photo by nick j webb
Which is more impressive? My 1,900 Twitter followers or your 50,000 followers? My blog’s Alexa ranking of 314,000 or your ranking of 750,000? My network of 300-plus LinkedIn connections or your network of 500-plus?
Social media numbers without context are meaningless. I can tell you that all of the 1,900 or more people I’m following on Twitter were selected by me after reading their profiles, giving their tweets a quick scan, looking at their blogs and websites, etc. I guarantee you that wasn’t the case for the guy with tens of thousands of followers who spends all his time promoting his get-rich-quick formula for getting more followers.
For those of us blogging for hundreds (or fewer), not thousands, are our Alexa or Technorati rankings of any real value? I suspect not so much.
Some have run up big numbers the old-fashioned way: hard work over time. And those numbers may in fact represent solid, impressive social networks.
But then there are those who have run up the numbers through the use of auto-follow software and various promotional gimmicks. The question that comes to mind, whether you’re talking about a network, blogging, micro-blogging or anything else social, is the level of engagement.
My point is that numbers don’t tell the whole story. Or even the real story.
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Dan, great article! I think more and more it will become obvious that smaller network numbers represent more powerful long-term connections and more connective influence. That’s what it’s all about!
Thanks Michelle. What we really need are tools to measure the strength of those networks and the influence we can exert through them. If I were using my network for marketing specific products or services, I’d rather be connected to 500 highly motivated people who are receptive to my message than the 50,000 casual followers who are barely aware I exist even though they “follow” me. When we can measure the strength of our connective tissue, then we’ll really be on to something.
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