The Power of Reputation: The Brian Solis Effect

My mind has just been blown. First let me start by saying this – I think Brian Solis is brilliant.  Not that obtuse, out of reach brilliance reserved for the Einsteins of the world, but real, everyday, brilliance. Brian has the uncanny ability to break down ideas into easily digestible bits, and present them in such a way that you smack your forehead and say “I knew that to be true, I just couldn’t articulate it.”  I love his books, I admire the way his brain works, and I love reading the content he publishes right here on Social Media Today.  The 6 Pillars of Social Commerce

Which brings me to the point of my post:

This afternoon I noticed something that I’ve suspected before, but never really had it so clearly illutstrated for me until now.  Apparently Brian created a blog post called The 6 Pillars of Social Commerce: Understanding the Psychology of Engagement.

At the time of my viewing Brian’s post it only had 1 read (it had just been posted), yet it had already been shared numerous times (176 times to be exact).

Which begs the question –

Do people automatically share content that someone of Brian’s stature creates before reading it?

And if so – has he built a reputation so air tight that it happens with all of the new content he generates?

I’m not really sure where I stand on this, but I do know it’s a fascinating observation, and I’m interested in hearing from you. What do you think is happening here?

I also find it hugely ironic that Brian’s post that was minimally viewed, and hyper shared contained content that described the very behavior that the post experienced.  Like I said in my opening line – my mind has been blown.

Maybe this is just our social media version of the Halo Effect?  Certainly well deserved, and most certainly fascinating. Brian – I’d love to hear from you on this.