STRATEGY CENTRAL

Do you ever get the nod?  You know what I mean…the nod that means I’m down with what you’re using (what you’re wearing, what you’re driving, etc.)?  Maybe you’re at Barnes and Noble and you’re sipping on a Peet’s coffee.  That’ll get you the nod.  From another Peet’s drinker.  If you’ve got a love wins bumper sticker you’ll get the nod.  Or maybe you’ve got a strange Hugh MacLeod cartoon on your desktop and another gapingvoid fan sees it.  That’ll get the nod.  ‘Course it’ll get a look of another kind from everyone else!  Check it out:

Actually, that one’ll get you two nods (one for gapingvoid, another for the scoble connection).  Question: is the nod a good thing?  Yes it is.  It is an indication of a larger community.  Can we do things to create opportunities for the nod?  I think so.  Kathy Sierra’s got a great post today on the nod.  Some really good insights.  She says, "To give The Nod is to recognize and appreciate another person who "gets it", whatever it is."  Second question: can we create such a vibe that it would inspire the nod from someone else who "gets it"?

Another key line from her post is that "When we give The Nod to another, it’s NOT about the thing we have in common–it’s about what having that thing says about us."  This has real potential for what we’re doing!  Don’t you think?  Or, what about this line: "It’s NOT about having a remarkable product–it’s about helping our users be remarkable."  This is an idea that could produce a really good discussion.  How can we help our users be remarkable?  What could we do as an organization that would make such a difference in the lives of our users that they’d get the nod from another user?  I think that’s part of our challenge.  Of course, the other key part is inspiring non-users to see the difference in the lives of our users and be drawn to them.

This is a really good discussion to have.  You can check out Kathy’s whole post here. 

There’s a great article on how churches are embracing web technology to reach more people over at the Wall Street Journal.  It’s free for now…not sure how long these articles remain free to non-subscribers.

Very interesting mix of great information about how churches around the country are using blogs, podcasts, MySpace, etc. to attract people to their church.  I’ll try to get back and post more info later today.  For now, be sure and take a look at the article.

Thanks to bloggingchurch.com for the link! 

There is a really good post over at the Church of the Customoer Blog about word of mouth.  The top ten word of mouth tips for event planners is great!  If you take these ideas an connect them with what I wrote this a.m. about designing an effective system you’ve got yourself a really good start on creating a buzzworthy event.  I especially love this part:

If you follow through on a combination of these ideas, you should be on your way to creating more evangelists and nurturing that highly elusive sense of customer ownership.

Check it out!

Out.