FriendFeed is a site that aggregates the content and activity of users from multiple sites, such as Twitter, blogs, Flickr, YouTube, etc. Users interact with one another on the site by commenting on individual items, and by indicating interest by clicking Like. The site is not just an aggregator of content, but is also a social network in its own right.
The site allows users to subscribe to the feeds of others. When someone you follow adds new content into their stream, you will see it. When someone you follow Likes or comments on an item, you see that as well. Users see the content not just of those that they follow. FriendFeed includes the friend-of-friend feature. Here's how that works:
Friend-of-friend is a powerful viral feature. As a content producer, your content can be exposed to a much wider audience than just those who follow you on FriendFeed. The picture below shows a friend-of-friend entry:
In this example, the user is not subscribed to Rex Hammock. But the user is subscribed to Robert Scoble. Robert Scoble's 'Like' puts Rex Hammock's content into the user's stream.
Another viral feature for bloggers is the import of activity on feed reader, bookmark and social aggregation sites. For instance, many users stream their Google Reader shares into FriendFeed. If your blog post is shared by someone, the followers of that person will see your content. This is another source of exposure for a blogger outside of his existing subscriber base.
Here's an example of a Google Reader share for Rex Hammock's blog post:
Users see a wide range of content from those they follow. Over time, users build and prune the list of people they follow based on the content they see. This pruning translates into the development of trust in the decisions of others as to what is interesting. The people to whom you subscribe become your source of trusted referrals for good content on subjects that interest you.
Distribution is one thing, getting people to read the content is another. The earlier-mentioned interactions around content - Likes and comments - play an important role in getting people's attention on content.
FriendFeed has a strong conversation and recommendation orientation. The comments on a blog item in FriendFeed indicate that people have found the content to be of interest, and are talking about it. That alone has value in terms of increasing others' interest in the content.
Likes serve a similar purpose. Likes are essentially recommendations on content. Going back to the trusted referrals aspect of FriendFeed, Likes are signals of something having value for your social network. These signals are powerful in pulling attention to your blog post.
FriendFeed also has a "bounce to the top" feature, keyed to the Likes and comments. The FriendFeed page consists of 30 items at any one time, with new content streaming in at a fast pace as you follow more people. When an item is Liked or commented upon, FriendFeed automatically puts it at the top of each user's page (aka "bounce to the top"). In addition to the signals that Likes and comments provide for the value of content, the content is placed in an optimized place for others to see.
The viral distribution + attention optimization are powerful tools for bloggers to increase readership. The pictures below show how the FriendFeed social graph works.
The initial picture shows a blogger’s beginning social graph. Four people subscribe to his FriendFeed updates. But those four have their own connections, enabling their networks to see the blog post. If they like it, then their friends will see it too. A viral process for blog exposure:
The outer bands of the blogger’s social graph get exposure to the blog. As the blog is viewed further away from the core, the viral distribution falls off. But some of the members in the outer bands will subscribe to the blogger’s FriendFeed, which increases his core social network:
FriendFeed increases the blogger's subscribers in two ways:
The important thing in this process, of course, is to write things that interest people. But assuming that's covered, bloggers will find FriendFeed to be a valuable tool for gaining readership.
Viral Distribution Effects
The site allows users to subscribe to the feeds of others. When someone you follow adds new content into their stream, you will see it. When someone you follow Likes or comments on an item, you see that as well. Users see the content not just of those that they follow. FriendFeed includes the friend-of-friend feature. Here's how that works:
- Someone you follow Likes or comments on the content of another person
- You are not subscribed to that other person
- But the content of that other person will hit your FriendFeed content stream because of the Like or comment
Friend-of-friend is a powerful viral feature. As a content producer, your content can be exposed to a much wider audience than just those who follow you on FriendFeed. The picture below shows a friend-of-friend entry:
In this example, the user is not subscribed to Rex Hammock. But the user is subscribed to Robert Scoble. Robert Scoble's 'Like' puts Rex Hammock's content into the user's stream.
Another viral feature for bloggers is the import of activity on feed reader, bookmark and social aggregation sites. For instance, many users stream their Google Reader shares into FriendFeed. If your blog post is shared by someone, the followers of that person will see your content. This is another source of exposure for a blogger outside of his existing subscriber base.
Here's an example of a Google Reader share for Rex Hammock's blog post:
Users see a wide range of content from those they follow. Over time, users build and prune the list of people they follow based on the content they see. This pruning translates into the development of trust in the decisions of others as to what is interesting. The people to whom you subscribe become your source of trusted referrals for good content on subjects that interest you.
Attention Optimization Effects
Distribution is one thing, getting people to read the content is another. The earlier-mentioned interactions around content - Likes and comments - play an important role in getting people's attention on content.
FriendFeed has a strong conversation and recommendation orientation. The comments on a blog item in FriendFeed indicate that people have found the content to be of interest, and are talking about it. That alone has value in terms of increasing others' interest in the content.
Likes serve a similar purpose. Likes are essentially recommendations on content. Going back to the trusted referrals aspect of FriendFeed, Likes are signals of something having value for your social network. These signals are powerful in pulling attention to your blog post.
FriendFeed also has a "bounce to the top" feature, keyed to the Likes and comments. The FriendFeed page consists of 30 items at any one time, with new content streaming in at a fast pace as you follow more people. When an item is Liked or commented upon, FriendFeed automatically puts it at the top of each user's page (aka "bounce to the top"). In addition to the signals that Likes and comments provide for the value of content, the content is placed in an optimized place for others to see.
Putting It Together
The viral distribution + attention optimization are powerful tools for bloggers to increase readership. The pictures below show how the FriendFeed social graph works.
The initial picture shows a blogger’s beginning social graph. Four people subscribe to his FriendFeed updates. But those four have their own connections, enabling their networks to see the blog post. If they like it, then their friends will see it too. A viral process for blog exposure:
The outer bands of the blogger’s social graph get exposure to the blog. As the blog is viewed further away from the core, the viral distribution falls off. But some of the members in the outer bands will subscribe to the blogger’s FriendFeed, which increases his core social network:
FriendFeed increases the blogger's subscribers in two ways:
- People who follow the blogger on FriendFeed
- People who subscribe the blogger's feed
The important thing in this process, of course, is to write things that interest people. But assuming that's covered, bloggers will find FriendFeed to be a valuable tool for gaining readership.
Elliott Ng
Invite as author
Great thoughts Hutch. How many people should you follow?
Hao Chen
Invite as author
Truly Viral?
EditSaveCancelDeleteDeleteBlock this userReport abusive commentHide report window