SPECTRUM OF ONLINE FRIENDSHIP

What can brands learn from people who are good at making friends on the internet?

by Mike Arauz

Some people are really good at making a lot of friends on the internet.

A few examples:

Chris Brogan Julia Roy*Gary Vaynerchuk David ArmanoZe Frank

*Full disclosure: Julia and I work together. And she’s awesome : )

2009 Mike Arauz

They don’t just have large audiences, they have loyal audiences who feel invested in their success.

2009 Mike Arauz

Digital technology has enabled us to create fans who feel like friends.

2009 Mike Arauz

What is a friend?The definition of friendship has evolved. Digital relationships (just like non-digtal ones) are not absolute. They are fluid.

Online friendship is better described along a spectrum defined by the actions people take and how we feel about them.

2009 Mike Arauz

SPECTRUM OF ONLINE FRIENDSHIP

I follow your work, visit your site, read your blog, follow you on Twitter, etc.

PASSIVE INTEREST

ACTIVE INTEREST ADVOCACY INVESTMENT

I’ve voiced my inter-est in your work by leaving comments, posting Twitter replies, posting Facebook wall com-ments, etc.

PUBLIC DIALOGUE

We exchange public messages through referrals on our websites and profiles

PRIVATE DIALOGUE

We exchange private messages through email, IM, direct messages, etc.

SHARING

I publish links to your work on my own websites and profiles

I explicitly encour-age my friends to follow your work

Your wins are my wins because I share your arguments, and I care about the success of your ideas

2009 Mike Arauz

Passive InterestThis is the easiest level of engagement. It asks the least of your friends, and achieves the least commitment from us. But, it’s the crucial starting point. I follow my curiosity to you, I’m interested in what I find, and I choose to pay attention. e.g. repeat visits, blog readers, fans, followers, etc.

2009 Mike Arauz

Active InterestThis is when I care enough to let you know that I care (in a nice way, not in a stalker way :-). It’s a small step, but a big opportunity for you to iden-tify key members of your audience who are can-didates to move along the spectrum. e.g. people who leave comments on your blog, wall comments, @replies on Twitter, etc.

2009 Mike Arauz

SharingYou and your work become part of my identity as I use it to talk to my own friends about what in-terests me. I also have made myself more valu-able, because I am now partly responsible for the spread of your ideas. e.g. social bookmarking, retweeting links, posting links and content to my own sites and profiles, etc.

2009 Mike Arauz

Public DialogueThis is the first phase that requires action on your part. You foster a relationship by responding to my interest in a public forum. By doing so, you make the rest of your friends aware of my existence, and welcome me to the group. e.g. public @replies, referrals in a blog post, and references posted to our various sites and profiles, etc.

2009 Mike Arauz

Private DialogueWe begin to transform mutual interest into mutual trust. We are willing to share directly. We trust each other with direct access, which has increasing value in an increasingly always-on world. e.g. exchanging email, TXT messages, IM, and direct messages on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, etc.

2009 Mike Arauz

AdvocacyAdvocacy looks a lot like Sharing; but, Advocacy means that I am making an explicit recommen-dation of you to my friends. I choose to risk my own reputation to convince my friends to check it out. e.g. same tools as Sharing, but differ-ent language; usually entails recommending the person or brand, and not just a specific piece of content

2009 Mike Arauz

InvestmentThe brass ring of online friendship. This is the most difficult achievement to recognize or quantify. But it’s the most important because it represents the willingness of your friends to take action on your behalf. e.g. Your wins are my wins. “I know it when I see it.”

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart

2009 Mike Arauz

PASSIVE INTEREST

ACTIVE INTEREST ADVOCACY INVESTMENT

PUBLIC DIALOGUE

PRIVATE DIALOGUESHARING

The deeper you go, the more valuable your friends become.

2009 Mike Arauz

Investment is only one dimension of online friendships.

Investment: To what extent does this friend feel committed to your success?

Time: How long has this friend been engaged in their relationship with you?

Social Activity: To what degree and frequency is this friend active within their own network?

INVESTMENT

TIME

SOCI

AL

ACT

IVIT

Y

2009 Mike Arauz

Online brand equity is a product of:– The investment that your friends feel in the

success of your brand online

– The amount of time they’ve spent being your friend

– Your friends’ levels of social activity within their own networks

2009 Mike Arauz

ONLINE BRAND EQUITY

I T Sa= x x(Investment) (Time) (Social Activity)

2009 Mike Arauz

So, how can brands move friends from acquaintanceship to “best friendliness”?

2009 Mike Arauz

Have a unique point of view, and don’t be afraid to be opinionated about it.

2009 Mike Arauz

Measure the actions that create value, not just the actions that are easy to measure.

2009 Mike Arauz

Reallocate time, effort, and money to cultivating deeper online friendships.

2009 Mike Arauz

Mike Arauz is a Strategist at Undercurrent, a New York based digital think tank.

I’d love to tell you more about this. Email me:

speaking@mikearauz.com

Let’s connect on Twitter: @mikearauz

I left the rest of my thoughts on my blog: www.mikearauz.com