Note on Berger's Contagious - Why Things Catch On

The biggest insight was, influencers and mavens are not the only means to make an idea catch fire. The idea itself has to be sticky, already alluded to by Malcome Gladwell but never never elaborated in his "Tipping Point". 

Bergers gave six STEPPS approach to make an idea stick, which I think was simple, insightful, actionable. 

Social currency

give people something to brag about;

Trigger

associate your idea with everyday life, top of mind is tip of tong;

Emotions

with a strong feeling you can't resist talking;

Publicity

if it can't be seen, it can't be talked about;

Practicality

people like to help each other out;

Story

details get left out but a good story survives word of mouth.

Many anecdotes and research results were included in the book. Albeit small inconsistencies, they back up the overall thesis for the most part. Enjoyed the book.

Idea #32 Wireless Identity - Know Who Are Around You

Ever in a conference or social event, and don't know who to talk to?

What if when you point your iPhone to the people around you, you see their Twitter timeline?

That's the idea.

You can already exchange business cards through iPhone.

The new application will allow you to configure your wireless identity and constantly broadcast in short range, through bluetooth.

You can even program automatic matching, that is, whenever your profile "matches" with your specified "target", contact information is automatically exchanged, and you get a signal to find that person physically. Kind of like speed dating on robots!

Some would concern about security, identity theft, and blah. Well, with people broadcasting what they eat each and every day, that is only for people who're not using Twitter.

Let's social.

Update: thanks to Sandeep Das for pointing out, Loopt already provides such a service in its latest Mix feature.

photo credit Themis was here

Idea #29 Real Time Social Shopping With Twitter Automation

Social shopping harnesses the power of social networks to make better purchase decisions by leveraging the experience of other users, in real time, not just Amazon ratings, but live interactions with peer buyers.

Yes, the scam products that don't live up to their marketing hype don't deserve a place on earth.

Some smart folks started this, like TribeSmart and ReallyWantThat, but don't quite have the "real time" feel yet.

Here's an idea.

Create a unique hash tag for each product out there. Example, Crocs Cayman Sandal, ASIN B0014BYKI2.

Everyone uses this tag when twitting their experiences, opinions, and critics. Example, "#B0014BYKI2 love the sandal, comfortable, convertible, rating 5".

It is then super easy to check the twitter stream for user comments on this product. Check the tag stream; ask a question with the tag before you buy!

Even further, the aggregated user comments and ratings are automatically scaned and stored on the server. When you twit the product hash tag with a question, you instantly receive a direct message with a link to the detailed rating report (and the best price).

Go social. Go real time.

Update: Impressed by the business model of Groupon, social shopping offer deep discount through the power of group buying, and it's fun.

Idea #19 Online art collection for social networking and retailing

High end embroidery art gallery from China.

Members ask questions, sharing information, get notified for recent acquisition and sales.

It is like going to an art gallery in Sausalito, CA, with a group of family and friends, who share the same passion about art. It is informational, enjoyable, memorable, and along the way, art is collected with reasonable price.

It is Gilt.com for art.