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Zarrella's Hierarchy of Contagiousness: The Science, Design, and Engineering of Contagious Ideas
Want to learn how to maximize social media? When to do it, what words to use, who to tweet at? Look no further than Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness: The Science, Design and Engineering of Contagious Ideas. Social media master Dan Zarrella has amassed years of experience helping people negotiate the often mystical place of social media marketing. Now, he has condensed those well-tried ideas into this concise and conversational book. Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness demystifies and deconstructs how social media works, who it benefits and why we all depend upon it to help our good ideas spread.
80 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 2011
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548 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
July 3, 2018
This review relates to my second reading of the book.
A bit short, but it does have some good things in it, even though it's now nine years old. Some things don't change...we just have to apply them!
I'd forgotten I'd read the book, in fact, but highlights in the Kindle copy proved that I had. According to the gmail telling me I'd bought the book, I got it when it was free. Just as well, as it's now selling at US$10.95, which seems slightly overpriced for a book of its length.
A bit short, but it does have some good things in it, even though it's now nine years old. Some things don't change...we just have to apply them!
I'd forgotten I'd read the book, in fact, but highlights in the Kindle copy proved that I had. According to the gmail telling me I'd bought the book, I got it when it was free. Just as well, as it's now selling at US$10.95, which seems slightly overpriced for a book of its length.
August 25, 2011
Zarrella's Hierarchy of Contagiousness: The Science, Design, and Engineering of Contagious Ideas
by Dan Zarrella is a very helpful book! I highly recommend it!
The book uses research data to "deconstruct how social media works, who it benefits, and why we all depend upon these networks to help our good ideas spread."
It provides excellent yet simple relevant information to expand your knowledge of social media from a scientific perspective. For instance, I learned about a list of the most and least popular words for tweeting based on the author's research analysis. That gave me new ideas and an increased confidence that will certainly improve my social media interaction.
It is a great instructional book for people like me still trying to master social media. In fact, that was why I read the book. It came as an unsolicited offer through my email, and I caught the title. I read it immediately because I was already searching for information to help me improve my social media influence and business brand.
The information therein can also help media experts because you can always do better still. There is always room to grow and expand.
I am glad the free offer came unasked! What a gift!
Get the book now! It is free through August 27th on amazon.com.
Thank you!
Esther Jno-Charles
Author: The Talking Palm
September 27, 2011
Dan Zarrella explains what you need in order for others to share your content or message, and even (hope upon hope) turn it a viral sensation.
This book is based on data, and I liked that. The author tells it like it really is. For example, he points out that numbers of social media followers matter. Why do they matter? Well, not because of vanity, so that you can run around crowing how many followers you have. Numbers matter because the more followers you and your networks have, the more people your content or message will be exposed to. That makes sense and mathematically you can buy into a point like that.
This is a short book. You can read it in under 2 hours. As a business tool, a short book is ideal. You get the author's point quickly. And you can read it electronically on a train or plane, while killing time in a doctor's waiting room, or over lunch. And you'll be improving your online marketing strategies just by finding time that otherwise you might fritter away.
This book is based on data, and I liked that. The author tells it like it really is. For example, he points out that numbers of social media followers matter. Why do they matter? Well, not because of vanity, so that you can run around crowing how many followers you have. Numbers matter because the more followers you and your networks have, the more people your content or message will be exposed to. That makes sense and mathematically you can buy into a point like that.
This is a short book. You can read it in under 2 hours. As a business tool, a short book is ideal. You get the author's point quickly. And you can read it electronically on a train or plane, while killing time in a doctor's waiting room, or over lunch. And you'll be improving your online marketing strategies just by finding time that otherwise you might fritter away.
September 23, 2019
Hard to rate because it is 8 years old already. I'd be curious to see an update based on the 2016 election, especially to the "attention" chapter which indicates that people are less likely to follow/share negative content. It's interesting to read as both a marketing/communications person and as a regular user of social media. #nonfictionchallenge - "Oldest on shelf - Kindle library"
August 27, 2018
The book tells you what to do, not how to in detail.
To can get started with the information in this book. But then you need to do your own research after that. The author says in the end that she did not get correct information from previous marketing gurus and felt cheated. Well, the author does not give you step by step guide either.
To can get started with the information in this book. But then you need to do your own research after that. The author says in the end that she did not get correct information from previous marketing gurus and felt cheated. Well, the author does not give you step by step guide either.
November 26, 2024
Another old Domino Project book. For some reason, I'm reading (or at least skimming) these all now. Anyway, this one is all about getting engagement on social media. Since it's more than ten years old, it's a bit out of date, but I'm sure a lot of the advice is still valid. I don't have any practical use for this stuff right now, but it's somewhat interesting to read.
December 9, 2018
It is nice small little book to help deconstruct social media and social marketing directly from the first principle of human evolution.
August 23, 2011
Dan Zarella is a social media scientist. He has spent many years collecting real data from a variety of social media platforms. Mr. Zarella dispels many myths about the proper ways to use social media marketing to grow your business. He describes three criteria that must be met before someone will spread an idea in any format;
The person must be exposed to your content. This means that numbers count when it comes to followers on Twitter, fans on Facebook and subscribers to your email list.
The person must become aware of your specific piece of content (the idea you want to spread). This means that the person must read your tweet, update or email message. The author shares his findings about the best times to post your ideas and the best/worst words to use.
The person must be motivated by something in order to want to share the idea with his contacts. Mr. Zarella states that "rare information is power" and you must give your reader a reason to pass along your idea to his friends. The author presents his investigations into what motivates people to spread ideas.
This book will encourage you to take a new look at the way you are using social media platforms to market your business. Mr. Zarrella believes it is time to take social media marketing to the next level and discover what is really working.
Most people will be able to read this book in about an hour. I suggest that you read it all the way through, and then go back and slowly read, highlight and take notes on the the key passages in this book. There is a wealth of information presented here. This little book is a real gem!
The person must be exposed to your content. This means that numbers count when it comes to followers on Twitter, fans on Facebook and subscribers to your email list.
The person must become aware of your specific piece of content (the idea you want to spread). This means that the person must read your tweet, update or email message. The author shares his findings about the best times to post your ideas and the best/worst words to use.
The person must be motivated by something in order to want to share the idea with his contacts. Mr. Zarella states that "rare information is power" and you must give your reader a reason to pass along your idea to his friends. The author presents his investigations into what motivates people to spread ideas.
This book will encourage you to take a new look at the way you are using social media platforms to market your business. Mr. Zarrella believes it is time to take social media marketing to the next level and discover what is really working.
Most people will be able to read this book in about an hour. I suggest that you read it all the way through, and then go back and slowly read, highlight and take notes on the the key passages in this book. There is a wealth of information presented here. This little book is a real gem!
September 1, 2011
If you’re like me, you’ve probably written at least one book, or created at least one product that you’d really like to sell. And you’ve probably heard that the place to do that selling is the internet. You may have heard lots of internet truisms too—join in the conversation, leave comments, make lots of friends, be yourself, etc. But which of these will really produce results?
Dan Zarrella, of the Domino Project, has actually done some experiments—the sort that I’d like to do if I only had the time, plus plenty more I haven’t even thought of. Which time of day should you make your post so more people will view it? How important are "views," or would people linking to your post be more useful? If you send a message to all four hundred of your imaginary friends, will they really pass it on?
Some of the suggestions wandering the internet do turn out to be true; others only partially so. This book certainly gives you the knowledge to recognize what questions to ask if you really want your great new idea to be contagious (or even viral). By the end of reading it I know more, but I still don’t believe I’ll ever find the time to do my own experiments and find what works for the books I’m trying to sell. I don’t want to leave it all to luck, but I also don’t have the money to invest in having someone else put the right ideas into practice for me. Still, this book’s a good start, and as long as it’s cheap it’s highly recommended.
Disclosure: A friend recommended this to me, knowing I’d like my books to become more contagious and more frequently sold.
Dan Zarrella, of the Domino Project, has actually done some experiments—the sort that I’d like to do if I only had the time, plus plenty more I haven’t even thought of. Which time of day should you make your post so more people will view it? How important are "views," or would people linking to your post be more useful? If you send a message to all four hundred of your imaginary friends, will they really pass it on?
Some of the suggestions wandering the internet do turn out to be true; others only partially so. This book certainly gives you the knowledge to recognize what questions to ask if you really want your great new idea to be contagious (or even viral). By the end of reading it I know more, but I still don’t believe I’ll ever find the time to do my own experiments and find what works for the books I’m trying to sell. I don’t want to leave it all to luck, but I also don’t have the money to invest in having someone else put the right ideas into practice for me. Still, this book’s a good start, and as long as it’s cheap it’s highly recommended.
Disclosure: A friend recommended this to me, knowing I’d like my books to become more contagious and more frequently sold.
December 6, 2011
A great attempt at trying to understand the science behind what makes social media viral. This book contrasts the difference between science vs magic when it comes to predicting the effect of social media.
Heavily favoring the scientific approach, I think the author is right in pointing out the "snake-oil salespeople [whose] success in using social media isn't something repeatable." And I totally agree that most of the time for those who propagate these ideas "It's not the outcome of a process; it's superstition, guessing, and praying."
When talking about how to create effective social media the author compares that process to the search for the causes of, and cures for diseases--basically advances in medicine. This part rang true to me.
At times the author went too far disparaging the "magic" advice circulating around the Internet even when that advice proved right--like the section on being positive.
Even after reading it, as valuable as all the scientific data provided is, I still think the practical advice to be yourself and make friends instead of networking is applicable when establishing a social media presence.
This book is a short, easy read, well worth the time. I wanted to give it 4 stars but left it at 3 because despite all the science I ended the book still wondering exactly what I should do next to enhance my social media presence. There are definitely plenty of tools presented here to get me started, but I need to do more evaluation in order to generate concrete takeaways.
Heavily favoring the scientific approach, I think the author is right in pointing out the "snake-oil salespeople [whose] success in using social media isn't something repeatable." And I totally agree that most of the time for those who propagate these ideas "It's not the outcome of a process; it's superstition, guessing, and praying."
When talking about how to create effective social media the author compares that process to the search for the causes of, and cures for diseases--basically advances in medicine. This part rang true to me.
At times the author went too far disparaging the "magic" advice circulating around the Internet even when that advice proved right--like the section on being positive.
Even after reading it, as valuable as all the scientific data provided is, I still think the practical advice to be yourself and make friends instead of networking is applicable when establishing a social media presence.
This book is a short, easy read, well worth the time. I wanted to give it 4 stars but left it at 3 because despite all the science I ended the book still wondering exactly what I should do next to enhance my social media presence. There are definitely plenty of tools presented here to get me started, but I need to do more evaluation in order to generate concrete takeaways.
August 30, 2011
I really enjoy Dan's research on social media and his approach, but like so many of the Domino Project books so far, I just felt this was a long blog post. Granted, I got a free copy, so I can't complain - it's just that I couldn't help feel something was missing at the end. In this particular case, the something missing was actionable advice. There were a few tidbits at the end, but overall I've seen most or all of this data in Dan's presentations, and didn't really get anything more out of it. I really would've liked to have heard Dan's take on next steps and how to put this data to work.
September 24, 2011
Another offering from the Domino Project. Not as bad as "Read This before Our Next Meeting", but still pretty simplistic. Nuggets include "if you publish your content when fewer other people are publishing their content yours has a better chance of being noticed than if you ran your content when everyone else was running their content."
If you are the type that really needs someone to distill the message into small, digetible bites (and I think a lot of us find ourselves there from time to time) this is probably the series for you.
If you are the type that really needs someone to distill the message into small, digetible bites (and I think a lot of us find ourselves there from time to time) this is probably the series for you.
March 4, 2012
As I continue to plow through the Domino Project books...
This one is mostly about how the spread of information in social media works. There's actually a lot of good information in here - Zarrella's captured a lot of information about how the spread of information is working these days, and it's a pretty useful piece if you care about your footprint in the meta discussion. How much this stuff shifts over a short time frame is another story, and it would be interesting to see a follow-up as time goes on.
This one is mostly about how the spread of information in social media works. There's actually a lot of good information in here - Zarrella's captured a lot of information about how the spread of information is working these days, and it's a pretty useful piece if you care about your footprint in the meta discussion. How much this stuff shifts over a short time frame is another story, and it would be interesting to see a follow-up as time goes on.
December 8, 2015
This extended white paper purports to use scientific methods to determine the tools and techniques that make content go viral. And while Zarrella does that, sort of, there are a lot of works and charts and graphs for what boils down to about four simple concepts. And "viral" in this case, isn't what you, as a user of a social networking site, might think it is. Zarrella focuses on return on investment. If your tweet is retweeted 10,000 times but you make no money, sorry Frodo, etc. It's dry, but motivating.
August 29, 2011
I actually read this entire book on my iPhone during two lunch hours. If you have heard a presentation or webinar by Dan Zarrella then you won't find much new here. If it is your first time, then there are plenty of practical take aways. I would have liked to see more data from people with smaller social media accounts and blogs to get s better idea of what works for the people in small niche markets.
August 27, 2011
BLOWN AWAY. As someone obsessed with "viralness" and how ideas spread, Dan's book was like stealing someone's private diary and learning all sorts of things you're never supposed to know! Of course, said "diary" was written by THE social media scientist par excellence. Utter brilliance. I read it two times in a row, back-to-back, here on Hurricane Irene Saturday.
Thanks to Dan for doing all the statistical leg work and then sharing it with us.
Thanks to Dan for doing all the statistical leg work and then sharing it with us.
August 23, 2011
Excellent, Scientific Primer on How to Create Contagious Ideas. It's especially useful for those involved in using the social media. See my complete Amazon review at http://www.amazon.com/Zarrellas-Hiera...
January 14, 2013
Interesting primer on how to increase your social media presence/market via social media. He presents great arguments, w solid data to back each up, but I felt that the conclusions drawn were somewhat shallow. Granted, this is a book about viral marketing, so depth isn't really the focus here. Great if you're planning on increasing your social media impact, but hardly essential reading otherwise.
April 20, 2013
A scientific approach to social media and the new marketing rules in online media. Good approach with lots, lots of data. Zarrella likes to approach the subject in a systematic and scientific way trying to get the same results over and over again and not talking about "art" or "magic touch".
Great, fresh and different approach to the subject
Great, fresh and different approach to the subject
November 17, 2014
book based on scientific research. quick read. if you are looking for action steps, then go buy a "dummies" or beginners book. the concepts are strategic like the idea of "priming" and positioning as yourself as an authority were immediately implemented in my business so some effect. only gripe is the lack of case studies.
September 8, 2011
An interesting book on the myths and science of marketing using social media. I think this will one to dip back in and out of when the situation arises. The main message was a good one though, don't buy into the prevailing wisdom in this area unless there is solid research and science behind it.
October 17, 2011
Zarrella provides an interesting take on science meets marketing. Good stats about the best time to post links, etc.
SHORT read... grab a cup of coffee in a bookstore and finish it in one setting.
http://www.mindofmiller.com
SHORT read... grab a cup of coffee in a bookstore and finish it in one setting.
http://www.mindofmiller.com
February 1, 2012
Advertizing essay on using social media to get your message out. Based on clear metrics, it goes over the planning and execution of making your message viral. Well done, but I tend to think there is far more too this than the author speaks of.
July 16, 2012
Most books I've read on social media strategy include lots of vague advice and buzzwords, but this one is different in a very good way. Zarrella includes lots of data to back up his tactical and philosophical points. This book is definitely a keeper.
December 29, 2012
Our moms taught us that if we can’t say anything nice to not say anything at all. Therefore I will say nothing about this attention-bait for social media “experts” and trojan horse for interruptive HubSpot advertising.
I fear for the future of the Domino Project.
I fear for the future of the Domino Project.
March 31, 2013
This is a closer study of the same principles as The Tipping Point with a particular emphasis on social media and marketing. It is a must read...well actually, it's a handbook because you'll keep going back to it for every new media marketing campaign you undertake.
Read
August 24, 2011Lastest offering by The Domino Group. Reading the free Kindle version.
October 3, 2011
Very interesting, data-driven, look at contagious ideas, primarily through the use of social media. Perhaps not as much meat on the bones as I'd like, but a very good, quick read.
October 9, 2011
Felt like it could be a blog post and a bulleted one at that. I didn't like his tone, it was a bit bombastic and "I have the science so listen to me!" still give it a s an and implement a few ideas.
July 21, 2012
Light read. Slightly disappointing. Would have been a better blog post.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews