Skip, Scan, Stop, Save and/or Spread?

Skip, Scan, Stop, Save and/or Spread?

By Rajesh Setty on Sun 01 Mar 2009, 8:04 AM – 26 Comments



Photo Courtesy: Mezone at Flickr

 

Skip, Scan, Stop, Save and/or Spread?

Which one is it?

The options in the title are for the question related to your content – be it on your blog, facebook, twitter or simply in an email that you sent yesterday.

“What will people do when they read your content?”

1. Skip [ and move on to the next one ]

2. Scan [ look for highlights or the key message and move on ]

3. Stop [ and think and probably thank you for triggering their thinking ]

4. Save [ and re-visit multiple times in the future ]

and/or

5. Spread [ touched by it  so much that they voluntarily spread it for you ]

Have a great weekend!

 

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26 Comments so far, Add Yours

TerseaM  on March 1st, 2009

Raj,

This post is simple and to the point. You are correct, we do one of those 4 things when we are reading something. The key to writing is to ensure you receive the result from the reader you desire.

Thanks for the concise post.

Sincerely,

Teresa Morrow

Rajesh Setty  on March 1st, 2009

Thanks Teresa for visiting and for your kind comments here. Look forward to speaking with you soon.

Best,

Raj

karlfox  on March 1st, 2009

How very true. Also, this is a great example of a short post that is both engaging and informative… a good lesson in that alone.

Thanks,

Karl

Rajesh Setty  on March 1st, 2009

Karl,

Very kind of you to say that.

Thank you and have a great week ahead.

Best,

Raj

Seth Godin  on March 1st, 2009

May I add one?

Spam!

I unsubscribe/block the sender after he invades my space with that content, uninvited.

Rajesh Setty  on March 1st, 2009

Thanks Seth for the addition there. Again, starts with an “S” :)

Best,

Raj

Norbert Mayer-Wittmann  on March 2nd, 2009

re “Spam” I love this quote (from a decades-old Frank Zappa recording)

“The booger is in the eye of the beholder”

http://www.zappa.hu/?q=en/node/1291#26

(but it doesn’t begin with an “S” – so sorry if it ‘SOFF-TOPIC ;)

Rajesh Setty  on March 2nd, 2009

Norbert, you cracked me up there :)

No, it is not SOFF-TOPIC. Everybody needs a laugh on a Monday morning :)

Best,

Raj

Simon Preacher  on March 3rd, 2009

Great post Rajesh. Your article is short and sweet. Thanks for reminding writers to think of their audiences when they are writing.

jgoalby  on March 3rd, 2009

Nice article. Simple and to the point. Made me stop, and spread:

http://worldchampionevaluator.com/general/skip-scan-stop-save-andor-spread/

John.

CrystalsQuest  on March 3rd, 2009

Definitely “spread” on this one. Goes to show you don’t have to write 700 word posts to hit home runs. Nice work, Rajesh.

Kathy | Virtual Impax  on March 3rd, 2009

Outstanding post!! Oh, and I’m here because of a Tweet – because someone else saw this and decided to SPREAD the word!

However, before I too SPREAD the word, I SCANNED the content – I STOPPED to evaluate it before I SPREAD it as well.

Oh, in addition to Seth’s “SCAN” – may I add another “S” – I’ll SUBSCRIBE to the feed!

sbroomfield  on March 3rd, 2009

Rajesh –

Einstein said make things as simple as possible, but no simpler. Kudos to your 5S.

Best,

Scott – Co-Founder of Veeple

Crystal  on March 3rd, 2009

Excellent post. Simple, straight to the point, and great info. Found it on Twitter. You have successfully convinced people to spread.

Ms. Sanity  on March 3rd, 2009

Love it! I too came to this because someone scanned and decided to share. And I agree with Seth.. we all want to avoid the dreaded “spam.” the question is… how to create spread worthy content.

LOL, I’m reminded of the Seinfeld episode whether a man was “spongeworthy,” lol, but that’s OT, sorry.

I’m warped. what can I say?

graceonline  on March 3rd, 2009

Your writing is as spare, as essential as a Matisse cutout. Thank you. I’ve posted it on a sticky to remind me every day, and I’ll RT Guy Kawasaki’s tweet, which brought me here.

Speeding Links For Search For Blogging Readers – Week 10 – Problogger Make Money Online with Blogs  on March 3rd, 2009

[…] Skip, Scan, Stop, Save and/or Spread? […]

amin  on March 3rd, 2009

Simple & Effective :) ! Perfect post. This is a #5 post (5 = Spread). I got here by a tweet from Guy Kawasaki :) .

The 5 S’s of Social Media | Doug Jumper  on March 3rd, 2009

[…] from article via Rajesh Setty (full article). […]

Rajesh Setty  on March 3rd, 2009

Thanks to all of you who took the time to not only read the message but to comment on it. You all made my day :)

THANK YOU.

Best,

Raj

roneo (jo sabin)  on March 3rd, 2009

Hey Rajesh and blogees

Being succinct and sticking with the real message or truth you want to convey in a web post, tweet or presentation is where you gain maximum impact. The rest is filler.

Example: I attended the Annual (Australian) Thought Leaders Conference last week in Sydney. Seth Godin spoke via Skype about digital tribes – Go Seth! The content, message and delivery of presentations delivered was awesome.

But. Two presenters doing world-changing projects failed to convey their message effectively because they didn’t present and adapt their presentations for the audience.

Result: the ’spread’ effect for these two presenters was limited.

Friday Reading Roundup  on March 6th, 2009

[…] Skip, Scan, Stop, Save and/or Spread? | Life Beyond Code – How information gets processed in an overloaded world. […]

Jo Ellen  on March 8th, 2009

This 5-S list gives people who write for a living a new way to think about what they are writing, to get into their reader’s head, so to speak. Thanks for short, sweet wisdom!

Rajesh Setty  on March 8th, 2009

Jo,

Thank yo for your comments and welcome here.

Have a great week ahead.

Best,

Rajesh

9 Ways People Respond to Your Online Content | Life Beyond Code  on June 3rd, 2009

[…] few weeks ago I wrote an article called Skip, Scan, Stop, Save and/or Spread – five ways people respond to your online content. It was well received. I also got a ton of […]

Marketing Wizdom » Blog Archive » Nine Ways People Respond to Your Online Content  on February 8th, 2010

[…] An earlier version of this article was titled Skip, Scan, Stop, Save and/or Spread. Thanks to several people especially Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki and Kathy Hendershot-Hurd who […]

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