Tipping er Influentials er passionate pursuit er

If you have not caught the article in the latest Fast Company magazine it is worth a look see. Especially the article that challenges the Tipping Point

The article by Clive Thompson gives insight into the amount of passion that can be exuded on a subject as to whether there is a group of “Influentials” or whether it is completely wrong and not up to this fictitious group because they don’t exist.

As is my custom I think they are both full of crap (new marketing term). There is no doubt that in certain areas of my life and those of most of us there is a group of folks who have some influence over what we do say and think. However unlike Gladwell I don’t believe it is the same group each time for everything. I also don’t think it stays the same – our circumstances and those we meet everyday influence us to a degree all the time – like the butterfly effect.

Duncan Watts is also full of crap with his supposed tests that prove actually nothing in my eyes. There is no way to measure the influence of a particularly passionate appeal from a small individual or group that can have a profound impact on “the group”. In fact I contend that the things that make the Internet the most fun and exciting is that we never know what the next thing is – or thingy as a friend of mine is fond of saying.

Is it tricked out mouse or is it something else that for unknown reasons rises to the top and has a life of its own even for a brief instance.

It is not much different as I watch my daughters taste in music knowing that most of the bands she listens to may never make more than one hit but keep trying. Question – do the need more than one hit and why is this so.

My idea is that the “GROUP” is still evolving and changes depending on how you enter the realm of media.

What influences you – which media and to what extent – let me know your thoughts.

Rick Simmons is a principal at Dinkum Interactive, a firm specializing in online marketing solutions for small and medium sized businesses around the globe. With more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing, Simmons has spent the last four years focused on search engine optimization, and other Internet marketing strategies. Reach him at 267-626-9094 or rick@dinkuminteractive.com.