Neil Patel has a great post “Get Stumbled Through Friends” which talks about starting a group of friends to, in a somewhat organized fashion, “look out for each other.”
Meaning, you post and vote for my stuff, I’ll do the same for you.
Why is this not gaming the system?
Why is it not spamming?
Because it is natural. I am not talking about hiring a squad of data entry people from India to go nuts on all your stuff. That is gaming the system in a big way and people are trying it, but there’s a difference between tricking an algorithm and tricking real humans.
It is very difficult to successfully game a Web 2.0 system precisely because real people, millions of them, are in charge of content now and they will nail you to the wall for trying to artificially bump your numbers.
Is it artificial to have a group dedicated to helping each other out?
Not at all. They won’t make THAT much difference in the first place. A couple votes here and there will simply get you in front of some other folks and then your content has to rock their world as well or it will die off.
But having a group of like-minded content submission and voting friends isn’t new. We do this all the time at ASC with our group with great success.
It’s all natural, no gaming and no spamming.
Here’s what you are doing:
1) You are vowing to your “buzz group” to look at their stuff FIRST and vote/submit it first before you go off helping strangers promote their content.
2) They are vowing to do the same for you and together you are more powerful than individuals.
Isn’t it natural to follow the content and progress of friends, associates, and partners?
Yes. That’s how social marketing and news sites work. You build a following. In this case you bring your following with you and build from there.
Everyone does it from the biggest sites on the web to the smallest.
All it takes is an agreement and a promise to stick with it.
I vote up and submit friends all the time and they do the same for me. And it is as much from liking my content as it is to scratch my back.
So build your social marketing buzz group and reap the rewards only friends can bring!