Comments on: Learning Viral: Viral Emails of Tagged.com http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/ A blog about marketing, online communities and other business musings. Come join the fun! Wed, 09 Nov 2011 02:14:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: 10 Types of Ad Targeting » http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-510834 10 Types of Ad Targeting » Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:03:06 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-510834 [...] response rates than online marketing, especially initial response rates due to the novelty factor. Viral marketing via forwarding works decently [...] [...] response rates than online marketing, especially initial response rates due to the novelty factor. Viral marketing via forwarding works decently [...]

]]> By: Angie Chang http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-342058 Angie Chang Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:42:15 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-342058 Nice post -- keep making examples out of good website features. Nice post — keep making examples out of good website features.

]]> By: terry chay http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-342056 terry chay Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:33:21 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-342056 Nice post Noah. I define Viral Marketing as: the act of people using the product brings more people to using the product. When that user brings in more than one user over the time delay of the difference equation, then the growth is exponential, but you can be "viral" without being exponential growth. The other aspect is the restriction of "use the product" which allows you to distinguish between word of mouth marketing/tipping point. Disclaimer: I work for Tagged. Nice post Noah.

I define Viral Marketing as: the act of people using the product brings more people to using the product.

When that user brings in more than one user over the time delay of the difference equation, then the growth is exponential, but you can be “viral” without being exponential growth. The other aspect is the restriction of “use the product” which allows you to distinguish between word of mouth marketing/tipping point.

Disclaimer: I work for Tagged.

]]> By: noah kagan http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-337840 noah kagan Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:29:46 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-337840 Yuval, Great post. This is not direct viral marketing. This is related to the retention of a viral product. Grow the userbase really large and then figure out how to keep them around or get them to come back. A viral part is that when they come back there is a decent chance you can encourage them to invite more people at that point. Noah Yuval,

Great post. This is not direct viral marketing. This is related to the retention of a viral product. Grow the userbase really large and then figure out how to keep them around or get them to come back. A viral part is that when they come back there is a decent chance you can encourage them to invite more people at that point.

Noah

]]> By: Yuval http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-337090 Yuval Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:31:24 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-337090 While the email discussed in the post is an example of good marketing (given the 5 points you raised), and it may be directly related to the traffic rise presented in the chart , I fail to understand why you would consider this viral marketing. By your own definition viral marketing will grow the user base and not (specifically) traffic. Are you suggesting this email got forwarded a lot? Hope I'm making sense here... While the email discussed in the post is an example of good marketing (given the 5 points you raised), and it may be directly related to the traffic rise presented in the chart , I fail to understand why you would consider this viral marketing.

By your own definition viral marketing will grow the user base and not (specifically) traffic. Are you suggesting this email got forwarded a lot?

Hope I’m making sense here…

]]> By: Otis http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-335182 Otis Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:15:57 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-335182 I've studied Tagged and sites like it quite a bit. It seems that sites like Tagged (<a href="http://www.observer.com/2007/caught-shelfari-s-sticky-web-no-more-friends-please" rel="nofollow">and one of my competitors</a>) have a tendency to <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=HuW&q=tagged.com+spam&btnG=Search" rel="nofollow">grow fast using spamming techniques</a>. So there is a trade-off - have a good product with moderate amounts of traffic - or have a spammy product that grows like a shot. I've been hoping that the blogosphere won't allow the former - so if you study Tagged, don't make their mistakes. I’ve studied Tagged and sites like it quite a bit. It seems that sites like Tagged (and one of my competitors) have a tendency to grow fast using spamming techniques. So there is a trade-off – have a good product with moderate amounts of traffic – or have a spammy product that grows like a shot. I’ve been hoping that the blogosphere won’t allow the former – so if you study Tagged, don’t make their mistakes.

]]> By: Christie http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-335071 Christie Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:11:07 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-335071 Great info Noah. Tagged.com is a very interesting study. As someone else mentioned my business partner accidently sent out an invite to her gmail contacts.... quite embarassing considering the girl was licking a lolly pop on the cover of site back then. (not sure if this is still true) However....interestingly enough it was amazing how many people who received the email signed up for the site! Did they sign up because it came from a trusted source (my biz partner)? Or did they sign up because of the lure of some hot chick licking a lolly pop? Cheers, Christie Great info Noah. Tagged.com is a very interesting study. As someone else mentioned my business partner accidently sent out an invite to her gmail contacts…. quite embarassing considering the girl was licking a lolly pop on the cover of site back then. (not sure if this is still true)

However….interestingly enough it was amazing how many people who received the email signed up for the site!

Did they sign up because it came from a trusted source (my biz partner)?

Or did they sign up because of the lure of some hot chick licking a lolly pop?

Cheers,
Christie

]]> By: Noah Kagan http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-334456 Noah Kagan Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:07:39 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-334456 Ted, You have to remember catering to their audiences. People click on good looking people as opposed to naked pics of me in your email:) If it was a dog email per se I would put dog bones, sexy dogs or loldog photos... Ted,

You have to remember catering to their audiences. People click on good looking people as opposed to naked pics of me in your email:)

If it was a dog email per se I would put dog bones, sexy dogs or loldog photos…

]]> By: Noah Kagan http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-334454 Noah Kagan Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:06:43 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-334454 Great comments / feedback everyone. Jon, How effective is including a pic on tracking opens? Pics are effective at times and others just plain text works. Check out marketing sherpa's weekly email for great email marketing tips. One thing for many email clients that by default don't show images is to have a table with colors and text semi-representing an image. It's better than showing a blocked out section saying image goes here. 2- How to gauge the effectiveness? Best way to gauge is to measure click throughs, ask your users and your unsub rate. Definitely give an eff. i think its 100x harder to get a subscriber than to lose one. IE. keep the ones you have happy. Thx! Please write more. :) Great comments / feedback everyone.

Jon,

How effective is including a pic on tracking opens?
Pics are effective at times and others just plain text works. Check out marketing sherpa’s weekly email for great email marketing tips. One thing for many email clients that by default don’t show images is to have a table with colors and text semi-representing an image. It’s better than showing a blocked out section saying image goes here.

2- How to gauge the effectiveness?
Best way to gauge is to measure click throughs, ask your users and your unsub rate. Definitely give an eff. i think its 100x harder to get a subscriber than to lose one. IE. keep the ones you have happy.
Thx! Please write more. :)

]]> By: karen http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/comment-page-1/#comment-333546 karen Sun, 13 Apr 2008 04:25:32 +0000 http://okdork.com/2008/04/10/learning-viral-studying-taggedcom/#comment-333546 Hmmm...Ted has a good point about the pornography. So my suggestion is for ComNext emails from here on out, we do the same thing. Semi-nude pics. Noah--you'd better start working out if you're going to be half-nude for our people. ;P I can see the percentages increasing now... Hmmm…Ted has a good point about the pornography.

So my suggestion is for ComNext emails from here on out, we do the same thing. Semi-nude pics. Noah–you’d better start working out if you’re going to be half-nude for our people. ;P

I can see the percentages increasing now…

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