gapingvoid: "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards"

Awesome! I try to tell people all the time. Appeal to individual self interest.

Something in it for them = emotional rewards, never monetary rewards.

They must feel smart, happy, important, love, fun, belonging. Or angry.

surely the point of "word of mouth" is that it isn't in a vacuum, its a twoway street. its trust 'loaded', theres social investment in it.

Its also 'on approval'

just a thought
P

True. But the "something in it for them" doesn't necessarily connote selfishness. Just finished Gladwell's Tipping Point (yes, superslacker for reading it way after Blink, and I heartily agree with his ideas about Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. Some people share because they get off from sharing - not because they're actually compensated beyond the emotional high. I've felt that personally, time and again.

This reminds me of a similar train of thought. . .
People pay attention (and may ultimately spread the word) when there is a compelling argument that that speaks to their life instincts - their emotions or their economics (or both).

When I saw the headline "word-of-mouth is not created", I thought brilliant. But I expected a follow-up a little more profound, coming from you'n'all. The continuation I had in mind was rather: "Word-of-mouth is not created. It is earned".

Hello Hugh, great cartoon !!

You rock !!

Thanks a lot, Miguel, from Brazil