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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Posted in the Main Page category.
26 Comments so far, Add Yours
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
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 […]
Leave a Comment
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