Benefits of a Connected Life

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“We form networks because the benefits of a connected life outweigh the costs.”

I attended the TED conference last week and had the pleasure of seeing Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University speak. (I’ll link to the video as soon as they post it; meanwhile, you can read about it on wired.com). Christakis explores the science behind social networks – how our personal networks influence our behavior, how people tend to flock together and how unexpected properties arise out of the social connections we form.

Interesting stuff, especially when you consider that we’re forming more and more of our personal connections online in the social web. We are able to find large numbers of like-minded people more easily and spontaneously form communities of interest. And by doing so, we are influencing each others choices in subtle and surprising ways. What we like, what we eat, the products we buy, the brands we identify with…the formation of these preferences and behaviors is being played out on a grand scale.

It’s a point worth repeating: We choose our personal networks, and the people in those networks (as far as three degrees of separation) shape our actions, values, and decisions.

As curators of brand and delightful customer experiences, it behooves us to understand how this all works. There is a tremendous opportunity in opening ourselves up to the dynamic nature of social networks – a chance to participate in an authentic way so we can truly get to know our consumers and exceed their expectations. (See Esteban Kolsky’s excellent take on the importance of exceeding customer expectations.)

Republished with author's permission from original post.

John Kembel
John joined RightNow in September 29 with the acquisition of HiveLive and now heads up social solutions as Vice President of RightNow Social. As CEO and founder of HiveLive, John has been a notable figure and thought leader in the social media space for several years, and continues to contribute to RightNow's social vision.

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