Comments on: How Many Social Networks Should You Join?

By: Holly Reisem Hanna

Holly Reisem Hanna — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:06:16 +0000

I totally agree, quality over quantity. Good post!

By: Buzz Meter: UserNameCheck » The Buzz Bin

Buzz Meter: UserNameCheck » The Buzz Bin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:01:21 +0000

[...] Almost all online social networks you join require a username. The creators of UserNameCheck are ahead of the game acknowledging the growth of online social networks and the possibility of people wanting the same [...]

By: jacobmorgan

jacobmorgan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:58:34 +0000

hi Drew, you know I've been meaning to pick that book up. i've been following chris on his blog for a while. i am quite familiar with the concept though and I do agree with it.

also, i think there is a difference between selling a product using the long tail theory, and communicating with and managing people using the long tail theory. you have to evaluate your opportunity cost, and at the end of the day, trying to manage your fans across 50 social networks may not be as valuable as trying to aggregate your fans onto 3 social networks. relationships and products are very different, one is self sustaining and one needs constant time and attention to make it grow.

thanks for reading and commenting drew, it was great to hear your story. hope to hear more from you in the future

By: jacobmorgan

jacobmorgan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:48:26 +0000

hi tom good point. it's hard to follow the conversations, if you begin using something like ping.fm the conversations turn into broadcasts…hmm that's an idea for a blog post… thanks!

thanks for reading and commenting tom!

By: Drew

Drew — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:19:57 +0000

I really like the book, The Long Tail (pick up a copy if you haven't). An example of the Long Tail in action would be that Viva La Vida will sell 500,000 copies on iTunes, but at the same time the 500,000 smallest selling bands on iTunes will all sell just as much combined. It will continue to be valuable for iTunes to sell their music (because of low cost of storage, etc) because the Long Tail economics will make up a huge chunk of their profitability.

I used to think this with social networks as well. I was a band manager for a while and I started a lot of different social media accounts to promote and spread the word. Using the long tail model I thought that all the small parts would help and add up to a greater force. I underestimated the power of potency in one place. While bigger bands with already established brands and fans may be able to follow this model, a smaller brand doesn't have the resources to excellently do all the sites.