commbasics

I love it when great minds think a like.  First Brian Solis sets up the segue from low-level to high-level engagement, and then Dan Holden talks about what the most important influencers might be.  so today I can talk about where you find the highest-level engagement in your social media program As a recap, since it was almost a week ago, the first level of engagement is made up of people that agree with you and give you kudos.  You know, the really intelligent readers ;).  The second level are the people who disagree with you and can include competitors.  these are people that can help you make course adjustments by giving you a reality check.  You don't have to accept what they say, but looking into the criticism can often make what you share so much better. The most valuable of all engagement, however, is the expansion level -- the people that take your ideas and concepts to different levels.  It may start as either agreement or disagre...

Ok, I know what a meme is in principal.  But every time I asked someone to tell me what it is, I got this gobbledygook of technobabble about genes and evolution and conversation.  And when I ask for an example, no one can remember one.  And because I could never get a solid example, the concept was alway murky for me.  But today, I fell into a meme.  Now I know what it is.  I'm going to share. A meme is a web-based conversation that generally has a life of its own.  Consider the email-based urban myth about Madelyn Murray O'Hare trying to get religious programs off TV.  That's a meme.  It's not a good thing, but that's an example.  Memes have basic characteristics in all their forms.  That's where the gene thing comes into being.  My son and I look different, but we share the same genes.  A meme can appear in many conversations that appear completely unrelated, but there are certain aspects of the conversation that link th...