Unleashing the Ideavirus

Tommy Hilfiger
Urban preppy chic
Logo virus—the more you wear
the logo, the more people see it.
“The Cathedral and the
Bazaar”
Open source programming
works
Enabling powerful web sneezers
to spread the word by giving
them a powerful manifesto they
can share.
Vindigo
Zagats on my Palm
“Give it to me,” and a friend
can beam it over in seconds.

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Unleashing the Ideavirus
124
 www.ideavirus.com
Why I Love Bestseller Lists
One of the critical moments in the spread of an ideavirus is the question the consumer asks
before diving in: “Is it worth my time/money?”
Of course, your recommendation is important to me. Of course, I want to look as good as
you, be as smart as you, have as much fun as you. But I also care desperately about everyone
else’s opinion. After all, none of us is as smart as all of us!
The most common way this popularity is reinforced is that the user will hear about a new
ideavirus from more than one person. Usually, we hear about something first from a
promiscuous sneezer, someone who has some sort of benefit from making the
recommendation, or at the least, someone who’s 
always
recommending stuff. We all know
somebody who eats out every night or listens to every CD or is into whatever bizarre
conspiracy theory has gripped insomniacs this week.
But then, sometimes we hear about the same ideavirus from someone else. And then another
person. Finally, we realize that something is really going on, and we investigate.
In the real world, these reinforcements are usually caused by sightings or physical
interactions. Riding through the New York subway last year, I encountered a kid wearing
what appeared to be a black stocking on his head. But along the hem were the words,
“Tommy Hilfilger.” It seemed like an odd affectation and I let it go.
A week later, I saw four more Hilfiger skull caps. In the week after that, a dozen. If I were in
search of genuine urban chic, I certainly would have bought one at that point, if only to
protect my trademark bald pate from the winter chill.
The same thing happened with the VW Beetle. First there was one in my neighborhood (a
yellow one) and then a few, and then a dozen. With all these reinforcements, I assumed that
it was now a safe thing to consider, and went to the dealer to have a look for myself.

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