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01.03.2010 Experience, Social MediaView Comments

First, Make Everyone Feel Special: Social Media Ethics 101

I’m struggling to pick what to write about after the incredible weekend I’ve had with those of you at Like Minds. There’s so much to say – not about me – but about the mix of people from all over the world who attended both physically and virtual, both on the day and in the weeks leading up, who made this gathering of like mind what it was and is.

My aim with event planning Like Minds was to not make as much of a conference as it was an experience. It’s something I’ve been doing and talking about for a while, and out of all the incredible remarks people have made about Like Minds (thank you all, so much, by the way), I was thrilled by how many kept echoing my sentiment and agreeing that it was an experience.

Make People Feel Special

Chris Brogan said both on Friday and his blog post on Saturday that Social Media is about making people feel special. I’m so glad he did that. Like I said above, I’ve been hammering on and on (and getting criticised) about experience – but perhaps now that Chris has spoken people will wake up and listen.

I feel silly as I write this because I feel like I’m performing some kind of rank-pulling by using the big names (and while I’m at it, John Bell also agreed) – but I have to get this out and into the community.

If anyone wants to know the secret to our success with Like Minds, I can tell you it in one word: experience.

Experience is what separates the everyday from every day – a compelling experience separates what is so remarkable that you use it every day from the things that are common and just plain everyday.

What Was Said, and What Was Felt

People forget 90% of what was said by the time they reach the door. This knocks all of the arrogance out of you because you realise that saying profound things isn’t as important – or memorable – as making people feel profound.

I think that many things are an experience waiting to happen – they just need to stop making people listen more than people can, and make them feel things instead.

UPDATE: I should’ve said that Like Minds Alumni Vanessa Warwick wrote the same words before I did here.

Photo with many, many thanks to the dedicated Paul Clarke



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  • Scott: how does that saying go... People will forget what you said but they'll never forget how you made them feel.
  • Totally. Makes all the diffference
  • It was certainly a great experience - I've spoken to two people today who watched on-line and they picked up on the vibe too. People felt welcomed, included and engaged. Amazing job!

    Here comes the experience economy.
  • You've read Experience Economy?

    Incredible read - and waaay ahead of its time. Was written in 1997 I think
  • Mandatory reading :) - In those days I was managing (and marketing) products to the big telcos like BT, Vodafone, MCI/Verizon and co. Although we called them "service providers" we knew that really they were experience providers. What's the value of a phone call? It's not the bits across the wire, it is the experience of hearing the voice of a loved one, or soothing a distressed customer. The successful ones knew that long before '97. The rest realised it when we started building IPTV services. People pay for experiences, not things.
  • :-) love it

    Anyone whose read that book will know the secret to anything that I do these days.
  • Hi Scott!

    are you bored yet with everyone telling you how wonderful it was? I wouldn't be. So here it is again: it was blinking excellent. An experience. And not just as a delegate either: I hope and expect it was quite something for you and the team as well?

    "I think that many things are an experience waiting to happen – they just need to stop making people listen more than people can, and make them feel things instead."

    There's a fine line between rock'n'roll, church, and business conferencing. People need to consume some "stuff" that makes them go out afterwards and do things. It's a combination of feeling and listening and talking and sharing and experimenting and planning and reflecting.

    So are you going for the full set next time with a two-day conference that includes workshops, keynotes, panels, lunches, unconference sessions, dinners, parties and playtime?
  • Hey Martin - nice pulling together of different thoughts there - and like you are suggesting, a compelling experience should compel you to go and act.

    Next time... still thinking it through :-)
  • yeah, sorry, it's a bit too early to be planning the next one isn't it! :)

    relax - you've done a great thing.
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    I'm a husband, pastor, speaker, thinker and do-er, and most important of all, passionate Christian. My expertise lies in Social Media and Experience Planning.

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