Viral threats, from A-G

I’ve written before about the Great Communications Glut, and how we might end up lost in an ever-charging torrent of information – lacking context or the time to digest it. Certainly, we have not yet evolved the instincts to deal with information that quickly. Or have we?

I’m a big fan of Gavin de Becker, and I’ve given away more copies of “The Gift of Fear” than I can count. He has done some amazing work bringing together the fields of communication, physiology, and psychology to develop ways of assessing threats. The premise here is that we are constantly being alerted in our subconscious by important cues. Hair standing on end, blood rushing away from extremities – the sorts of reactions that accompany Fight or Flight reflexes. We become anxious, but can’t put our fingers on “why.”

Seeing what is in plain sight

De Becker describes how you can put yourself back in touch with your fear, so you can avoid panic and danger at the same time. But since an increasing amount of our communication is impersonal and offline, we lose many of the physical cues that make up so much of our instinctual wiring. As it happens, you don’t need all those visual signs.

His company developed a series of programs known as MOSAIC – designed to process thousands of messages (letter and email) on the fly – and determine which are innocent and which are trouble. (the U.S. Supreme Court is a client for this very Threat Assessment service.) One fan can send 8,000 fan letters without triggering an alarm, and another gets pegged as a danger with the very first one. How does he do it?

The system analyzes messages along many lines, involving categories like length, vocabulary, structure, reason, theme, promises, and personal investment. From that, the individual scores are tallied, and provide a range. Small score, small threat. Big score, call the cops. Middle-of-the-road? Observe and investigate, just to make sure you didn’t miss anything. It’s a by-the-numbers approach that actually works because it is backed by decades of experience and testing.

A MOSAIC-based approach

It is a fascinating methodology, and one I intend to pursue within a different arena. My issue? How to determine which external corporate communications have the capacity to “go viral.” Why is it that some negative blog posts just sit there, while others get legendary status? Why do some email complaints fizzle and die, while others get passed along with multiple Fwd:’s?

I have a working hypothesis, and it may be very important for customer relations departments to consider when prioritizing which critics to answer and how to do so. It’s not tested, but it’s at least a start towards asking the right questions.

My “Viral Flags”

1. Authority/assertion
   The message must give you the feeling that you now know something important that will truly affect future decisions.
2. Brevity
   No one wants to read a manifesto, Dr. Kaczynski. If the email is too long, the average reader won’t want to be the one to foist it upon his whole address book.
3. Clarity
   A well-crafted message, to go viral, must be unambiguous. There can be no question about where the author stands.
4. Detail
   The position must be rooted in incontrovertible fact. A random message that “Dell sucks” doesn’t carry the weight of “Having used your product for 9 years…”.
5. Emotion
   How well-written is the message? Does it make you feel as though you could be just as passionate for simply passing it along?
6. Focus
   The email must be about one thing, and one thing only. If it makes a reader mentally wander he’ll be less likely to feel compelled to click “Forward.”
7. Gossip
   One reason people like to pass on juicy little tidbits is the rush of knowing that you knew something before (almost) any of your friends did. This places you in a position of esteem and authority within your circle.

When you see an email that meets at least four of the criteria above, take notice. If you see one that scores on six, take action. If you see one that hits all seven… take Xanax.

(I’ve got A through G covered in my Alphabet of pain… please add your own warning triggers to the comments.)

[tags]Ike Pigott, Occam’s RazR, communication, marketing, Gavin de Becker, Gift of Fear, reputation management, viral message[/tags]