The letter marked “insured mail” with nine 39¢ stamps on it really caught my eye last night. I thought, ‘Oh no, who’s suing me now?’ I was relieved to find out, upon opening it, that it was my new membership kit from the Social Media Club.
It included a laminated member card, Social Media Club stickers, business cards for founders Chris Heuer and Kristie Wells, and a deck of “play it forward” cards from Akoha’s social reality game. The welcome letter was signed, “with love and respect.” I thought to myself, now that’s why I like social media—the people involved are genuinely nice and show love and respect and give you the warm fuzzies.
But when I showed it to my colleague Chris Zender, she had a more cynical reaction, characterizing the association as a community of touchy-feely folks who’ve found a new communication platform. “But then again, I’m a ‘T’ and you’re an ‘F,’ so maybe this stuff works for you,” she said.
Her comment about Myers-Briggs personality types—in which you’re rated with four letters depending on whether you’re Introverted or Extroverted; iNtuitive or Sensing, Feeling or Thinking, and Judging or Perceiving—got me thinking. I wonder if most people participating in the social media universe tend to be “F’s” (for people who make decisions based largely on internal feelings). The thinkers make decisions more logically and from a more detached standpoint. Feelers love connection and consensus; thinkers like cause and effect, rules, consistency.
So what do you think? If you’re a social media participant, if you’re on Twitter and Facebook and a member of the Social Media Club and attend online community events, are you also an “F”? Or is my theory full of hooey? Comment back and let me know. —Charlotte Ziems, VP, client engagement
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This is great - and I laugh on your reaction to the package as I found a stack of old stamps and thought ‘be smart…use them’ so I did. In excess it seems, but glad to know the package found its way.
As for the MB test, I like to think of myself as ETPF with a focus on the extrovert - the connector - the person who likes to bring people together at parties, at business functions, at conferences - to see how we can help one or another for the betterment of all. Is there an F element to it, absolutely, but for what it is worth, I don’t think of myself first and foremost as a ‘feeler’.
Comment by Kristie Wells 10.09.08 @ 9:19 pmHey great to hear from you Kristie! Regardless of whether I’m an F or a T or an I or an E, I’m looking forward to meeting you at a Social Media Club event!
Comment by Charlotte 10.10.08 @ 8:45 amI wonder what the Myers-Briggs designation is for “Cynical”?
To me, social media is simply another group of methods for reaching an audience. It’s more effective than some and less effective than others, and it should be considered an integral part of an overall communication strategy.
I don’t want to generalize about whether social media appeals to Ts or Fs—rather, like any method of communication, people will apply their own experiences, background, beliefs, etc. when they engage with it. So, if you want to hear from someone, you’ll think their Twitter stream—even if it’s sent to 90,000 people daily—creates a sense of connection and intimacy. To me, that’s the same as broadcast radio.
Comment by Administrator 10.10.08 @ 3:00 pmVery interesting blog post. I wouldn’t even know how to begin to profile our players, but what I do know is that there are many, many different types of people playing. We’re also working very hard to make sure that the game is appropriate for every one, regardless of their background. Either way, thanks so much for the Akoha mention 
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