It gained a number of answers, but unfortuantely the post was closed for any further comments (ironic?). The best comment of the lot is below:

“When commenting on a blog, article or video it is usually to add to the educational contribution of the author. To add a perspective to their writing, to confirm their viewpoint or to include my own experience to the mix of comments.

There have been a few instances where I have disagreed with the author or another person that commented, however, this is rare.

A reason that many people, marketers for example, will comment is to add their company information like website address in the comments; for Search Engine Optimization reasons.

I do not agree with this technique because it ruins the real reason for comments – to share experiences or perspectives. But that strategy is effective in driving traffic to one’s site.

Also, it can be very important for brand management. For example, if someone blogs about a company, perhaps their dissatisfaction with the quality or service of a company – it is important that the company have folks monitoring the internet to ensure that brand-bashing for the sake of it does not go unnoticed. A compelling argument can be created in the comment of a blog or article that defends the company or their brand.

Knowing that a company monitors their brand online is sometimes a good deterrent, but also can influence others that read the blog/article and the comments before posting their own. If I see that a company rep has posted that their product has undergone changes that addressed the issues being complained about, then I may feel less likely to post my complaints OR my complaints may become mitigated by the new information.

Engaging in blog comments can be used for many purposes. They are an important facet to the entire social networking trend and should be taken seriously by customers, marketers, corporations”.

So I thought I’d throw it open to you…why do you comment? is it for…

• For Back Links
• For Traffic
• For Branding
• For Networking
• To Add Value

Oh course if you don’t feel the 5 options above are enough you’re more than welcome to comment…

Why Businesses Should Comment On Blogs! is a post from: iThnk.com - Business Insight About: Social Media, Co-creation and Free/Style

1. The World Is Flat

Reading this book changed the way I look at the world, it was the starting point for my interest in the web. Thomas L. Friedman’s most acclaimed book so far, it provides a great foundational understanding of the forces that are changing the world, opening up trade and breaking down barriers. It details the economic rationale behind outsourcing, open source and the beginnings of the free economy. If you’ve read this a great follow up read is Thomas L. Friedman’s most recent book, Hot Flat And Crowded.

2. Communities Dominate Brands

Well and truly before it’s time (published in 2004), communities dominate brands examines various internet statistics, analyses  trends and then puts forward logical business recommendations. It was one of the first books to examine the business implications of flash-mobs and to highlight the potential that lies in real-time mobile communications. Author Tomi Ahonen is also a very open and conversational Tweep – well worth a follow.

3. The Longtail

Chris Anderson’s outrageously successful first book, its not really about the social web but is an absolute ‘must read’ if you’re looking to do any sort of business through the almighty interweb. Not many ‘firsts’ are as successful as this book, it applies economic theory to the changes that the web is bringing for businesses all over the world and it make sense of the forces that are propelling the explosion of niche cultures. The tag line captures the essence of the book beautifully: “Why the future of business is selling less of more”.

4. Groundswell

In my experience this is currently the most comprehensive breakdown of why and how social media is impacting the business world. Charline Lee and Josh Bernoff from Forester research have taken stock of a massive amount of examples, conducted vast amounts of research and compiled it in a digestible little package which is accompanied by a regularly updated blog.

5. Tribes

In typical Seth Godin style this is more inspirational than instructional. This book is a nice short read and it’s empowering message will stick to your ribs like deep fried triple cheese burger garnished with lard. Seth starts off by describing a number of examples where groups of people who are led by someone who understands the power of the “Tribe” can achieve truly wonderful things, he then challenges you to be that leader.

6. What Would Google Do

Self proclaimed Google fanboy Jeff Jarvis describes how the world’s most loved search engine is merely a measuring stick for a whole undercurrent of change. This insightful piece of work details the forces that are changing the world and in particular the media industry. Jarvis also highlights the potential for growth that still exists if new models can be found. Being a journalism professor his insight on this is fascinating.

7. The Wisdom of Crowds

Again another stunning tag-line that seems to encompass the books entire argument: “Why the many are smarter than the few”. On the surface the notion that the masses can and often do make superior decisions than the elite who are trained and trusted with decision making power is a deceptively simple idea. But when you consider how our entire society is structured it clearly has profound implications. This book is not the passionate action inspiring read that Godin’s book is, instead James Surowiecki put forward a well throughout rational argument that will challenge the way you think about decision making on both an individual, organisational and societal level.

8 . Six Pixels of Seperation

While the lessons from this book are much the same as those from Groundswell, it has been put together in a much more personal and down-to-earth way….so if you’re looking for an entry level overview of social media to give to your old school nay-saying boss this would be the one I’d choose. It also has some great promo vids.

9. Free $0.00 A new price for a radical future

In The Longtail Chris Anderson was infinitely more descriptive then he is in FREE. In this his second  book he persuasively uses sound economic justification to explain/predict why $0.00 is the price of the future (at least in the digital space). The beauty of this book is that it’s supported by Wired Magazine’s Repository on $0.00 and that he practices what he preaches by giving the audiobook away.Download the Free audiobook here.

Next on my hit list…

I’ve heard that these two books are great – Jaffe’s book for it’s marketing models and Ben Young’s book for it’s readability and hi impact. Is there anything else I should add to my hit list?

9 Great Books For Getting Your Head Around The Social Web is a post from: iThnk.com - Business Insight About: Social Media, Co-creation and Free/Style

Recently the socialweb has been the focal point for a whole load of dark and dispicable things, but most noticeably the desecration of the Facebook memorial page for the 8yr old murder victim Trinity Leigh Bates.

Mourners set up at least two Facebook pages in tribute but reports say that moderators were forced to remove offensive and pornographic material. In the aftermath of this there has been such disgust that the Queensland premier Anna Bligh called for action from Facebook, and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he would consider creating a new online ombudsman because some activity on the web was “frankly frightening”. As a result Facebook will publically apologise.

So here comes the point of this post… 

Obviously the sickos that do this sorta thing are the ones to blame but…who is responsible for putting and end to these sort of despicable actions?

What do uThnk? is it Facebook? Is it the police? Is big brother really the answer? Can Facebook actually stop this from happening? What would you do if you were Facebook?

Image sourced from Mashable’s wonderful Social Media Crime Blotter Site

How do we fix the dark side of social media? is a post from: iThnk.com - Business Insight About: Social Media, Co-creation and Free/Style

After all this discussion what was the consensus?

Free is not 100% necessary for viral marketing…but it sure does help.

‘Free’ certainly lowers the barriers which prohibit viral activity, but it’s likely that you can still have viral activity whilst charging a price. A somewhat obvious and simultaneously abstract example is the chain letter e.g. You send $10 to 25 friend asking them to do the same, in exchange for the prospect of thousands of dollars coming back to you, if both your 25 friend and some of their friends all do the same all of a sudden thousands of dollars have been exchanged in a viral interaction.

Ok not everyone will buy into this crapy form of scam marketing but it upholds the point that viral messages do spread even when the cost is not $0.00. Free is not necessarily a prerequisite for the viral effect, but tiz perhaps the ultimate acceleratant.

The fundamental idea behind viral marketing is that value of spreading a message must always be greater than the cost associated with spreading it. Which means that because there is always time involved in spreading a message, and time=$$$, the cost of spreading a message is never truly ‘free’. Therefore people will spread a message if the value of spreading it significantly out weighs the cost of spreading it.  – Viral interaction’s natural foundation is value!

So perhaps instead of using $0.00 to gain the benefits of viral growth – you could focus on adding overwhelming value to reward sharing and reducing other costs (such as time).

If you’re looking for a great overview of viral marketing check out David Meerman-Scott’s white paper and if you’re interested in ‘Free’ then check out Wired Magazine’s Repository on $0.00. Oh and if you haven’t yet read it Chris Anderson’s book Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business is well worth a look, you can download the Free audiobook here.

Image sourced from: http://www.boozemonkey.com/blog

Is $0.00 Really The Cost of Viral Marketing is a post from: iThnk.com - Business Insight About: Social Media, Co-creation and Free/Style