Become a fit node in your niche, shaping your network into a star OR a hub with many spokes. This is done through finding within yourself what makes you beam AND the ROLE you will play in the CONTEXT of THE SOCIAL FABRIC OF THE INTERNET! Look at The Conversation Prism and ask yourself these questions:
QUESTION 1: Into which properties will I put content? (Go create content for THAT property!)
QUESTION 2: Into which CONTEXTS can you place this CONTENT to serve as a TRUE contributor? To be a contributor, orient yourself to the following identities that Brian Solis has identified in his excellent BEHAVIORGRAPHICS illustration:
BENEVOLENCE – “The unselfish and kindhearted behavior that engenders and promotes recognition and reciprocity, and in doing so, earns the goodwill of those around them. This is the hub of social networking with a purpose, mission, and a genuine intent to grow communities based on trust, vision, and collaboration.” ~Brian Solis
PROBLEM SOLVERS – “One of the most common sources of conversations and updates in social media are questions…people seeking information in the hopes that commenters will respond with resolution or direction.” ~Solis
EXAMPLE 1: http://www.ehow.com/
eHow.com is an online community dedicated to providing visitors the ability to research, share, and discuss solutions and tips for completing day-to-day tasks and projects.
EXAMPLE 2: http://www.wikihow.com/ wikiHow is a collaborative effort to build and share the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Like Wikipedia, wikiHow is a wiki, in that anyone can write or edit a page on the site. Thousands of people from all over the world have collaboratively written 88,510 how-to articles. Over 25 million people a month read wikiHow
COMMENTERS – “Providing thoughts, opinions, observations, experiences, and sometimes, unfiltered reactions to the information shared online. They are less likely to produce original content, but are compelled to share their views based on the introduction of content by others in and around their social graph.” ~Solis
EXAMPLE OF A COMMENT THREAD: A VERY VERY LONG FACEBOOK COMMENT THREAD
RESEARCHERS – “Peer to peer influence is prominent in social networks and researchers rely on their social graphs for information and direction to make qualified decisions. They are also active in championing polls and surveys to truly learn about the thoughts and opinions of those connected to them.” ~Solis
RESEARCH RESOURCES/TOOLS
SURVEY MONKEY
WIKIPEDIA
MASHABLE’S EXCELLENT LIST OF RESEARCH SITES
CONVERSATIONALISTS – “Participation in conversations through proactive updates seeking responses or direct responses to other content, conversationalists fuel threads within and across networks.” ~Solis
CURATORS – “This group works diligently to find and only share what captivates them as filtered by what they believe will interest their followers.” ~Solis
MAGNIFY: A MEDIA CURATION TOOL
THE CONTENT CURATION DEBATE: AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE ON CONTENT CURATION
PRODUCERS – “Among the more elite group of online participants, their stature is earned by the amount of content they generate within multiple networks.” ~Solis