The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Media to Grow Your Business
The Whuffie Factor is one of the first books I’ve read that clearly explain the value, benefit, hazards, and opportunities of social media marketing. For anyone who is not currently “in the conversation” it should be required reading. While I personally not a fan of Tara Hunt’s writing style, particularly for the first 50 pages, the information is presented in a clear and useful way and provides nice balance between “telling stories” and providing information and analysis. I have read a number of the other books on this subject, this book does not expect you to have already mastered consultanteze in order to comprehend.
The term Whuffie “is the ephemeral, reputation-based currency of Cory Doctorow’s science fiction novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. This book describes a post-scarcity economy: All the necessities (and most of the luxuries) of life are free for the taking. A person’s current Whuffie is instantly viewable to anyone, as everybody has a brain-implant giving them an interface with the Net.
The term has since seen some adoption as a synonym for Social capital, including its use in the title of the Tara Hunt book The Whuffie Factor.” (Wikipedia)
The book is divided into 10 chapters:
- How to be a social capitalist
- The power of community marketing
- Turn the bullhorn around & create continuous conversations with customers
- Building whuffie by listening to & integrating feedback
- Become part of the community you serve
- Depositing into & withdrawing from your whuffie account
- Be notable: 11 ways to create amazing customer experiences
- Embrace chaos
- Find your higher purpose
- Whuffie “in real life”
Throughout these chapters, Hunt provides useful examples of all the different tools and current strategies being used. Obviously, the tools are changing rapidly, but her basic message, we have changed from broadcast to engagement, is well illustrated and persuasive.
One of the most important messages, particularly for people who did not grow up with this level of connectiveness, is that everything online is always “beta”, the speed of development of new tools and strategies, and the ridiculously low costs of most of these tools, means that nothing is static. By the simple method of engaging others and opening yourself and your business up for feedback and engagement, your message, tools, and strategies will be changing and evolving constantly, but your Whuffie will be growing (or shrinking) in relationship to your authenticity and your willingness to engage with others. Once one accepts this reality (it initially feels like being out of balance), then one engage authentically and manage their Whuffie.
The Whuffie Factor is recommended to any and all, particularly to those who are still trying to “figure this social media thing out”.
