I first joined the Google fangirl world in mid 2005 when I received an invite to join Gmail. Since then I have progressed into Google docs, reader, calendar, Wave and Buzz. However, it was only recently that I became overwhelmed with tracking all of my sites and blogs that I put the reader to good use. With nearly 80 subscriptions and roughly 150 posts a day, I cannot afford to get behind.
Google Reader has saved me hours of time and lost information but it has also removed me from the best part of posts… the comments. In the comments that is where you see the true story, the real dirt. Personalities, insecurities, worldviews, and even humor is left for the comment section whether it be from readers, passerbys or the writer itself. Most often it is the comments that give the article some life.
How can I best manage my flow of information while not lose the pulse of the community?
I am still trying to manage this problem and it has been a bit easier living the unemployed life since I have much more free time than I have ever had. But truly, the best method I have found is by use of Twitter. I love Twitter… love love love Twitter. One day I will go into my more depth as to why but one of the main reasons is I follow many of my bloggers/writers on Twitter and with that comes the reminder to check their actual site. Even better when they tweet about their posts or comments.
One of my favorite writers, Gareth Kay (brilliant advertising planner), posted an article about Social Media and going “viral”. It was a standard post that I agreed with when reading it over in my Google Reader. But then I read multiple twitters that said…
I am blown away by the latest blog post about ‘viral’ content (make sure you read the comments) by @garethk http://bit.ly/9j1FS6
my blog post on the ingredients of viral success stirred a response from MB that I felt deserved a reply http://twurl.nl/fzvuhp
RT @garethk my blog post on the ingredients of viral success stirred a response from MB that I felt deserved a reply http://twurl.nl/fzvuhp
With 3 tweets that caught my attention within a day time span I knew I had to read the post again with attention on the comments. In the posts Gareth challenges an article that Millard Brown wrote about what makes something “viral.” In the comments section, a representative of MB puts in their two cents which starts a debate between Gareth, the representative and whoever else may hop in. It is a tiny bit gritty, not hardly juicy enough to be noteworthy but nonetheless, real. I recommend reading the article and comments when you can, “It’s About The Content.”
Life is in the comments. After spending increasingly more time paying attention to what readers are adding to articles I have become more interested in contributing as well. By living in the comments we have the chance to find the pulse of the people. The good, the bad, and perhaps, the far too opinionated comments still give an idea of who is being a participant with your brand. Even in the negativity we find someone who cares enough to contribute… they can be won back.
Take some time and read the comments of your favorite bloggers or websites. See who else is fascinated by your same interests and get a better understanding of that market outside of you. There is a front row seat into the mind of a stranger and pulse of the people. Live in the comments.
