The Power of One

I recently read that the average facebook user has roughly 130 friends (See Facebook Stats). That’s pretty amazing. Dunbar’s number doesn’t give an exact, but many think that people, on average, can sustain roughly 150 relationships.

That means it’s possible for folks on facebook to effectively stay connected with their friends and family,

Word spreads fast online where you have a tightly connected and highly engaged network.

1 highly connected constituent can share with their 150 friends. 100 highly connected supporters can share with their 15,000 friends. 1000 highly connected donors can share with their 150,000 friends. Etc. Seth Godin points out that you only need 1000 truly engaged fans (See First, organize 1,000) to make it.

With that in mind, how should you be engaging with people online?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Frank Barry

Frank Barry, formerly worked at Blackbaud helping nonprofits use the Internet for digital communication, social media, and fundraising. He’s worked with a diverse group of organizations including LIVESTRONG, United Methodist Church, American Heart Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, ChildFund Int’l, InTouch Ministries, Heifer Int’l, University of Notre Dame and University of Richmond. Along with writing for industry publications like Mashable and Social Media Today, Frank facilitates discussions, presents solo sessions and organizes panels for industry conferences such as NTC, SXSW, BBCon and numerous others. When he’s out and about he enjoys talking to interesting people about how they are changing the world – check out his interviews. Say Hi on Twitter – @franswaa or Google+