Imagine you are sitting at your desk and one of your friends runs into your office, pins an article to your wall, and then runs away. You look at the title of the article, and wonder why your friend felt the need to share this article. A few minutes later, another one of your friends does the same thing. You finally grab a hold of the third friend, attempting to do the same, and ask: "Why did you share that?"
I have many smart friends who are constantly reading studies, articles, and blogs. They share or retweet these posts in hopes that their friends will read and enjoy them as much as they did. While this may occasionally hook a passerby's interest. The majority of people will keep scrolling..........unless, they know why you shared it.
I am going to pick on my buddy Michael Perlmutter (@DitchDoc14) for a minute. He almost NEVER shares or retweets an article without adding his opinion, reason, or description of why he thinks this is important to disseminate. I love this! Even if he likes i-gel's.
As a content creator I get a euphoric feeling when a blog or podcasts seems to "catch" and spreads throughout social media. The feeling that you provided or contributed some sort of value to your peers, is addicting and probably is the reason providers spend many unpaid hours developing FOAMed content. Yet, I have noticed many people share articles from FOAMfrat seconds after they come out. I have even asked friends what they thought of an article or study they shared. Unfortunately I was told they hadn't even read it yet.
This is somewhat discouraging and makes me curious as to the reason for sharing the content. Fan support is obvious well appreciated, but honest feedback on articles/blogs/podcasts is extremely valuable. I want to know what you think of the article or blog that you are sharing.This not only benefits your followers or friends, but helps you as provider get in the habit of taking time to digest the core content of whatever it is you are sharing.
So here is my ideal world,
1. Everyone who shares an article, actually reads the article.
2. Anyone who shares a study, reads more than just the abstract, and then adds a small commentary on their initial thoughts.
3. We start with this blog!