Hello again, my dear readers! I'm going to start this post with a question. Remember that time when you had this really embarrassing secret, and your best friend persuaded you to tell her? Yes? Do you remember what happened after that? You woke up one morning to get on with life, and suddenly everyone around you is silent when you walk by. And somehow it all seems pointed at you. That's when it strikes you - everyone knows.
It's quite normal, I assure you. Like they say, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead. (Not literally :D) It's this natural tendency of humans to tell everyone everything they know, especially if its juicy news. They aren't content with knowing something the others don't know - the others must know that they know something that everyone else doesn't know. :) Yeah, I know, it looks confusing. Read it again. It actually makes sense. What I mean to say is, we just love to be the center of attention - even if it is just for a couple of minutes.
We say things to each other all the time - but what we don't realise is how many times that will be repeated, and how many changes will be made to what we said to begin with. That's the strength and weakness of word of mouth - it changes the words every time somebody repeats them.
It's quite normal, I assure you. Like they say, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead. (Not literally :D) It's this natural tendency of humans to tell everyone everything they know, especially if its juicy news. They aren't content with knowing something the others don't know - the others must know that they know something that everyone else doesn't know. :) Yeah, I know, it looks confusing. Read it again. It actually makes sense. What I mean to say is, we just love to be the center of attention - even if it is just for a couple of minutes.
We say things to each other all the time - but what we don't realise is how many times that will be repeated, and how many changes will be made to what we said to begin with. That's the strength and weakness of word of mouth - it changes the words every time somebody repeats them.
The 10 Stages Of How Word Of Mouth Works
1. You talk with a friend and say something harmless like, "I heard [insert name here] is a great cook."
2. Your friend appears to agree with you.
3. You move on to other topics and your remark is nearly forgotten.
4. Your friend meets up with someone else.
5. That person will bring up the [insert event here]
6. Your friend remembers your comment and repeats it to the other person. Except it goes like, "I heard [same name] can cook fabulous and exotic dishes."
7. Repeat steps 2-5
8. The words used are now, "I heard [same name] was an excellent head chef once.
9. Repeat steps 2-5.
10. Now the words are, "Do you know [same name] worked at a five-star restaurant?"
So, you see how a simple sentence can be twisted to mean something entirely different from what you meant to say? In actuality, they both mean that that person can cook very well. But there's a long way between an awesome home cook, and an awesome head chef at a five-star restaurant. :D
Be careful what you say! Word of mouth is like a forest fire - it spreads super fast and is super destructive. Your reputation might take a beating too. I don't mean to say don't talk at all - we all have to talk - but don't let something spill that you might regret later. News spreads like wildfire, and people love to embellish the piece of news with their own little bits and pieces. You'll then end up with a weird, distorted image of what you said in the first place.
As always, read, enjoy, and don't you forget to comment! Let me know your views - how the blog is doing; if there's anything you want me to write about or anything I can improve. I'm very friendly, so don't hesitate to leave a comment in that white box below. :) Vote in the polls too, I've just started adding new ones with every post!
Catch you later!
Spencer :)
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