Chances are, if you have a Facebook account you have been made aware of the "25 Random things" note that has spread like wildfire over the past week. It has been pretty hard to avoid. The premise of this viral note is simple: List 25 things about yourself and then tag 25 friends who must then do the same.
According to a story in USA Today no one is quite sure where the note originated, but Facebook reps report that the number of notes posted has more than doubled over the past week and the number of daily people tagged has grown more than 5 times.
This note didn't include a funny video, marketing gimmick, or offer for free stuff. It was just a simple way for people to share information about themselves (# 7. I once played Boggle with Michael Stipe (and won), #16. My first real job was collecting shopping carts from the Wal-Mart parking lot on The Strip).
Despite all the blogging and Twittering about the marketing potential of social media, it is helpful to remember why most people use it: to SOCIALIZE; to keep up with friends and family. Socialization is still at the core of social media. Here is a note that is not trying to market or sell anything, and it is one of the fastest spreading games on Facebook.
A marketer's reason for participating in social media can differ from their audiences' reason. Users are only willing to accept being marketed to when it adds value to their socializing. This can be done through entertainment, providing helpful information, or using a brand to establish a personal identity (which I found in several "25 things" notes I read. Lots of people confessed their love for specific brands).
Some are predicting that this is only the start of these type of notes on Facebook. I've already seen one note about children and one about music. I'm sure the backlash will soon follow. I know I'm not going to fill out every note that gets sent my way. Facebook isn't MySpace; that's where pointless surveys belong.
Nevertheless, it has been fun to learn new things about my friends over the past week. If we're not friends on Facebook yet, and you want to be, just click on the badge on the right (the one with my former roommate Steve striking a pose), and we'll be the bestest of friends forever and ever.
According to a story in USA Today no one is quite sure where the note originated, but Facebook reps report that the number of notes posted has more than doubled over the past week and the number of daily people tagged has grown more than 5 times.
This note didn't include a funny video, marketing gimmick, or offer for free stuff. It was just a simple way for people to share information about themselves (# 7. I once played Boggle with Michael Stipe (and won), #16. My first real job was collecting shopping carts from the Wal-Mart parking lot on The Strip).
Despite all the blogging and Twittering about the marketing potential of social media, it is helpful to remember why most people use it: to SOCIALIZE; to keep up with friends and family. Socialization is still at the core of social media. Here is a note that is not trying to market or sell anything, and it is one of the fastest spreading games on Facebook.
A marketer's reason for participating in social media can differ from their audiences' reason. Users are only willing to accept being marketed to when it adds value to their socializing. This can be done through entertainment, providing helpful information, or using a brand to establish a personal identity (which I found in several "25 things" notes I read. Lots of people confessed their love for specific brands).
Some are predicting that this is only the start of these type of notes on Facebook. I've already seen one note about children and one about music. I'm sure the backlash will soon follow. I know I'm not going to fill out every note that gets sent my way. Facebook isn't MySpace; that's where pointless surveys belong.
Nevertheless, it has been fun to learn new things about my friends over the past week. If we're not friends on Facebook yet, and you want to be, just click on the badge on the right (the one with my former roommate Steve striking a pose), and we'll be the bestest of friends forever and ever.
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