SPECTRUM OF ONLINE FRIENDSHIP
What can brands learn from people who are
good at making friends on the internet?
by Mike Arauz

Some people are really good at making a lot of
friends on the internet.
A few examples:
Ze Frank Gary Vaynerchuk David Armano Chris Brogan Julia Roy*
*Full disclosure: Julia and I work together. And she’s awesome : )
2009 Mike Arauz

They don’t just have
large audiences, they
have loyal audiences
who feel invested in
their success.
2009 Mike Arauz

Digital technology
has enabled us
to create fans who
feel like friends.
2009 Mike Arauz

What is a friend?
The definition of friendship has evolved.
Digital relationships (just like non-digtal
ones) are not absolute. They are fluid.
Online friendship is better described
along a spectrum defined by the actions
people take and how we feel about them.
2009 Mike Arauz

SPECTRUM OF ONLINE FRIENDSHIP
PRIVATE
PASSIVE ACTIVE PUBLIC
INTEREST INTEREST SHARING DIALOGUE DIALOGUE ADVOCACY INVESTMENT
Your wins
I follow your work, I’ve voiced my inter- I publish links to We exchange We exchange I explicitly encour-
visit your site, read est in your work by your work on my public messages private messages age my friends to
are my wins
your blog, follow leaving comments, own websites through referrals through email, IM, follow your work
you on Twitter, etc. posting Twitter and profiles on our websites direct messages,
because I share your
replies, posting and profiles etc.
arguments, and I care
Facebook wall com-
about the success of
ments, etc.
your ideas
2009 Mike Arauz

Passive Interest
This is the easiest level of engagement. It
asks the least of your friends, and achieves
the least commitment from us. But, it’s the
crucial starting point. I follow my curiosity to
you, I’m interested in what I find, and I choose
to pay attention. e.g. repeat visits, blog
readers, fans, followers, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz

Active Interest
This is when I care enough to let you know that I
care (in a nice way, not in a stalker way :-). It’s a
small step, but a big opportunity for you to iden-
tify key members of your audience who are can-
didates to move along the spectrum. e.g. people
who leave comments on your blog, wall
comments, @replies on Twitter, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz

Sharing
You and your work become part of my identity as
I use it to talk to my own friends about what in-
terests me. I also have made myself more valu-
able, because I am now partly responsible for the
spread of your ideas. e.g. social bookmarking,
retweeting links, posting links and content
to my own sites and profiles, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz

Public Dialogue
This is the first phase that requires action on
your part. You foster a relationship by responding
to my interest in a public forum. By doing so,
you make the rest of your friends aware of my
existence, and welcome me to the group.
e.g. public @replies, referrals in a blog
post, and references posted to our various
sites and profiles, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz

Private Dialogue
We begin to transform mutual interest into
mutual trust. We are willing to share directly.
We trust each other with direct access, which
has increasing value in an increasingly
always-on world. e.g. exchanging email,
TXT messages, IM, and direct messages
on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, etc.
2009 Mike Arauz

Advocacy
Advocacy looks a lot like Sharing; but, Advocacy
means that I am making an explicit recommen-
dation of you to my friends. I choose to risk my
own reputation to convince my friends to check
it out. e.g. same tools as Sharing, but differ-
ent language; usually entails recommending
the person or brand, and not just a specific
piece of content
2009 Mike Arauz

Investment
The brass ring of online friendship. This is
the most difficult achievement to recognize
or quantify. But it’s the most important because
it represents the willingness of
your friends to take action on
your behalf. e.g. Your wins
are my wins. “I know it when I see it.”
Supreme Court Justice
Potter Stewart
2009 Mike Arauz

PRIVATE
PASSIVE ACTIVE PUBLIC
INTEREST INTEREST SHARING DIALOGUE DIALOGUE ADVOCACY INVESTMENT
The deeper you go, the more valuable your
friends become.
2009 Mike Arauz

Investment is only one dimension
of online friendships.
Investment:
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
To what extent does this friend feel committed
to your success?
Time:
How long has this friend been engaged in INVESTMENT
their relationship with you?
TIM
Social Activity: E
To what degree and frequency is this friend
active within their own network?
2009 Mike Arauz

Online brand equity
is a product of:
– The investment that your friends feel in the
success of your brand online
– The amount of time they’ve spent being
your friend
– Your friends’ levels of social activity within
their own networks
2009 Mike Arauz

ONLINE
BRAND = I T x Sa
x
(Investment) (Time) (Social Activity)
EQUITY
2009 Mike Arauz

So, how can brands
move friends from
acquaintanceship
to “best friendliness”?
2009 Mike Arauz

Have a unique point
of view, and don’t be
afraid to be opinionated
about it.
2009 Mike Arauz

Measure the actions
that create value,
not just the actions that
are easy to measure.
2009 Mike Arauz

Reallocate time,
effort, and money
to cultivating deeper
online friendships.
2009 Mike Arauz

I’d love to tell you more about this. Email me:
speaking@mikearauz.com
Let’s connect on Twitter: @mikearauz
I left the rest of my thoughts on my blog: www.mikearauz.com
Mike Arauz is a Strategist at
Undercurrent, a New York
based digital think tank.