Comments on: Social Media and the Paradox of Choice

By: Dan Hutson

Dan Hutson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:39:44 +0000

Thanks, Michelle. I like your perspective on starting with something “good enough” and building to greatness from there. For the perfectionists among us, I think it’s a healthier approach than trying to get everything just right immediately out of the gate.

By: Michelle Tripp (@michelletripp)

Michelle Tripp (@michelletripp) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:35:38 +0000

Thanks for a thought-provoking post, Dan! The Paradox of Choice just made it onto my reading list. Every point you make here rings so true. Those principles make it easy to see that it’s better to do some soul searching, figure out what we really “need,” and then learn to be satisfied with “good enough.” And not like that’s a bad thing. Most of the time, “good enough” is pretty darn good to begin with! Just because something isn’t perfect or the “best” or you didn’t spend years searching or waiting for it doesn’t mean choosing something else is a compromise. It means you’re flexible enough to make a success of whatever comes your way, and wise enough to know that sifting through options takes away valuable time and energy you could be using to make something “good enough” into something great.

By: Tweets that mention Social Media and the Paradox of Choice | Poke the Beehive -- Topsy.com

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:06:29 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dan Hutson and allison. allison said: Social media, too much choice and what you can do. Read @dhutson "Social Media and the Paradox of Choice" http://bit.ly/Zifyi [...]

By: Dan Hutson

Dan Hutson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:20:10 +0000

David – Thanks as always for the kind words and your thoughts on the subject at hand. I agree completely with your assessment that many have the process backwards with their tools-centric focus. It never ceases to amaze me how many otherwise smart people get caught up in this. If you set your goals, figure out your message, define audiences and then develop a strategy, which tools to use becomes much more immediately apparent (or at least what to try out).

By: Dan Hutson

Dan Hutson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:14:33 +0000

Thanks Don. I greatly appreciate the link. And I see you and I were on the same wavelength this week in posting Did You Know 4.0. Those videos should be required viewing in the C-suites of every organization large and small.

I agree with you re the pending consolidation phase, but I wonder if we haven’t passed the point of no return with respect to anything ever being of a manageable size or number of options. I think “limitless and overwhelming” are the New Black.

By: David Rosen

David Rosen — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:55:28 +0000

Dan,
I’m glad you’re out there finding and posting relevant material and offering sound advice. As I watch many of the people I work with I am struck by their obsession with media rather than message. They pick what tools they want to use and then try to figure out what to say.

For me the exercise has to start with the message and the goal. Once these are established, informed choices can be made about means and media, traditional as well as social. And I agree completely with the notion of making decisions, making them work as best they can and moving on. Nothing to be gained from second guessing.
David

By: Don Martelli

Don Martelli — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:48:50 +0000

Dan,

Good post. I was thinking about writing something about this over at my blog just the other day. I came across it via LinkedIn. You’re dead on with the state of social media and the content frenzy it has created in our lives. Yes, it’s supposed to help us connect and get information quicker. However, there are an abundance of services with tons of replication and our “options” keep growing and growing. At some point, the social media bubble has to burst and there will be consolidation. Look at the Facebook/FriendFeed news. I think we’ll start to see more and more of that as people will want less and less options, and more value in the content.

Nice work on the blog. I’m adding it to my roll.

By: Jonathan Moody

Jonathan Moody — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:30:43 +0000

Great post, Dan and one that is close to my heart when I see the myriad combinations available in a sandwich store. I once walked out of a sports footwear store because there was just too much to choose from…..