Social Media + Users behaviour = Would it change it all? (Part 3)

Here’s the part 3 of the series “Social MEdia + User behaviour = Would it change it all?” (click here to see the 1st part and here for the 2nd part). Today’s focus is on information and ability the Internet (Google to be clear) has given to people to access it anytime and anywhere. The idea of Alexander Van Elsas is that since information is available whenever you need it, its real value lies into people:

Trend no. 3: Information will be available anytime, anywhere, anyhow -> But the real value lies in people

I would prefer to say (and complete his view if I may) its real value lies into its ability to fit the people’s need and to be sharp and relevant to them at the very moment they’re looking for it: the way and the shape of the information is the real value.

I get the point Alexander wants to highlight: people are now information publishers and relays, they’re giving it personal input and then make it worth to their friends and connections. They also become part of the influence information would have onto other people because they’re recommending it using social media tools. But to me, what’s really important looking at the information sharing way of working in the new “social web” is whether information is consumed, used, and re-shared by adressees. Which means people are important, but the way they shape information to send it is way more important:

• Sending emails able to be instantly re-sent to others without any modification is essential to transform a direct message into a viral message
• Creating ready-to-share presentation is way smarter when you want to evangelize on anything you’re on
• Targeting information to McDonald’s customers when they’re speaking about what to do next after eating is better than sending them coupons to buy more meals: they’re already there to eat, just leverage the queueing time to give them ideas and coupons to enjoy any activity so that they’ll come back because of a real interest and forget about under valuating your products.

People are intelligently lazy and won’t come to you to get information, they need to get noticed about it and in the way they need it. Otherwise, you’ll be considered as a spammer, and that’s why it’s becoming harder and harder to make people notice you without interrupting them. But that’s also the reason you can create trust and loyalty, and be interesting and smart to your customers.

Next part would be on:

Trend no 4: Public interaction using social media is exciting now -> But higly localised immersed interaction will be more important

To read more on that topic:

• Social Media + Users behaviour = Would it change it all? (Part 2)
• Social Media + Users behaviour = Would it change it all? (Part 1)
• Web 2.0 + Developers + Power users = Crowdsourcing as the next level challenge
• Community + Advocates = How to detect advocates and what to expect from them?
• Review of the Internet News of the Day