I think one of my many new ambitions is to get a Plott hound. Not only would he/she be our ideal pet but it would also be a pretty kick ass office mascot for the actual Plott.co such a stunning dog.

In other news, things are progressing really, really well with Plott (touch wood) and we will be opening for the initial Beta intake very soon (so get your name down whilst you still can!). Finally- We have some exciting team and product announcements to make soon- so keep your eyes peeled!!

We have launched a new beta sign up page, get your name down for an early invite you beautiful people! http://www.plott.co

We currently have a sub standard user experience within online social networks because we aren’t sharing valuable, personal content. Instead we are posting self censored, diluted, material that ends up competing in feeds of contextless noise and social media nonsense.

The problem occurs because our networks are unmanaged and made up of weak connections. This doesn’t replicate the  offline social behaviour we take for granted.

So whats the solution? Well to me its quite simple. Focus on the value between connections and NOT the size of the network. (This is where experience and business will collide).

Understand implicitly what will add value to your connections and create a habitat where intimacy can grow by building a network that is obvious and simple to manage.

It is important to understand influence and the type of influence you will be dealing with when working in social and dealing with personal networks.

Broadly> It is fair to say that we are influenced by 3 connections within our network, who/what those 3 are is dependent on the topic to which we are being influenced. It is not always direct either, perhaps it is a memory, behaviour or vision that acts as the influence.

Typically we will look for 3 points of qualification (influence)  before making decisions.

This is a great rule of thumb but i think Influence is subjective and more often that not determined by the habitat and environment.

Take for example a celebrity

They influence through aspiration and authority at being (supposedly) the best of the best. The ‘influenced’ person then may become the influencer within their personal network.

A strong willed outspoken friend can often influence the others in the group alone, they will perhaps not realise they are doing it but by winning support one by one they increase the influence on the others.

However should there be resistance the connections will become the influencer.

More than the influence alone it is important to understand the characteristics of the the influencer and those whom are being influenced. Why exactly do we listen to them? What are the circumstances behind the decision? What is the situation?

Build for the influence you wish.

This is what i have been considering lately as i’m working on plans for gaining and keeping users.

Attracting users is one thing but keeping them active and happy is a whole other ball game. By maintaining happy users, network effects suggest you will gain new ones as a result. Win!

These are my thoughts-
So we all know a place where your friends are is more enjoyable and your likely to hang around for longer. This is nothing remarkable or new, the question we should be asking ourselves is – why? Understanding this will go a mega way to helping you maintain happy and active users.

To understand ‘why’, we should focus on the connections a user will make, rather than on the initial user. We need to understand the end game- who will these people want to connect with and what will they want from that connection?

The initial user or ‘Primary’ will introduce other users to the site- ‘secondaries’. These secondary connections introduced in the early life of a site will rarely be other early adopters but will more likely be family or close friends who will not display adopter characteristics. Uh-Oh trouble ahead…

The needs of the secondary should be considered as they may differ from the primary
Broadly speaking there will be 3 connection responses;

1) Gets it and has a happy experience

2) Not tech savvy and struggles to pick it up

3) Tech savvy and gets it but has too many barrier connections.

If any of these 3 responses are not properly catered for it will form a barrier. I was intrigued by these barriers and non-barriers so wanted to look at the connections and the relationships further. It is only by considering the barriers that we can maintain the happiness of the network and the continued flow of ‘introduced’ new blood. Too many barrier connections will suffocate the experience and growth.

The diagram shows the relationship between a primary and a secondary connection. The blue relationship line shows a positive connection between the connections with bi-directional influence. This is the desirable. Meaning both parties are encouraging each to continue using the service- this is through activity, communication and engagement.

Within the youth of a network you would require just x3 of these positive connections (within a personal network x3 points of influence) to ensure you have happy users making happy users.

The other connection is the red tie, the weak tie. This is a primary connecting with a barrier, this influence is one way and as such such it is resisted. If it is not converted to a blue relationship quickly the primary will reach a point where they can influence no more and the connection dies. It is critical to understand why the secondary is not adopting (as per the 3 points listed above).

A neglected barrier connecting with another barrier will only have red ties and as a result you will lose the user- they are unfulfilled. More red ties than blue in your network- guess what- your network is dying!! This is why i am so keen on understanding our barriers and how to cater for them to turn them blue.

So in summary the key to happy and active users is not the user but the connections they make, specifically the response they get back from their connections. Focus on their connections, who are they and what will they want. Understand and address all these concerns and then tell me how…. Winner.