The Whuffie Factor (Web 2.0 Expo Notes)

I saved one of the best for last. Tara Hunt was one of the first people I followed on twitter (@missrogue) and she is the person that got me so excited about Social Media. She introduced me, along with many others, to the heart behind business. Her book The Whuffie Factor just came out and I will have my copy shortly! The following are the notes I took of her presentation. Because she is so Web 2.0, I was able to include her slideshow. (Notice how social networking works here?)

The idea of Whuffie came from the book Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow

Favors added up and the society became one of Reciprocity

5 Components

1. Turn the bullhorn around!

DellHell was a response to a failed attempt of Dell trying Web 2.0

Direct2Dell was how Dell turned it around. Instantly responding to customers

Dell created a blogger lounge where you could communicate with the CEO

The lounge became an idea storm. Dell used the ideas, giving the customers what they wanted, and the customers gave Dell the sales. (ex. Linux)

2. Become part of the community you serve

Who do I serve?

What problem am I solving and for who?

Why would they give a damn?

3. Create AMAZING customer experiences

10 Things to create AMAZING experiences

  1. The dazzle is in the details
  2. Go above and beyond (TED talks)
  3. Appeal to emotion
  4. Inject fun into the experience
  5. Make something mundane fashionable
  6. Let people personalize (moo cards)
  7. Be experimental
  8. Simplify (37 Signals)
  9. Make happiness your business model
  10. Be a social catalyst

4. Embrace the chaos

Balance security with the need for openness

Be better prepared for the unexpected

Join the conversation and be welcomed

Opportunity for collaboration

Create supporters you didn’t know you had

Whuffie is a gift economy

5. Find a higher purpose

Born from passion? Born from need?

Find how to give back to the community

Do well by doing good

Think customer-centrically

Value something bigger than yourself, change the world!

About the Author

The world changed for me about two months into my M.B.A. program. While I have always risen quickly to management roles, learning how to truly be a part of a business and its many systems began to really excite me. While I have loved taking out-dated processes and digitizing them for cost savings, I am excited to take my project mangement experience to greater heights and really contribute to a company's growth as the head of a team excited to drive change. -Justin Velthoen

Justin Velthoen


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