Thin Slicing – Blink from a Blog Coach

By on January 6, 2007 in Blog Coach with 8 Comments

My good friend Mike Wagner took a different tack on the Five Things meme with his Thin Slice post.

Thin-slicing refers to the ability of our unconscious to find patterns in situations and behavior based on very narrow slices of experience."

Interesting…

I’ve been flying by web sites, blogs and community portals long enough to discern whether there’s good community opportunities almost instantly. It’s not just a gut reaction, but muscles I’ve built up over the years.

So here’s how I ‘thin slice’ a blog site:

  1. Transparency: Is there a face and a name? If there isn’t, how authentic is the voice? If you’re sharing your heart and your head with us, share your name and your smile too.
  2. Generosity: Is there a generous supply of links to other blogs. Is there a blogroll? Without outbound links, isn’t this a ‘dead-end’ site? And if it’s a dead-end, why should I recommend others to visit here?
  3. Consistency: Is there a consistent, if not frequent, blog posting rhythm? If not, why not? It doesn’t have to be every day, but if you go silent for chunks-at-a-time, I’m going to begin to wonder if you’re only wearing a mask on your blog.
  4. Remark-ability: Is there anything about the blog that is remarkable AND does it allow me to quickly share with others. Does the site give me the ability to make remarks to others
  5. Add It or Ads Out?: If there are a ton of ads all over the site, I know one thing – this site is in it for the money. A subtle amount of ads I can take – especially since I’ll probably add it to my feeds. Tons of ads? The only thing I’ll be able to bank on is partial feeds and lots of calls back into the site.

As with most meme posts, the next step is to tag a few folks. Here’s my thought on memes (not a rule, just a thought) – for something to really go viral – keep it open so anyone can participate at any time.  Disclosure: Mike W. tagged me offline yesterday

A few other Thin Slice perspectives:
Tom Guarriello | Mary Schmidt | Valeria Maltoni

Do you have a thin-slicing perspective on something? Share with us. You’re it.

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  • http://www.OwnYourBrand.com Michael Wagner

    Mike, thanks for adding your voice this blinking thin-slicing meme.
    Several others this morning have begun offering up their own “thin-slice” observations and wisdom.
    Slowing down to know one’s thin-slice observations and even question them has long been part of law enforement training.
    If you are going to use deadly force, you ought to be sure it really is a gun in the other guy’s hand.
    Thanks Mike for enlarging the conversation!
    Keep creating,
    Mike

  • http://www.converstations.com Mike Sansone

    Mike1 – Thanks for igniting such a great thought process. I’m sure it will carry.

  • http://www.maryschmidt.com/2007/01/11/lists-you-can-really-use-now/ Mary’s Blog

    Lists You Can Really Use (Now)

    Well! Mike Wagner really started something with his five thin-slice meme its going viral! Great common sense, thought-provoking (and short!) lists are popping up all over blogville. (My post re strategic planning is her…

  • Jane Greer

    Here’s how I’ve always thin-sliced people I’ve just met who claim to be experts on something. I’ve been wrong a few times, but not many.
    1. Are they loudmouthed about it or reserved? Expertise is like sex: real pros don’t have to brag to the whole room.
    2. Do they drop lots of important names or do they mention them quietly and only when absolutely necessary? See also #1.
    3. Do they have interests other than their area of expertise, and do they happily listen to experts in those areas? Those who fake expertise in one area usually fake it in other areas, too.
    4. When someone disagrees with their expert opinion, can they listen politely? Is every discussion a win-lose proposition, and do they always need to win? Real experts can accommodate dissension gracefully.
    5. Do they love being asked for free advice? Real experts loathe it and usually agree to give it in only the most dire circumstances.

  • http://www.converstations.com Mike Sansone

    Hi Jane, thanks your great addition to this conversation. I especiall agree with Nos. 3 & 4 – though I’m not 100% with you on #5.
    We can always learn from each other – if we’re looking to learn.
    As for free advice, I think human nature is to want to give a little. There are benchmarks that we should all set though.
    I think most experts offer a good amount of intellectual capital – but rarely give away the store. If we did that, we wouldn’t make any money would we:-)
    Thanks for adding to the conversation.

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