The internet has accelerated social communications and memetics more than it has fundamentally changed it (though it has altered some of the selection pressures on individual memes, namely around memory retention and expression). It has also, through mechanisms like Twitter and specifically ReTweets, made the exchange of cultural units much more open to quantitative analysis and testing. Through the keyhole of ReTweeting I believe it is possible to get a glimpse of the answers to the larger question of why and how humans spread information in a way that was never before possible.
I’ve studied characteristics from pre-web memetic channels (like urban legends, rumors, slang, oral tradition and proverbs) and many of the traits I found there I’ve also found when looking into ReTweets. Namely concepts like communal recreation, social proof, information cascades, knowledge gaps, novelty and utility.
I’ve found myself telling the Snow Crash story a lot recently to explain what I see as the true power of what I call viral marketing science. Here’s two versions of it.
Being that I come at this opportunity from a marketing background, I look to this analysis to build a framework for repeatably creating contagious memes, so this presentation from PubCon Austin aims to do just that for ReTweets.
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June 2nd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Nice presentation, Dan: crisp, statistically-rich, and helpful. You are a true authority on “How To Get ReTweets” because you exemplify a core principle of social media – you consistently share good content.
Thanks for always sharing great stuff!
http://Twitter.com/TrendTracker
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Despite the fact that Twitter is taking over everyone else’s lives, I’m just not too into Twitter yet, so I don’t even have the Retweet button up yet. But I’m going to soon– I’ve read so many articles on how Twitter can help your blog, it’s not even funny anymore.
June 5th, 2009 at 5:12 am
Isnt there a fair chance that twitter ma vanish as quickly as it appeared? The next big thing is just always around the corner remember.
June 11th, 2009 at 10:15 am
I love this stuff. Thanks for presenting us with the hard data. I’ve just finished building a viral Twitter tool, and may have to think about building in some facilities to measure this kind of viral reach – not sure how just yet
Paul Hancox (@paulhancox)
TweetFurther.com
June 15th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Men, this twitter thing is going out of hands. I can understand the concept for business, but really I still refuse to use it in my social life.
June 19th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
You do always provide great content Dan, thank you
I could always use help when it comes to social networking.
August 21st, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Hey man, you are a genius. I am thinking how I could get out my blogs to the world and get a higher ranking for my site. I believe your Re-Tweet discussion will help me.
http://ronaldredito.org/
August 22nd, 2009 at 3:05 am
Hey man, you are a genius. I am thinking how I could get out my blogs to the world and get a higher ranking for my site. I believe your Re-Tweet discussion will help me.
http://ronaldredito.org/
April 7th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
[...] well as those that are least commonly retweeted. This according to Dan Zarrella’s ‘How to get Retweets’ [...]
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:54 pm
[...] follower is likely to be looking at their Twitter streams makes sense if you want maximum impact. Research (on RT timing) suggests this is around lunchtime. Of course, Twitter is global so do bear in mind [...]
May 3rd, 2010 at 6:28 pm
[...] follower is likely to be looking at their Twitter streams makes sense if you want maximum impact. Research (on RT timing) suggests this is around lunchtime. Of course, Twitter is global so do bear in mind [...]