned right in front of your eyes. Watching your memories burn away right in front of your eyes truly brings to light how your life can change in an instant.

How would you feel if all your memories were just gone – all your personal belongings, everything that meant so much to you?

A photo from my wedding burning away...

This campaign makes you think about those things, and while it is something we never want to think about, it is something we absolutely need to. This campaign is not your average campaign, asking you to make a donation for help a worthy cause. This campaign hits you hard and does an amazing job of making such a potentially awful occurrence personal and imaginable. It immerses you in the situation, and prompts you to take action.

There is a ton of advertising out there for so many causes, and they usually show you a patient in need of a transplant, a victim of an earthquake, someone that has no where to live, and other victims to whom you have no direct ties. While these campaigns touch our hearts, they are all happening to someone else, not us. What this campaign does is make you the victim. It puts you in the shoes of a victim and makes you feel the real emotions behind such a loss.

We always sympathize with people, but it is hard to truly understand what they are going through until you’ve been in their spot and experienced what they have. This social media campaign does just that. The idea is a great one, and I am sure the Red Cross will see a lot of good things come from it.

What other social media campaigns can you think of that really made you think?

For more information about the Red Cross and what you can do to help, visit their website (redcross.org).

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Brian

Goal Setting: The Blueprint of Success

“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.” ~ Brian Tracy

What drives you to reach your goals?

When it comes to something as complex as success, everyone always wants to know, “How do I become successful?” People appear to have the misconception that success comes in a one-size-fits-all package, which in most circumstances is wrong. Living in contemporary America, as a young, up-and-coming adult, I notice that many people my age seem to think that just wanting something bad enough will eventually get them where they want to be. All that is really needed is a solid foundation, beginning with setting a simple goal.

Recent studies have shown that only 3% of the American population actually set goals consistently. Little do most people know that the same 3% of American goal setters are also amongst the nation’s wealthiest citizens. What it comes down to is this: it pays to plan. It pays to have something to work towards in the long term, but it also helps in the short-term scope of things. People will always continue striving to be successful, whether that be in their professional or personal lives. Learning to set goals, however, is what will actually give you the capacity to achieve.

  • What is your long-term goal?

I’m somebody who always, initially, looks at the bigger picture of a situation rather than the smaller pieces of the puzzle. By setting a long-term goal, you aren’t just setting a goal, you are delivering yourself a call to action that relates to something significant you want to obtain or achieve. But long-term goals are just that: long-term. They aim for a point of time in the future and will generally not be immediately achievable. Do not let this discourage you or take away your goal-setting gusto. Instead, allow it to be your drive. Maybe a long-term goal is to lose thirty pounds this year. Maybe you’d like to pay off college debt or perhaps get a new car. Pick a long-term goal that will motivate you. An easy example that many can relate to is trying to lose a certain amount of weight or attain a certain weight at the end of the year.

  • So you have a long-term goal, but what are your short-term goals?

Short-term goals are your stepping stones to reaching your long-term goals. They are the checkpoints on your journey to success. When making short-term goals, ensure they are relevant and realistic. That doesn’t mean you should avoid shooting for the stars in your aspirations, but make sure your short-term goals enable you to further your progress towards your long-term goals. For instance, if my long-term goal was to lose five pounds this month, one of my short-term goals would be to walk five miles per week for that same month.

At Incept, we take goal setting seriously. We have weekly, monthly and even yearly goals we meet for clients and our own company. One of the reasons we are consistently able to meet these goals is because everywhere you look you’ll see how we are doing, whether that be via graph, statistics, performance metrics, etc. Part of meeting both long-term and short-term goals is being able to track your progress. Write down your goals! Check out my past blog post on writing down goals for more info on how much that simple addition can improve your success in working towards (and eventually achieving) your long-term goals.

How do you reach your goals? Do you have a goal you would like to share?

Photo Credit: http://steven-dean.com

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Lawrence Prather

It’s a Wallet! It’s a Chip! No, Wait, It’s Your Phone?

Near field communication (NFC) chips might eventually make carrying that giant brick you call a wallet disappear.

The technology behind NFC is really complex and not the subject of this post. However, if you would like to know all of the detailed ins-and-out of how it works, then check out this post: Near Field Communications: A Technology Primer. The idea behind this post is similar to one I recently wrote about QR codes, a nice summary of something complex and new.

But What Are Near Field Communication (NFC) Chips?

To put it simply,

“NFC is an evolution of the RFID technology employed in “contact-less” payment systems such as MasterCard PayPass and Visa PayWave, and is mostly known in the U.S. as a means of enabling wireless payments at retail stores. That’s not all NFC can be used for, though. It can also keep track of gift card and ticketing balances, as well as personal information and consumer preferences.” ~ Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

NFC uses and possibilities.

NFC technology has been around since 2003, but it failed to catch. In fact, Sprint introduced a mobile phone with a NFC chip specifically for use on the BART system in San Francisco back in 2008. Unfortunately, it went nowhere. Nokia introduced a phone as well – it was available in the U.S. one year earlier – that failed just the same. In order for NFC technology to take off and be successful, it needs the support of retailers, consumers and mobile device manufacturers alike.

However, I’m sure if a certain company (who dabbles in code and search and some mobile software for mobile products) was really, really interested in this technology, they may first try subsidizing the readers at targeted retail stores. This should help kick-start this next generation in commerce, as there needs to be one reader at every cash register. How many retailers do you know of that would fork over the money to do this?

Should You Care?

Yes. Why? First off, it’s already happening under our noses – Japan has been using NFC for their mass transit system (with a rechargeable smart card). Supposedly the DC Metro (WMATA) and Vancouver’s mass transit systems are also considering bids for this technology. Secondly, it stands to replace that kitchen sink you call a wallet, that resides in your back pocket or purse.

The Nexus S, powered by Android 2.3, offers support for NFC in that the hardware inside the phone, as well as the software that runs the phone make it ready for use. By offering this, Google has the competitive advantage over Apple, RIM and Microsoft for NFC-capable devices. Microsoft is even starting to consider putting NFC in the WP7. And while Apple has more applications that are developed for making payments via iPhone, that is not the same as NFC. Making payments through your phone still requires access to the internet and a third party to process the transaction. With an NFC-capable device, the transaction is instant and “contact-less,” meaning the only thing you touch is your phone. As soon as you pass your phone over the reader, the transaction takes less than a few seconds to complete.

You don’t really need to worry about it yet, because NFC most likely won’t be going mainstream anytime soon. The type of testing involved with something as involved as this is going to be heavily monitored by all parties – from developers and manufacturers of the readers on down to the consumers – with code being tweaked and bugs worked out as they go. By the time NFC becomes as common as biometric scanning or facial recognition, these words will have been long forgotten.

In all honesty, I give it about one-and-a-half years before this starts making its way into some of the large metropolitan cities (as far as testing is concerned) and about three years before nationally televised ads start appearing.

When do you think NFC will become mainstream? What are the security implications you foresee?

Photo Credit: NFC News

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Stephen Smith

Community Management Tools of the Trade: The Whiteboard

I’ve talked before about the tools I use to execute the Incept social media plan, but as my position and responsibilities have evolved so have my preference of “go-to” tools.

I’ve moved away from Word documents and Excel spreadsheets (which still have their place, of course), and I’ve started to realize that being able to get hands-on with ideas instead of digitizing them really lets the creative floodgates open up.

The Changing Tide

The age of the social media guru is coming to an end, and the age of the community manager is fast approaching. For me, community management means a number of things. Most importantly, it means planning for the organic growth of a socially networked community.

You can talk all you want. You can pump out tweets faster than the competition. You can write blog posts that score above the fold on Google until the cows come home. However, if you don’t have a solid foundation laid for the community you are trying to build (and then rally to your cause), you’re going to fail, plain and simple.

Enter the Whiteboard

Enter my dear friend, the whiteboard. It never fails that every meeting I get involved in at work starts the same way: everyone sitting at the conference room table with documents neatly stacked in front of them, taking notes. They all end in the same way too: everyone up out of their chairs, leaning on cabinets, desks, etc. And there’s always someone standing at the whiteboard directing the symphony of brainstorming while making sure that only the best ideas stick.

The beautiful thing about brainstorming this way is that it’s all interchangeable. Ideas that don’t make the cut just get a swipe of your thumb, and they’re gone. You can make ideas that are important bigger than less important details. If you run onto a mental side street, you just grab another color out of the marker cup and allow your train of thought to run its course. Exploration is the key, as letting ideas flow freely allows our team to explore all of the options available to us. Then once we’ve narrowed everything down, we just organize it into some form of readable layout and snap a picture for reference.

The “Isn’t There an App for That?” Mentality

Right now, you might be thinking, “But Stephen, there has to be an easier way to do that!? There’s got to be software that can do that for me, right?!” My response is simple, “Why have the ‘There’s an App for that’ mentality?” What happens when you start digitizing the “think tank” is that you lose the human element that makes team brainstorming effective.

Community management is all about developing the human connection. Social media has the potential to build a wall around people, to make them feel as though they aren’t obligated to become involved. If things get too intense or require too much personal connection, they can always just close their browser window and forget it ever happened. Building a community online is about breaking down that wall and making people aware that the connection they share within their social media networks makes them a part of something more personal than they think.

If you plan a community without ever meeting in person, or sharing personal interactions or insights, you’re predisposed to creating a network that mirrors the model you used to build it – cold, lifeless and impersonal. Your community reflects the model you used to create it, so by meeting in person and brainstorming, you create a personal connection with the members of your team. That personal connection is going to be the foundation of your community.

And what better tool to use to organize your collective thoughts and ideas than a whiteboard? What tools do you use to plan your communities or projects?

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Lawrence Prather

Google is Drawing Circles Around Your Social Network

Recently, Google released a new social tool that has the potential to be a Facebook “like” killer: +1.

Google +1 button

In essence, what this does is allow a user to “vote up” search results. If you deem something worthy of what you are searching for, then you should click the +1 button (that looks like the one to your left). The idea is to aggregate all of the data and put the search results that have been +1′d the most at the top, making them the most relevant to your search query.

The only way to actually see or use this new tool is to sign up for the experiment on Google, and log in to your account. If you have a Google Profile, you can see all of your +1s and share them with your friends within your social graph – if you so choose. As you can see in the screen shot below, if you don’t have a profile, you won’t be able to see your +1 history.

Live +1 button

The Social Circle

Down in Austin, TX, not too long ago, rumors were bouncing around that Google was releasing a new social networking platform, called “Circles.” However, within just a few hours of the whispers surfacing, Google immediately laid it to rest by denying the rumors. Nonetheless, if you were to follow the bread crumbs, you would see that Google is indeed up to something. With the denial of “Circles” came +1, not even a month later.

Why would they do this instead of moving ahead with “Circles?” Assuming that you (and your friends) have a Google Profile, and you have opted to link your other social networking accounts to it, every one of your friends within your social graph will have more relevant search results returned to them. That being said, there are various implications – both good and bad – this could have with regard to search engine optimization (SEO).

Searching

As the old adage goes, “The world is your oyster.” This holds especially true, as far as Google is concerned. Google spokespeople say that the +1 is not for boosting site rankings or marketing, but rather a way to get the best, most relevant and highest value search results – results that mean more to you, because it’s likely that you trust the opinions of the like-minded people in your social circle.

You could argue that it would be better to return results that have the most relevance to what you are specifically searching for, rather than those +1′d by people in your circle. To do this, all you have to do is to log out of your Google account. The results could end up becoming a bit biased, in that Google crawlers would crawl your friends’ +1s before crawling the rest of the web, thereby giving you a false positive.

What’s Next?

Buried deep in their javascript was an embeddable +1 button. And it worked too.

Google issued this statement on the button:

While we’re thrilled that publishers are anxious to integrate the +1 button into their sites, we’re still working things out and aren’t quite ready for this to be publicly available just yet, so we’re disabling this in the code. Webmasters and other publishers interested in using +1 on their sites should get in touch with us here.

Once the embeddable button is activated (legitimately, this time), Facebook “likes” will have some competition, and they should be worried. With the new changes at Google, and the way employee bonuses are determined by social media success, Google’s innovation and imagination have no limits.

Google has been known to fail – and fail epically, at that – but it hasn’t stopped them. Just look at Hotpot and what they have done recently with Latitude. With Larry Page returning to the helm, he is quickly bringing Google back to its startup roots with less red tape and more innovation. Another circle, if you will.

What do you think is next for Google? Do you think that Facebook should be worried?

Photo Credits:

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Lawrence Prather

Curious About QR Codes?

This post is meant to provide you with a general understanding of what QR codes are, their potential for marketing and your interactive experience.

“A QR code is a specific matrix bar code (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR bar code readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.” ~ Wikipedia

The World Park Campaign

YouTube Preview Image

Let’s Take a Walk

QR code poster in Central Park (New York, NY)

QR codes allow someone to scan/photograph a code – for example, the picture to the right. Once a code is scanned, the code will then pull the information from whatever source was used to generate it. This code enables someone to virtually consume information about various items, be it history, arts and culture, geology, music, etc. In this example, a QR code makes the experience richer for Central Park visitors, providing the opportunity for a casual stroll through the Central Park to be an interactive learning experience. It’s fun for the whole family.

When creating the QR code, programmers can put a vast amount of information behind them. Instead of giving a potential client a plain, old, boring, standard business card that has some copy on it, or a pamphlet crammed with a lot of copy and some images on really shiny and expensive paper, you can provide them with an eye-catching business card with your picture and a QR code. Once scanned, the code could then take that person to your LinkedIn account, website or wherever you decide is best.

For a list of some other creative ideas on how QR codes could be used, take a look at this post: 50 Creative Uses for QR Codes.

Networking

Imagine, if you will, that you are at a conference. Let’s say, just for giggles, you’re at the most recent installment of SXSWi. You have a breakthrough digital product/service that will revolutionize the way you present an elevator pitch. You are in an elevator on your way to your hotel room, and immediately to your left is the CEO of some company who just so happens to be in Austin for something other than SXSWi. Time to pitch. But here’s the catch: your product/service is hosted in the cloud. Now what?

You pitch on that elevator like you have never pitched before, and you give that person you’re pitching a card with your picture, some other bits of information and nothing but a funny black-and-white square made up of more funny-looking designs. You say something to the effect of, “Go ahead. Scan it. This funky little square provides a wealth of knowledge and power that you can utilize to help benefit you, your employees, your customers and your company.”

Possibilities

QR codes could (possibly) save you money. It might only be a few dollars here and there, but, in the long run, it could be tens of thousands. For example, instead of paying for a 1/4-page, 4-color ad in the local paper, you can submit a small 1.5″ x 1.5″ black-and-white square that will cost you far less but could possibly garner more engagement than the color ad. The reason? Humans are curious creatures.

Look at this square. You probably noticed this QR code before noticing anything else on this half of the page – especially this sentence you are now reading. After you finish reading this post, go ahead and scan it. You’ll be glad you did.
qrcode

You can cut down on your use of paper with QR codes, because everything is online. In my honest opinion, there is no need for a mountain of paper containing the same information that can be thrown onto a website (with the potential to be seen by everyone).

QR codes are not limited with respect to virtual information; they are limited only by your imagination.

Note: *In order to access the amount of detail that is behind these codes, you need a QR code scanner. There are plenty in the Android Market and the iPhone App store.

Here is a list of great FREE QR code resources:

Photo & Video credit: Agency Magma

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Brian

The Nature of Filming Conversations

Writing blogs isn’t all I do at Incept. Part of my job actually includes making company videos for our Facebook page.

One of my main tools.

I always have had an interest in making movies. Back in my teenage years, there was one summer when I scraped for pennies, bartered and sold my unwanted possessions, relentlessly pushing until I had enough to buy a cheap Sony 8mm camera. With no prior filming experience I’d simply cruise the streets of Ohio suburbia on my skateboard and, along with my friends, film the moments of my life from dawn to dusk.

After taking a two-year interactive media course in high school and finding my way to Incept, I am still making videos. Many of the videos I do are more on the professional side of things, due to the simple fact that Incept holds itself to world-class standards. In my ongoing quest to make sure my videos are not only creative and interesting but also engaging on an internal and external level, I interview my fellow coworkers and bosses on a regular basis.

We talk about topics like what is going on in the company, positive and top performance shout-outs, and even upcoming company events. They have become a source of entertainment and value within our company culture and will continue to be utilized to strengthen company-wide communication. Naturally, I speak with many personalities within the halls and walls of Incept. That being said, everyone is different when it comes to being interviewed on camera.

Having a conversation on film is a lot like having a conversation off-camera – there is virtually no difference. Here are some things I do to make sure I’m having not only quality conversations but real conversations while filming:

  • Set the scene for success. If you are doing a formal interview, it is always best to find a quiet place. You want your interviewees to be fully focused on the questions and dialog at hand, not daily distractions. It is also important to remember that you can always have multiple angles of anyone - a tip that really opens creative doors when working with basic equipment, as well as limited time and space, but still need a quality finished product in the end. A basic example of something I do is shooting a different angle for each question asked. In doing so the video becomes less predictable than just the same shot and gives me the ability to maximize the visual space of the setting I’m in, whether that be a small office or a giant, long-tabled conference room.
  • Make your interview subject relaxed. So you’ve found the perfect place to film, but you have some people who get nervous at the thought that their filmed response is going to be viewed by many people, a lot of whom they do not personally know. It’s easy to see why people get nervous about performing on stage or even being filmed – the world can be a judgmental place. It all comes down to you, as an interviewer, being able to make whoever it is you’re talking to feel relaxed and open to conversation. Be willing to let them do another take if they want to. It’s also a good practice to go over the questions and format of the interview before filming even starts. That gives the interviewee some insight into what the topic(s) at hand will be. This helps them have a more natural feel when answering questions, as well as comfort in knowing when transitions will occur over the course of the conversation.
  • Set your tone. Whenever you film, remember to ask yourself, “Who is my audience?” A video with the president of the company explaining changes in policies is going to be different (in terms of tone) than a video of last year’s Christmas party. The questions – and how you ask them in the environment you ask them – are going to be the determining factors toward the responses you get. Editing your video with appropriate title screens, music or sound (if any) and length is what effectively brings out desired tone when it comes to filmed, formal professional interviewing.

Right now I’m doing something I’ve loved doing for years in a professional setting and running with it. I’m going to keep pushing the limits of how good I can get with the equipment I’m working with. After working with everything from multiple editing interfaces and 8mm film cameras to high quality Panasonic HD cameras and Flip video cameras, I’m convinced it’s all about how you utilize the equipment.

What do you like to do that brings out your creativity?

Photo Credit: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01532/flip-cam1_1532466i.jpg

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Stephen Smith

One Year of Blogging at Incept | My Incept Results Top 10

Recently I talked about how March is the one-year anniversary of our adventure into blogging at Incept. I sat down, read just about every blog we (as a team) had written and picked my Top 10 Incept Saves Blogs.

It only seemed fair to go back, look at them all again and pick out my favorite Incept Results Top 10. Here they are:

  1. “Conversations: Quantity Versus Quality” ~ December 2010, by Sam Falletta
  2. “When ‘No’ Actually Means ‘Maybe’” ~ April 2010, by Sam Falletta
  3. “Listening to the Message Between the Words” ~ November 2010, by Dave Walter
  4. “Compliance = Listening” ~ April 2010, by Sam Falletta
  5. “You ARE the Company” ~ December 2010, by Jim Beuoy
  6. “The Internet Conversation Cycle for Brands” ~ September 2010, by Nate Riggs
  7. “Customer Service in Reverse: Everyone’s a Customer” ~ December 2010, by Stephen Smith
  8. “How Far We’ve Come and How Much Further We Can Go!” ~ February 2011, by Jim Beuoy
  9. “The Golden Rule & Standing Orders” ~ June 2010, by Stephen Smith
  10. “365 WOWs” ~ December 2010, by Sam Falletta

I have to compliment my good friend and mentor, Mr. Sam Falletta, for taking ownership of this list I put together. All of these blogs posts are great resources of insight and information, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed writing them.

So here’s to our first year of blogging (and many more to come)!

Did I miss a post that you liked? Which post(s) would you have picked?

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Stephanie

The Power of Recommendations: How Herd Mentality Can Influence Us

Herd mentality lets animals move together in coordination without communication. It's the same way with people.

Humans are essentially social creatures, and despite our advancement as a species, the old instinct to follow the herd is still present in the back of our minds.

Call it herd mentality, instincts or mob mentality – it’s all the same thing. Researchers have discovered that it only takes about 5% of people in a crowd to influence the behavior of the entire group.

Think about it: whenever there’s an emergency, a crowd of people will band together and all run in the same direction. Herd mentality doesn’t just apply in emergency situations, however. In one social experiment that was conducted, a group of people were asked to walk randomly around a large hall. A few select individuals in the group were given more specific directions and, sure enough, the others began to follow them. The best part of the whole thing was that the participants weren’t allowed to communicate with each other in any way.

Human beings (and any other social animal for that matter) have an innate need to fit in. We base a lot of our decisions on what others around us are doing and how they react to situations. Oftentimes we don’t even realize we’re doing it.

Children are great examples of this. How many times have you noticed that when one kid has a new style of dress or hair, a few days later nearly everyone in their class has the same look? Children imitate older siblings and friends in a lot of ways – from how they dress and talk to what they like to watch and eat. We tend to follow the lead of those closest to us. If a friend recommends a restaurant to us or a family member suggests a movie, we’re  much more likely to heed that advice than if we just saw either on a commercial.

Social media boosts the power of recommendation substantially. If one person on a social media network starts promoting an idea, especially on a site like Twitter, it isn’t long before nearly everyone they talk to is talking about it. It then becomes a big discussion, and soon people outside of the original group are joining in the conversation. The best part about social media is that it isn’t limited by geography. If a conversation starts in London in the morning, it’s reasonable to expect that it could be picked up as far away as the U.S. or Tokyo by dinner (London time).

Unfortunately, herd mentality isn’t always a good thing. Mob mentality is the darker aspect of the herding instinct. You see it in sporting events and protests. When one person gets too angry or belligerent, others follow the lead. In a situation like this, the herding instinct feeds on itself, building up until nearly everyone in the group is acting irrationally.

What’s the best way to avoid mob mentality or getting swept away with the herd? Stop and think. Look around you. An old adage comes to mind: “If you saw someone jumping off of a bridge, would you join them?” It applies perfectly to this topic. Just because the herd says run or buy or fight, doesn’t mean you have to. Don’t let the herd’s recommendation overrule your thinking. Better yet, by being calm and rational, maybe you can be part of the 5% it would take to calm everyone down.

Have you seen the herd mentality in action? I’d love to get some more examples!

Photo Credits:

http://www.fpettit.com/2008/07/29/down-with-friendfeed-etiquette/

http://evilspeculator.com/?p=6821

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