Methodology:
- In-person interviews in major metropolitan areas (New York, Chicago, and San Francisco)
- Quantitative survey of 2,500 medium/heavy online sharers
Observations:
- Sharing is not new, but in the information age we share more content with more users from more sources with more people, more often and more quickly
- Sharing acts as information management
- 85% say reading other people's responses helps them understand and process information and events
- 73% say they process information more deeply, thoroughly and thoughtfully when they share it
Motivations for Sharing:
- To bring valuable and entertaining content to others
- To define ourselves to others
- To grow and nourish our relationships
- Self-fulfillment ("We enjoy getting credit for it")
- To get the word out about causes or brands
6 Personas of Sharing:
- Altruists - share content to be helpful to others, and aspire to be reliable sources of information; prefers email and Facebook
- Careerists - well-educated sharers want to earn a reputation for bringing value to their networks, preferring content that is more serious and professional in tone; prefers LinkedIn and email
- Hipsters - younger sharers “have only known life in the information age” and share cutting-edge and creative content, and they focus on identity-building; prefers Twitter and Facebook
- Boomerangs - sharers after validation and will respond to positive or negative responses; no strong preference but will share using Facebook, email, Twitter, and blogs
- Connectors - sees content sharing as a way to stay connected with others and make plans; prefers email and Facebook
- Selectives - put more thought into what they share and with whom they share it. Because their sharing is more personalized, they expect people to respond to and act on their content; Prefers email
I actually laughed at this part of the study: Email is the #1 factor that influences sharing since it's perceived as more personal and private.
