Unleashing the Ideavirus

Unleashing the Ideavirus
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 www.ideavirus.com
Definition: SMOOTHNESS How easy is it for an end user to spread this particular
ideavirus? Can I click one button or mention some magic phrase, or do I have to go through
hoops and risk embarrassment to tell someone about it?
For example, it’s pretty easy to talk about your hairdresser. Someone tells you you’ve got a
great haircut, and you say, “Yeah, I went to Bob at Bumble & Bumble.” On the other hand,
spreading the word about your reflexology therapist is pretty tricky. You’re not sure when to
bring it up, and you really don’t have words to describe it.
The smoothest viruses, like Hotmail, spread themselves. Just the act of using the product
spreads the virus. There’s an obvious relationship between smoothness and catchiness. A
product that’s easy to recommend is often a product that’s easy to get hooked on.
Eric Raymond was a little known programmer when he wrote an essay called “The Cathedral
and the Bazaar.” It was a manifesto—an essay designed to become an ideavirus—arguing
why the open source approach to coding (creating stuff like Linux) made sense. But instead
of having a magazine or a book publisher bring it to market, he posted the essay online, in
text, postscript and audio form. And he gave it away for free.
Within months, tens of thousands of people had read it. Months after that, Raymond
published this essay with some of his other free essays in a book. That book became an
“instant” bestseller. Of course, it wasn’t instant at all. He had laid the foundation long
before, by building an ideavirus.
So, what has creating an ideavirus done for Raymond’s value? Let’s take a crass look at his
financial situation: The virus led to increased demand for his services as a programmer (he
can pick his jobs if he likes), as a consultant, and even as a public speaker. The last I saw, he
had just written an essay about what it was like to make a fortune during an IPO!

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