Blather from LinkedIn Pulse

As a participant in LinkedIn, I receive, periodically, what can politely be described as blather under the heading of LinkedIn Pulse. Wired magazine, which apparently still exists, had this to say about LinkedIn Pulse:

As a LinkedIn user, the company knows you well. It knows who you are, where you work, and what you do. But it also knows who you know, what industry you’re a part of, and, in some cases, what you care about. Pulse leverages all of this data with the intention of delivering a news digest that’s tailored to your professional interests and needs.

This weeks digest, like the previous weeks, was embarrassing. For me. LinkedIn Pulse believes that I read at the middle school level, possess the social skills of a 2 year old, with no grasp of logic but brimming with a Dale Carnegie like enthusiasm for winning friends and influencing people. Here is a sampling.

First, a piece by Betsy Liu (labeled an influencer) entitled: `Do This, and You’ll Always Be the Most Popular person in the Room’. She offers 3 pieces of advice: mirror people’s words, ask questions and stop looking around the room. I’m surprised she didn’t suggest avoid breaking wind in public.

Second, was from yesterday’s man, Jack Welch and Suzie Welch on why one should fear being promoted. I think they specialize in writing for blocks of wood.

Third, an article by Jeff Haden, a ghost writer. This must explain why most business books written for the airport audience rival Brezhnev’s biography as a soporific. Haden offers 15 ways in which successful people approach life differently. Number 13 is: `They believe they’re in total control…’ Which, oddly, contradicts number 8: `They’re great at self assessment’.

Fourth, from an entrepreneur called James Altschuler, on what to do upon being sacked. Some meaningless anecdotes about what it was like to be fired followed by a list. One item on the list, is to contact people who you a grateful to, tell them so and ask how they are doing. Its important to ask sincerely. Does one not do this before being fired?

Fifth, and last, a piece by one Dr. Travis Bradberry on 6 unusual habits of unusually creative people. The use of the title `Dr.’ is a warning. It was granted by the California School of Professional Psychology. Logic, apparently, is not a requirement for graduation. Number one on the list is wake up early. I think this happens naturally to anyone over 50.

Facebook & Fish Oil

The August 3rd NY Times has an article about the advertising of Fishoil and Facebook. As sometimes happens with a NYT article, the interesting issues are buried beneath moderately interesting anecdotes that may be traded with others at the dinner table in what passes for serious discussion.

The story is about a company called MegaRed, that peddles fish oil. It wants to target consumers who are receptive to the idea of fish oil because they believe that it confers health benefits. The goal is to get them to try out and perhaps switch to MegaRed.

Facebook proposes a campaign which raises the eyebrows of the marketing director, J. Rodrigo:

“I can go to television at a quarter the price.”

Brett Prescott of Facebook agrees, that yes, Facebook is more expensive than TV. But offers an analogy between advertising on Facebook and firing a shotgun.

“And you are firing that buckshot knowing where every splinter of that bullet is landing.”

If biology is the study of bios, life, and geology is the study of goes, the earth, what does that make analogy?

Some arithmetic to clarify matters. Suppose 1 in 100 of all people would be receptive to the idea of MegaRed’s message. Suppose each of these people is worth $1 on average to MegaRed. If you could reach all 100 of these people via TV, then MegaRed should pay no more than 10 cents per person and so $1 in total.

Enter, stage left, Facebook. It claims that it can target its ads so that they go just to the right person. How much is that worth? $1. In this example, Facebook is no better or worse than TV.

If Facebook has any added value compared to TV it does not come from better targeting because one can always compensate for that by paying TV less and reaching more eyeballs. It must come from access to eyeballs unreachable via TV, or, identifying eyeballs that MegaRed would not initially have identified as receptive to their message, or that the medium itself is more persuasive than TV. Is this true for Facebook? If not, MegaRed is better off with TV.