Keeping it Social, part 2

More on Robin Dunbar and the "Dunbar's Number" concept referenced in the previous post:

Dunbar's number - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dunbar's number is a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person. Proponents assert that numbers larger than this generally require more restricted rules, laws, and enforced norms to maintain a stable, cohesive group. No precise value has been proposed for Dunbar's number, but a commonly cited approximation is 150.

Technorati Tags: social media, twitter, facebook, marketing

Keeping the Social in Social Media

When using Twitter and Facebook as marketing tools, is having any army of followers/friends the most effective strategy?  Two recent articles offer interesting insight into that question.

As reported by TimesOnline journalist Chris Gourlay:

Robin Dunbar, professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University, has conducted research revealing that while social networking sites allow us to maintain more relationships, the number of meaningful friendships is the same as it has been throughout history.(See:   OMG: brains can’t handle all our Facebook friends - Times Online)

Add to the mix this from Wired columnist Clive Thompson:

When you go from having a few hundred Twitter followers to ten thousand, something unexpected happens: Social networking starts to break down.

(See: In Praise of Online Obscurity)

The operative word in the phrases "Social Media," "Social Networking," and "Social Computing" is -- three guesses... -- "Social." Dictionary.com defines "social" as:

1. pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations: a social club.
2. seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly; sociable; gregarious.

The effective use of social media is all about sustainable connection, about participating in conversations with individuals, as opposed to making speeches to crowds. That seems to be a difficult transition for many marketers.