Why Do You Share Information On Social Media Sites?

Recently I came across an article called “Share Well with Others: How to Get Social Content to Go Viral” on Search Engine Land. The article talks about the 7 motives why people share online content via social media.  The 7 motives are: self-expression, affinity, validation, prurience, status achievement, altruism, and self-serving interest.  It makes me think the reasons why I use social media and the examples how I am using my own blog to share information.  Here I listed the top 4 reasons why I chose to become a blogger.

1. Share how-to articles

How-to materials are what tends to go viral fast on the Internet because of its educational connotation. How-to articles on WebStudio13 include the following:

How to Grow Your Twitter Followers – 5 Ways That Work for Me

How To Create The Tipping Point With Social Media

6 Tips On How Small Business Owners Can Use Social Media

2. Help others by providing motivational content

Self-development is a crucial element for everybody’s success. It’s important to identify what motivates us in our daily activities so we can achieve our highest productivity by adding those crucial elements. Here are a few posts I’ve written to motivate my readers:

13 Most Inspiring YouTube Videos of All-Time

5 Ways You Can Motivate Others Via Social Media

3 Great Motivatonal Videos You Must See!

3. Filter useful information so my readers won’t feel overwhelmed

According to Clay Shirky, “it’s not information overload, it’s filter failure.” Information is easy to find nowadays. It means if you don’t filter out the irrelevant noises, you will get overwhelmed and frustrated.   Part of my job as a blogger is to sort through the cluster and find relevant and organized information for our readers.  Examples include the following:

Top 30 LinkedIn Groups for Media & Marketing Professionals

40 Best Social Media Bloggers to Add to Your Twitter List

13 Greatest Twitter Apps You Should Be Using

4. Provide first hand reviews for trendy products, services, etc…

I am a staunch fan of Amazon.com. I think most reviews written on Amazon.com are relevant and accurate.  The same applies to IMDB.com.  I never went to theater to watch a movie without having checked them out first on IMDB.com.  The user-generated content on these sites particularly help me make a decision on whether or not to buy a book, or go rent a DVD.  I apply the same concepts to my blog, meaning I usually write up reviews for any popular products and services I’ve used or even movies I’ve seen. Examples include:

Avatar: Raising the Bar for the Film Industry

7 Reasons Why I Switched to Google Chrome from Firefox

7 Reasons Why Google Wave Is Going To Be Awesome

If you are a blogger but haven’t found your passion, hope this post helps you identify what’s important in your life so you can take your blogging career to the next level.

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