Comments on: The Whuffie Factor: applied Cluetrain Manifesto for the twenty-first century http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:46:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470806 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470806 Just a thought- Doesn't the title just reflect the fact that she's read her own book? I mean, just by giving that namecheck, and admitting the influence of a certain book on her thinking, she's wangled a mention on this site,which will grow her customer base. That's the trouble with marketing of any kind. It makes everything suspect, and puts a price tag on every single action. Just a thought- Doesn’t the title just reflect the fact that she’s read her own book?

I mean, just by giving that namecheck, and admitting the influence of a certain book on her thinking, she’s wangled a mention on this site,which will grow her customer base.

That’s the trouble with marketing of any kind. It makes everything suspect, and puts a price tag on every single action.

]]> By: andyhavens http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470341 andyhavens Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470341 I don't think that anyone (serious) is arguing that social media (online and WOM) isn't important. But to say that it's more effective than traditional advertising misses the point. It's like saying that good oral hygiene is more important than comfortable shoes. They're two very different parts of what seems (to some) to be one, big communications ball. For example... One fact touted in the "social media is taking over everything" camp is that Dell has a dedicated team of around 40 people that interacts with consumers through its blogs, community forums and third-party sites. That's great. I think it's an important marker, and other companies can learn from that. But... Dell's advertising budget is around $1.5 billion per year. So adding 40 full time social networking people, while it sounds like a big deal when out-of-context, would probably cost around $2-4 million per year, which is less than a third of a percent of their advertising budget. I'm not questioning the importance of social media. But it's additive (or subtractive, if done poorly) to traditional media. I don’t think that anyone (serious) is arguing that social media (online and WOM) isn’t important. But to say that it’s more effective than traditional advertising misses the point. It’s like saying that good oral hygiene is more important than comfortable shoes. They’re two very different parts of what seems (to some) to be one, big communications ball.

For example… One fact touted in the “social media is taking over everything” camp is that Dell has a dedicated team of around 40 people that interacts with consumers through its blogs, community forums and third-party sites. That’s great. I think it’s an important marker, and other companies can learn from that. But…

Dell’s advertising budget is around $1.5 billion per year. So adding 40 full time social networking people, while it sounds like a big deal when out-of-context, would probably cost around $2-4 million per year, which is less than a third of a percent of their advertising budget.

I’m not questioning the importance of social media. But it’s additive (or subtractive, if done poorly) to traditional media.

]]> By: imipak http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470608 imipak Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470608 And in other news, Chris 'Rageboy' Locke wrote a couple of other books after co-writing Cluetrain; "<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gonzo-Marketing-Winning-through-Practices/dp/0738204080/">Gonzo Marketing: Winning Through Worst Practices</a>" (the clue's in the title) and the awesome <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bombast-Transcripts-Rants-Screeds-RageBoy/dp/0738208051/">The Bombast Transcripts</a>: Rants and Screeds of RageBoy. Amazon look-inside is your friend, but I suspect many BB readers would enjoy it greatly. Just <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/0738208051/ref=sib_rdr_toc?ie=UTF8&p=S006&j=0#reader-page">check the table of contents</a>. (Yeah, I'm a fan, does it show?) I guess the Cluetrain manifesto really works then; after all, I'm a happy customer trying to demonstrate my appreciation of this company's work by bigging it up by posting to a blog... And in other news, Chris ‘Rageboy’ Locke wrote a couple of other books after co-writing Cluetrain; “Gonzo Marketing: Winning Through Worst Practices” (the clue’s in the title) and the awesome The Bombast Transcripts: Rants and Screeds of RageBoy. Amazon look-inside is your friend, but I suspect many BB readers would enjoy it greatly. Just check the table of contents.

(Yeah, I’m a fan, does it show?) I guess the Cluetrain manifesto really works then; after all, I’m a happy customer trying to demonstrate my appreciation of this company’s work by bigging it up by posting to a blog…

]]> By: Beanolini http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-471402 Beanolini Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-471402 Being unaware of 'whuffie' until now, my first assumption was that it referred to flatulence, and that the red (obviously embarrassed) figure in the group on the book's cover was admitting that it was her who had 'dealt it'. Being unaware of ‘whuffie’ until now, my first assumption was that it referred to flatulence, and that the red (obviously embarrassed) figure in the group on the book’s cover was admitting that it was her who had ‘dealt it’.

]]> By: Ericc22 http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470891 Ericc22 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470891 "Hunt's central thesis is that participating in community and gaining social capital is the fastest, most reliable way to attain success for products, services, causes and movements...." Wow. That's a pretty powerful statement. A game changer, if there is proof for this. I thought this was interesting and related: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/business/media/20twitter.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss Surely Pizza Hut is not the first company to do this but it shows that the majors are aware of what is going on. I wonder how the success of this twitter project will effect their traditional media budget. Eric Cohen Padosa.com “Hunt’s central thesis is that participating in community and gaining social capital is the fastest, most reliable way to attain success for products, services, causes and movements….”

Wow. That’s a pretty powerful statement. A game changer, if there is proof for this. I thought this was interesting and related:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/business/media/20twitter.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss

Surely Pizza Hut is not the first company to do this but it shows that the majors are aware of what is going on. I wonder how the success of this twitter project will effect their traditional media budget.

Eric Cohen
Padosa.com

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-471663 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-471663 #12 Nelson.C, me too, I not only thought it was whuffLe, but I've introduced other people to the concept of whuffLe. OMG when the scandal hits whuffie bankruptcy won't be good enough for me. ... "whuffie"?? Srsly? #12 Nelson.C, me too, I not only thought it was whuffLe, but I’ve introduced other people to the concept of whuffLe. OMG when the scandal hits whuffie bankruptcy won’t be good enough for me.

…

“whuffie”?? Srsly?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470396 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470396 Being anonymous on hundreds of forums, I have no Whuffie accretion. Being anonymous on hundreds of forums, I have no Whuffie accretion.

]]> By: Raines Cohen http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470169 Raines Cohen Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470169 I got a peek at galleys of The Whuffie Factor a few months ago during a visit to Citizen Space coworking, and I concur: the book helps translate the concepts of ClueTrain Manifesto and the social-reputation-as-currency of DaOitMK into practical business advice, with real-world examples. Yes, the editing-publishing-distribution cycle means that some examples do age rapidly during context shifts. For me, though, this time-capsule effect is a feature, not a bug: it provides an opportunity to bring fresh eyes to our state of mind of six months to a year ago, to look for the patterns we weren't recognizing (yet) then. In this case we can ask ourselves whether Whuffie is a luxury or a necessity in business: something that just happened to work for certain people in certain situations, or a wider principle that can be more universally applied. Does Virgin America get to make a cheeky safety video because it fits their branding, or can 'vanilla' flavored businesses break free. And do the actions lose their transformative value and underlying meaning when they're pursued "for the wrong reasons," without the genuine transformation at the core of the business? I'm looking forward to a full read of The Whuffie Factor. The big question I'll be asking as I go through it: will it make it harder to distinguish the real thing from greenwashing and manufactured social media campaigns? I got a peek at galleys of The Whuffie Factor a few months ago during a visit to Citizen Space coworking, and I concur: the book helps translate the concepts of ClueTrain Manifesto and the social-reputation-as-currency of DaOitMK into practical business advice, with real-world examples.

Yes, the editing-publishing-distribution cycle means that some examples do age rapidly during context shifts. For me, though, this time-capsule effect is a feature, not a bug: it provides an opportunity to bring fresh eyes to our state of mind of six months to a year ago, to look for the patterns we weren’t recognizing (yet) then.

In this case we can ask ourselves whether Whuffie is a luxury or a necessity in business: something that just happened to work for certain people in certain situations, or a wider principle that can be more universally applied. Does Virgin America get to make a cheeky safety video because it fits their branding, or can ‘vanilla’ flavored businesses break free. And do the actions lose their transformative value and underlying meaning when they’re pursued “for the wrong reasons,” without the genuine transformation at the core of the business?

I’m looking forward to a full read of The Whuffie Factor. The big question I’ll be asking as I go through it: will it make it harder to distinguish the real thing from greenwashing and manufactured social media campaigns?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470439 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470439 I agree with Jonathan: why doesn't she allow downloads of her book? She might earn more whuffies :P I agree with Jonathan: why doesn’t she allow downloads of her book? She might earn more whuffies :P

]]> By: Nelson.C http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470445 Nelson.C Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470445 Damn, for years I've been reading that word as <i>whuffle</i> with an L. Has it really had an I all the time? Damn, for years I’ve been reading that word as whuffle with an L. Has it really had an I all the time?

]]> By: Takuan http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470448 Takuan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470448 I hereby vote you one whuffie for integrity. I hereby vote you one whuffie for integrity.

]]> By: bardfinn http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470193 bardfinn Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470193 "Hunt's central thesis is that participating in community and gaining social capital is the fastest, most reliable way to attain success for products, services, causes and movements than advertising and marketing are" It worked for Obama. “Hunt’s central thesis is that participating in community and gaining social capital is the fastest, most reliable way to attain success for products, services, causes and movements than advertising and marketing are”

It worked for Obama.

]]> By: Takuan http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470449 Takuan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470449 or; "1WtU" or; “1WtU”

]]> By: Jonathan Badger http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470194 Jonathan Badger Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470194 Hmm. Ms. Hunt doesn't seem to want to work for Whuffies herself (or did I miss a link to the freely downloadable version?) Hmm. Ms. Hunt doesn’t seem to want to work for Whuffies herself (or did I miss a link to the freely downloadable version?)

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470201 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470201 Do we really want marketing people to know about, or effectively use, "community" any more than they already do? I don't mean to single out this author, or any other particular one; but, frankly, the less corporations know about tweaking my hominid social instincts, the better. Do we really want marketing people to know about, or effectively use, “community” any more than they already do?

I don’t mean to single out this author, or any other particular one; but, frankly, the less corporations know about tweaking my hominid social instincts, the better.

]]> By: Takuan http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470219 Takuan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470219 silly question but can you have whuffies without a way to count them? silly question but can you have whuffies without a way to count them?

]]> By: Damon_TFB http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470231 Damon_TFB Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470231 #4 Takuan: can you have whuffies without a way to count them? Not if you define Wuffie as the techno-measure of respect. We have always recognized the social value of respect. What's happening now is that same social mechanism is being translated into a different medium and is becoming more explicit. I'm reminded of the exocortex in Stross's Accelerando. #3 Jonathan Badger: check out Tara's <a href="http://www.horsepigcow.com/">blog</a> Her entry from 4/16 seems to indicate that she'd love to allow for download. Perhaps the publisher is resistant? It seems like the real market for hardcopies is when someone with a Clue needs to give a copy to their boss. In such a case, a free download could be expected to generate a lot more sales. #4 Takuan: can you have whuffies without a way to count them?

Not if you define Wuffie as the techno-measure of respect. We have always recognized the social value of respect. What’s happening now is that same social mechanism is being translated into a different medium and is becoming more explicit. I’m reminded of the exocortex in Stross’s Accelerando.

#3 Jonathan Badger: check out Tara’s blog Her entry from 4/16 seems to indicate that she’d love to allow for download. Perhaps the publisher is resistant? It seems like the real market for hardcopies is when someone with a Clue needs to give a copy to their boss. In such a case, a free download could be expected to generate a lot more sales.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-783595 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-783595 Right about the same time I was reading Cory's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom I was also re-reading Bruce Sterling’s novel, Distraction. Hey, some people will watch movies or television shows repeatedly, I read books I like repeatedly. Anyway, while Distraction is similar to Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom in that there is also a reputation-based economy Distraction is different in that Bruce imagines a world where the US economy is in the toilet instead of a post-scarcity economy. Nearly everyone in the country is broke and once again a reputation-based currency emerges. Like a lot of people, I wanted to see a world where something like Whuffie could exist so I was very happy to have Tara on my show to talk about The Whuffie Factor. You can listen to my interview with Tara at <a href="http://www.alterati.com/blog/2010/05/the-whuffie-factor/">http://www.alterati.com/blog/2010/05/the-whuffie-factor/</a> Right about the same time I was reading Cory’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom I was also re-reading Bruce Sterling’s novel, Distraction. Hey, some people will watch movies or television shows repeatedly, I read books I like repeatedly.

Anyway, while Distraction is similar to Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom in that there is also a reputation-based economy Distraction is different in that Bruce imagines a world where the US economy is in the toilet instead of a post-scarcity economy. Nearly everyone in the country is broke and once again a reputation-based currency emerges.

Like a lot of people, I wanted to see a world where something like Whuffie could exist so I was very happy to have Tara on my show to talk about The Whuffie Factor.

You can listen to my interview with Tara at http://www.alterati.com/blog/2010/05/the-whuffie-factor/

]]> By: kevin143 http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470256 kevin143 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470256 Cory, has there been any academic writing on reputational economies? Cory, has there been any academic writing on reputational economies?

]]> By: Takuan http://boingboing.net/2009/04/21/the-whuffie-factor-a.html#comment-470266 Takuan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-470266 someone needs to write a whuffie granting applet easily appendable to websites. Auditable, instant voting, a button that will appear everywhere and let the IP address viewing it vote (or unvote) once. How hard is it to expand the existing similar systems to something web-wide? Where will whuffies be stored? Who will form the whuffie-court to correct mistakes and punish offenders? someone needs to write a whuffie granting applet easily appendable to websites. Auditable, instant voting, a button that will appear everywhere and let the IP address viewing it vote (or unvote) once.
How hard is it to expand the existing similar systems to something web-wide? Where will whuffies be stored? Who will form the whuffie-court to correct mistakes and punish offenders?

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