R dropped me a line after reading my post, Next Stop Wonder Where, and included a link a posting on Seth Godin’s blog. Godin is more than a guy with a dashing haircut, he’s a smart marketer, and his recent book, The Dip, (link to the book’s blog, go figure) made a real impression on me. (No pun) Seth and R go way back, I understand. Anyway, here is a chunk of the article, called “Linkbait”
Insiders know what it is, but it’s a new term to many.
Here’s what you do:
Put a picture on your website. Something novel but still recognizable.
Or something really useful.
Then, put lots of links to various websites within the image.
Or, if you want, make it something remarkably honest or confessional or provocative.
Or make it a top 10 or top 41 list.
Then, tell the people you’re linking to about it.They link back to you because it’s funny or new or makes them seem smart or just feels sharable.
Ok, that’s actually about half of the article, but it’s very succinct and well-written, unlike certain other blogs you might be reading right about now. Besides the basic simple smart and savvy nature of this post, I’m sure it was sent to me because the example cited is a subway-style (Tokyo variant) schematic of “Web Trend” I’ll forgive the omission of the limeline and give these folks credit for both linkiness -making a map that includes dozens of the hottest trends and companies is smart – and also for transit map similitude and artistry – nice use of terrain and line names, although I’m not wild about the the 3-d floaty thing. Best almost pun: YouTube. Click on the image for more info and links to a giant PDF and poster order form.
If you’re listening over there at Strange Maps, this might be for you.