Buzzzzzzzzzz

This is how it starts.  One buzz.  One follower.  One idea.  But, bees are not solitary creatures.  A few of your followers start talking and your message spreads, or no one says a word and it shrivels up and dies.  This has been the way of the world since the dawn of civilization.

In the 17th century coffeehouses were banned in France.  Why?  Because people talk.  The monarchy considered coffeehouses to be subversive because when people get together ideas always spread. People talk even faster under the influence of caffeine.

The advent of the printing press was the second most important technological development of all time (I’ll talk about the first in a second).  Suddenly the speed at which ideas could travel was dramatically accelerated.  One idea, duplicated thousands of times, spreads through the populace.  But it still took time.  Printing and distribution limited the speed at which information could travel.

Fast forward to the present.  The social web.  The most important technological development in the history of the world.  Ideas spread instantly.  Communities of followers emerge overnight.  Your success hinges on 2 factors and 2 factors alone.  1)  Is your idea good enough, original enough, and groundbreaking enough to inspire people to follow? and 2)  Are you utilizing the tools available to allow your idea to ignite?

One follower becomes two.  Two becomes 4.  Your hive grows and grows.  Lets go harvest some honey.