Investing in Social Media – An Online Game and Strategy
I’ve never played Farmville. But after being introduced to Empire Avenue via a Warrior Forum software program, six months ago, I have found myself to be a “player.”
Nintendo Games (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Games are fun, of course, but in addition to the normal competitive “thrill,” Empire Avenue also develops an individual or business’ online profile. It’s somewhat of a “learning lab” that puts every participant on equal footing with some of the best Internet and social media experts online today. Each participant is rewarded according to their effort and actual results.
Most businesses and individuals are well aware of the power and potential of using social media. Savvy businesses now are trying to “get social” as best they can. Some of the top name brands, such as Nokia, have recognized and participate for the pure social media exposure that is available from this community.
Per a recent article on Zephoria.com, 50% of 18-24 year-olds go on Facebook when they wake up (Source: The Social Skinny) and 16 Million local business pages have been created as of May 2013 which is a 100 percent increase from 8 million in June 2012. (Source: Facebook).
And, while many businesses are now beginning to realize the importance of Google+, YouTube, Twitter, and a plethora of social sites, few have developed a coherent and effective strategy for social media. This is where I’ve found Empire Avenue to be the most helpful, having vastly improved my own profile in a very short time period.
EAve participants are rated on a scale of 100 across the top 10 most widely-used social networks (additional feeds for websites, blogs, etc. may also be included). My own public profile, including the top 5 networks, is show below
The game is modeled on a stock exchange, in which points (or Eaves) are earned for performing social actions. These Eaves may then, in turn, be invested in the portfolio of other participants, which becomes a factor in each participant’s share (or social) value. Other factors include social media participation and popularity, all of which become incentives in attaining share value in the game and attracting the investment of others.
But the best outcome is really a more complete and consistent overall social media presence online, the value of which cannot be underestimated. Although it helps to know what is and isn’t working in the “real world” when starting out, the Empire Avenue game provides invaluable practice, insights to highly successful online profiles, and very valuable friendships and mentoring that aren’t available anywhere else online.
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