From the category archives:

Influence & Attention

Retweets don’t matter…

by Dr.Mani on August 3, 2010

RE-TWEET IT!

On Twitter, during the Heart Kids Tweetathon in September 2009, I said:

“Retweets alone don’t matter.”

They really don’t. Neither do clicks on links.

Donations do.

Caring does.

Involvement, too.

Passion helps.

Those are the things that make a difference.

Not more ‘clicks’ on a link to ‘measure your influence’.

Anyone can click. Because it’s easy. And means NOTHING.

That’s why when my new friend Nate St.Pierre (founder of ItStartsWith.US) shared a daring plan to “hijack” the FAST COMPANY “Influence Project”, I got excited about the social media experiment that had devolved (in my humble opinion) into little better than a link-bait viral tactic.

Nate wants to turn that public perception around.

In a style that’s his unique own.

By using YOUR ‘influence’ – to touch people you see, meet, talk to, care about, and engage in your daily life.

Read more about this exciting twist to the “Influence Project”.

I hope you’re curious enough to send Nate your email address to learn more.

He promises to delete the list after the event ends.

I trust he will.

I’m also sure you’ll go back to join his group – and continue to do cool stuff, like the monthly “love bombs“.

All hands to the decks… ship ahoy!

EAVB_UUXUUIGGIE

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Numbers

by Dr.Mani on June 25, 2010

RE-TWEET IT!

1 person emailed me about it.

I tweeted about it to 4,432 followers on Twitter.

4 people suggested ideas that may work.

1 person contacted me with an offer to help.

I blogged about it.

I shared the message with 1,353 via email.

35 clicked the link to read my blog post about it.

3 made donations.

We hit the target.

400 children will benefit from teaching aids.

These numbers are fairly typical of any fund-raising effort I’ve been involved in. And they never cease to amaze and humble me.

Any meaningful change is effected by the caring few.

YOU can be one of them.

Start. Today.

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Voices

I read the story three times.
First, in the writer’s voice. As if she was telling the story.
Next, in my mother’s voice. As if she was telling it to me.
Finally, in my voice. As if I was telling it to my daughter.
And each time, it was a little different.
Subtly unique.
Personal.
That’s why it’s great [...]

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It Doesn’t Matter?

I sat in front of the monitor, watching intently.
The angiogram of a child we were operating on next was playing. In black, white and gray, it displayed the deadly heart defect that left him breathless, blue, and fighting to live.
The door opened. An anesthesiologist’s head peeped in.
“Come on. Get scrubbed. The [...]

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Want a Tribe of ‘True Fans’?

I’ve read Seth Godin’s blog for many years. So have millions of others. (It’s free.)
And like those millions, I’ve bought his books. First, one. Then, another. Soon, the entire collection. (It’s inexpensive.)
Not surfeited, I now wait eagerly for the next one.
And in the meantime, discuss his existing work with [...]

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6 Essential Elements for a Fundraising Website

I was excited to see India’s cricket hero Sachin Tendulkar on Twitter. In record time, he has over 250,000 followers – and one of his early actions on the social network was to raise funds for a Foundation to help children with cancer.
Any cause that helps suffering children gets my automatic endorsement and support… [...]

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Missing A Moving Parade

Looking back on over a decade of working on the Internet, I realize there’s ONE critical mistake that has been costlier than any other that I’ve made.
This is a blog post about it. Hopefully, there are some lessons here which will help you avoid doing the same. (I drafted it, however, as a [...]

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I felt Seth Godin’s LINCHPIN was “Nothing New”, but…

Seth Godin is remarkable. Always. At least, I think he is.
But when I read an excerpt of his new book, LINCHPIN – let’s just say I felt a bit let down!
In this post, I’m going to explore WHY.
First, a quick reminder about the fallacy of trying to judge or describe the whole after [...]

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Changing Inside

CAUTION: The theme of this blog post – and the video I link to – is NOT for children or squeamish, delicate people. It is raw, painful, and real. Skip it if you’re the kind who is too strongly affected by hearing of such things. You have been warned!
After four decades [...]

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Choosing Your Tribe – And Tools

Two young men joined the same online social network. They were very much alike, these two young men. Both had been average students, both were pleasant personalities, and both – as excited early adopters of technology are – were filled with dreams for the future.
Recently, these men reviewed their last 25 months on [...]

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